Hockey / Blades Finish Six-Game Brampton Series With Two at Home

Blades Finish Six-Game Brampton Series With Two at Home

Date:  Source: CWHL: Boston Blades
Brampton Thunder (6-0-0-4) at Boston Blades (0-1-0-9)
Saturday, December 5 at 8:20 p.m. EST at New England Sports Center
Sunday, December 6 at 10:50 a.m. EST at Rodman Arena
 
Marlborough, MA — The Boston Blades will close out their six-game stretch against the Brampton Thunder with two games at home this weekend. Puck drops at 8:20 p.m. EST on Saturday at New England Sports Center in Marlborough, MA. Sunday’s game begins at 10:50 a.m. at Rodman Arena in Walpole, MA. On Saturday, the Blades will be raising funds for the McKenna House, a shelter for young adults located in Concord, NH. The organization will host a table out in the lobby, and there will be a special pregame ceremony honoring the efforts of volunteers.
 
The Blades are coming off of a restful Thanksgiving break, though many players continued to practice during the holiday week. The weekend prior, Boston traveled to Brampton with the hopes of tallying their first regulation win. Fortune didn’t find the Blades, though. While the team played two fundamentally sound games, the Thunder took both contests in regulation.
 
Brampton paced the Blades on Saturday, tallying three goals per period for a 9-1 final score. Megan Shea notched her second goal of the season 14:01 into the first period on a Boston powerplay, tying the game at one each. Megan Myers and Tara Watchorn assisted in the rush, and Watchorn picked up her team-leading sixth point of the season. However, this is the only point the Blades would score over the weekend; Brampton knocked in a response 1:38 later and took off from there. Goaltender Genevieve Lacasse faced (and this is not a typo) a season-low 37 shots, while the Blades were able to put 18 on the Brampton net.
 
On Sunday, the Blades put up their strongest showing yet, despite falling 3-0. Boston played a fundamentally sound game that frequently saw them matching the Thunder in zonetime and on rushes. Though they would not score, the Blades put a season-high 30 shots on the Brampton net, testing the defense and goaltender Liz Knox. Boston’s penalty kill was also in top form; the team killed off two consecutive infractions midway through the second, frustrating Brampton’s often-prolific offense. As always, Lacasse was in her usual form, facing 41 shots and turning away 38, earning her third-star honors.
 
While Boston was off to celebrate Thanksgiving in the States, Brampton was in action against the league-leading Calgary Inferno. The Thunder dropped both games in regulation last weekend, though they kept both contests competetive. In Saturday’s 4-3 loss, Brampton jumped on the comeback train late in the second period with a goal from Jamie Lee Rattray, who leads the team with 13 points on the season. Brampton owned all scoring in the third period, responding about 15 minutes in and with just over 4 minutes left to play. Despite the strong effort, Calgary found their lightning rod in the defense and kept the Thunder at bay. Sunday’s game was a similar story, though Calgary found more of their stride and took the game 5-2. The Thunder fired up in the beginning of the third, scoring one 2 minutes in and another about 5 minutes later. Yet it was Calgary’s dominance in the first that made a difference; they tallied three goals on 14 shots, along with a fourth halfway through the second frame that ultimately led to a Brampton goaltending change.
 
This is the Blades’ fifth weekend of play, and their ninth and tenth games, of the season. Brampton will also play their ninth and tenth games of 2015-16. These are the final two of six consecutive contests between the Thunder and the Blades, marking the last time that the teams will meet this season.
 
Key to Victory
Play the Gritty Game: Despite losing over the past few weeks, the Blades have made noticeable improvements in the way that they play. The last two contests against Brampton were the culmination of that; Boston played two fundamentally strong games and was firing on all cylinders on Sunday. However, pretty, well-played games will only get the team so far. In order to convert on that fundamental success, the Blades need to be willing to park themselves in front of the net, grind down low, and capitalize on the ugly plays. At this point, a goal is a goal and a win is a win.
 
Saturday night’s game can be viewed online with the CWHL’s live streaming package. Purchase a season pass and watch all 32 available games for just under $17.00 USD. Visit cwhllive.com for more information and to subscribe.
 
There are still tickets available for this weekend’s games. Purchase them online at boston.cwhl.ca or at the door.
 
Catch this season’s action by liking the Boston Blades’ official Facebook page, or by following them on Twitter (@BostonCWHL) with the hashtag #ThunderBladies and #BBvsBT.
 
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