The Fearless, Frozen Females of Hockey

In a game that took less than two hours to complete, 17 scorers from Les Canadennes de Montreal contributed at least one point as the Boston Blades were pummelled in a 14-0 whitewash. Prevailing by the largest margin of victory by any CWHL team all season, it was another exciting moment in a season filled with many of them for Montreal.   The game-winning goal would be scored at the 5:05 mark of the first as Caroline Ouellette scored on Genevieve Lacasse, who both played together for Canada at the 2014 Sochi Winter Games. With Noemie Marin (who earned her 200 th career point earlier this season) and Sophie Brault earning the assists, the hometown fans on-hand at Centre Etienne Desmarteau (nor the Blades for that matter) could not have foreseen the onslaught to come.   Despite ten more minutes of scoreless play in the first, the Blades were unable to mount an offensive attack, managing a meagre two shots in the entire period. First-year player Alyssa Sherrard and O...

In an offseason filled with many memorable moments, the announcement of Angela Ruggiero’s induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame only adds to such magic. Prior to said announcement, CWHL Board Member Fran Rider became the first female builder to earn a spot in the IIHF Hall of Fame. Although Ruggiero becomes the fourth woman to gain entry into the prestigious Hall, an exciting aspect is the fact that she becomes the first inductee with playing experience in the CWHL. After the euphoria of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games, the CWHL made its first foray into the United States , establishing a team in Boston , resulting in borderless hockey. As a charter member of the Boston Blades, Ruggiero was more than just one of the team’s leaders; she became an ambassador for the team and the league. During the Blades inaugural season, Ruggiero made her CWHL debut on October 30, 2010 against the Burlington Barracudas. Earning an assist in her debut, it also represented a franchise milestone as i...

Hailing from Peabody, Massachusetts, goaltender Stephanie Ciampa earned the unique distinction of being the final player selected in the 2014 CWHL Draft. Selected by the hometown Boston Blades, the squad already features the likes of goaltenders such as Genevieve Lacasse, Molly Schaus and Brittany Ott, who started the championship game of the 2014 Clarkson Cup. Coincidentally, it marks the second consecutive season that Boston had the last pick overall. Adding to that is the fact that Boston selected a goaltender with their last pick in the 2013 CWHL Draft. Zoe Zisis, the first (and only) player in CWHL history to have both initials commence with a Z, was the pick in question. Of note, she would see some ice time, in a back-up role to Ott. Another unique factor about Ciampa is the fact that she was the only player from the Mercyhurst Lakers selected in the 2014 edition of the draft. Christine Bestland, who graduated as the second all-time leading scorer in program history ...

For the Toronto Furies and the Canadian Women’s Hockey League, the 2014 edition of the Clarkson Cup was filled with drama, excitement and another exciting chapter in the lore of the event. The donnybrook between the Boston Blades and the Toronto Furies resulted in an outcome that provided numerous historic firsts. With Britni Smith having buried the puck past Blades goaltender Brittany Ott just 33 seconds into overtime, it marked the first Clarkson Cup to go into an overtime period. Becoming the first-ever team with a fourth-place regular season finish to hoist the coveted Cup was complemented by the fact that the Furies were the first championship squad with a .500 regular season record. The road to the Clarkson Cup began with a 3-2 victory over the Calgary Inferno, who were making their postseason debut in 2014.   Toronto   battled back from a 1-0 deficit to prevail by a 3-2 tally. Two-point performances by Meagan Aarts, Tessa Bonhomme and Natalie Spooner helped con...

The March 8 contest between the Montreal Stars and the Boston Blades at the Arena Etienne-Desmarteau encompassed many unique elements. From the outset, the Stars enjoyed a sold-out crowd of 14,000 fans as they held their annual Breast Cancer fundraiser. Of note, several players from the IWFL’s Montreal Blitz, the Tier II champions of 2013, were on-hand to show their support. Adding to the spectacle was the fact that several CWHL stars, including the likes of Julie Chu, Hilary Knight, Genevieve Lacasse and Caroline Ouellette were returning to league play after remarkable performances at the 2014 Sochi Winter Games. With CWHL commissioner Brenda Andress participating in the ceremonial face off, the aforementioned (along with Lauriane Rougeau and Catherine Ward who were inactive for the game) joined her at centre ice. As Stars players were standing proudly on the blue line adorned in pink jerseys (which were auctioned off afterwards for Breast Cancer research), captains Cathy Cha...

As the first CWHL game of 2014 marked a crucial matchup in determining if the Stars could maintain their stranglehold on first place, two players contributed with key performances. Marieve Provost, the all-time scoring leader in CIS history, has found her scoring touch in a sensational sophomore season. Recording the first hat trick of her career, it would prove to be the difference in a convincing 5-2 victory. In addition, McGill Martlets legend Stacie Tardif and 2013 CIS National Champion Casandra Dupuis logged the first goals of their CWHL careers. The milestone was enhanced by the fact it was scored on the power play (Blake Bolden was called for bodychecking). Her marker opened the scoring at the 9:02 mark as Emmanuelle Blais earned the assist. While Blades rookie Jillian Dempsey buried the puck past second-generation star Catherine Herron with less than two minutes remaining in the opening frame, the game would not stay tied for long. Merely 94 seconds into the second sta...

In the aftermath of the fourth annual CWHL Draft, the legend of the event continues to grow. While said draft lacked the significant star power of the 2012 edition, a historic first-round shaped its legacy. While the Alberta Hockey Club became the first franchise in draft history to have the first pick overall in successive years, their selection would help create history not just one, but twice. Image by WCHA.com Hailing from Baddeck , Nova Scotia , Jessica Wong spent the last four seasons as an integral component of the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs. From helping Canada’s Under-22/Development Team grab the gold medal at the Meco Cup to scoring one of the most famous goals in women’s hockey (a triple overtime winner against Cornell in the 2010 NCAA Frozen Four title game), her presence helps make Alberta a postseason contender. Alberta ’s selection of Wong makes her the first visible minority chosen with the first-pick overall in draft history. Having played on both offe...

Joining the likes of Caitlin Cahow and Molly Engstrom, Karen Thatcher becomes the third Boston Blades player to announce her retirement from the US National Team in 2013. A notable figure in New England women’s hockey, her first brush with fame occurred in 2002 when she was the recipient of the Boston Bruins John Carlton Award. She would follow with a solid career for the Providence Friars women’s hockey program in the Hockey East Conference. With the Friars, she earned All-America status, the Sarah Devens Award, and the Hockey East Player of the Year Award After a silver medal with the US team at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games, Thatcher joined the Boston Blades of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League. Boston’s inaugural game on October 30, 2010 would also signify her debut with the black and gold. Logging an assist in a 3-0 victory against the Burlington Barracudas, the October 30 contest signified a great start to the beginning of her Blades career. Her first goal with the Blade...

One of the most influential US players in CWHL history, Caitlin Cahow has retired from the US National Team. The winner of the 2008 Bob Allen Award (given to the most outstanding women’s player in the United States), Cahow is only the second born US captain to lead a team to the Clarkson Cup (which she did with the Boston Blades in 2013), Cahow is a living legend in American women’s hockey circles. Her debut with the Boston Blades came on October 30, 2010 in a contest against the Burlington Barracudas. While she was held pointless in a 3-0 win, her following game would yield impressive results. Cahow would log one goal and two assists as part of a 6-4 triumph on Halloween 2010. She would finish her inaugural season with the Blades with 13 points in 23 games. For the 2012-13 campaign, Cahow would inherit the team’s captaincy and help the Blades to their first regular season championship. Having logged 14 points, her maturity and acumen were key factors in the black and gold enjoyin...

When the Boston Blades announced that they were hiring legendary NCAA coach Digit Murphy (formerly of Brown University), it sent a message throughout the realm of women’s hockey that the Canadian Women’s Hockey League is ready to truly become the greatest women’s league in the world. The magnitude of such an announcement would be the equivalent of Mike Krzyzewski (the Duke University basketball coach) coaching the Los Angeles Lakers, or Bobby Bowden (the former Florida State football coach) joining the Dallas Cowboys. While the rivalry (and mutual respect) between the Boston Blades and the Montreal Stars is not as visceral as the Boston Bruins – Montreal Canadiens rivalry in the NHL, Murphy gives the Blades the opportunity to usurp the Stars grip on the Clarkson Cup sooner, rather than later. In a draft that saw the only US based franchise acquire Hilary Knight, one of the most talented players in the world, 2012 NCAA Frozen Four champions Anne Schleper and Jen Schoullis, plus the g...