Marlborough, MA — The Boston Blades will challenge the league-leading Calgary Inferno this weekend with two games at home. Puck drops at 8:10 p.m. EST on Saturday at New England Sports Center in Marlborough, MA. Sunday’s game begins at 10:30 a.m. at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, MA. On Sunday, the Blades will be offering Student Rush Tickets at the door for UMass Lowell Students - Bring a valid student ID and purchase tickets for only $5. Student Rush tickets are also available here.

 

Despite two losses this past weekend, the Blades are coming off of a strong series against Brampton. On Saturday, Boston jumped on the comeback train in the second period after falling behind 3-0. Kristina Brown notched a powerplay goal six minutes into the second period off a rush with Erin Kickham and Tara Watchorn, recording her second point and goal on the season. Though the Thunder would score seven minutes into the third, the Blades would answer right back off a well-placed shot from Maggie DiMasi, bringing Boston within swinging range. However, Brampton would keep the game just out of reach, locking down the game with a powerplay goal.

 

Sunday’s game was a much closer bout in which the Blades kept scoring even through two periods. Sadie St. Germain would score her first professional point with a breakaway goal in the second, out-deking Brampton netminder Liz Knox and tying the score at one. The Thunder would find their momentum halfway through the third with two consecutive goals 30 seconds apart, but not before facing a frustrating powerplay goal from Megan Myers, bringing the Blades within one. Brampton would ultimately seal the game with an empty-netter past a diving Watchorn, but Boston kept strong pressure in the Thunder zone right up until the end. Goaltender Genevieve Lacasse saw 50 shots in each contest, standing on her head once again to keep the Blades in it.

 

The Inferno were in action last weekend against the Toronto Furies, in which they tallied one win and one loss at home. Saturday saw a high-scoring game in which Calgary defeated Toronto 9-5. Forward Elana Lovell tallied a hat trick over three periods, while Hayleigh Cudmore netted two goals and an assist. Lovell currently leads the league in scoring with 19 points (11 goals, 8 assists) in 12 games played. On Sunday, Toronto battled back and cooled off the scorching-hot Inferno in a 6-5 regulation win. Calgary’s Brittany Esposito scored two goals in the first and third periods, but the real story of the game was Toronto’s superstar Natalie Spooner, who recorded five goals over the course of the game and assisted the game-winner. Inferno netminder Delayne Brian sealed the door on Saturday with 23 saves, while Brian and Kathy Desjardins split time on Sunday, stopping 19 of the combined 25 shots they faced.

 

This is the Blades’ sixth weekend of play, and their eleventh and twelfth games, of the season. Calgary will also play their eleventh and twelfth games of 2015-16. These are the final two of six contests between the Inferno and the Blades, marking the last time that the teams will meet this season.

 

Attack, Attack: Calgary’s last game proves that the hottest team in the league is not invincible. In the same way that Natalie Spooner and the Furies were able to crack through the Inferno defense, the Blades need to kick-start their offense early and hard. Calgary is a comeback team, so Boston needs to either create a big enough goal differential from the start or outpace the opposition through three periods. Given Calgary’s skill as a team and individually, the former is the safest bet.

 

Sunday morning'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 here or at the door. Sunday is Student Rush Tickets day in Lowell. Entry is only $5 with a valid college ID and can be purchased at the door or here.

 

Catch this season’s action by liking the Boston Blades’ official Facebook page, or by following them on Twitter (@BostonCWHL) with the hashtag #InfernoHateWeek and #BBvsCI.