Boston Blades
| Boston Blades | |
|---|---|
| City | Boston, Massachusetts |
| League | CWHL |
| Founded | 2010 |
| Home arena | New England Sports Center, Marlborough, MA |
| Colors |
Black, Yellow and White |
| General manager | Krista Patronick |
| Head coach | Brian McCloskey |
|
| |
The Boston Blades are a professional women's ice hockey team in the Canadian Women's Hockey League, and are based out of Boston, Massachusetts.[1] The Blades play most of their home games at the New England Sports Center. Since beginning play in the 2010–11 CWHL season, the Boston Blades have won the Clarkson Cup on two occasions; once in the 2012–2013 season, and again in the 2014–2015 season.
2014–2015 CWHL Regular Season Schedule
5 December 2014 |
| Boston Blades | 3–8 L | Calgary Inferno |
|---|---|---|
Ristuccia Ice Arena |
17 January 2015 |
| Brampton Thunder | 3–11 W | Boston Blades |
|---|---|---|
Century Gardens Arena |
18 January 2015 |
| Brampton Thunder | 0–8 W | Boston Blades |
|---|---|---|
Century Gardens Arena |
21 February 2015 |
| Boston Blades | 6–2 W | Brampton Thunder |
|---|---|---|
Milton Academy |
22 February 2015 |
| Boston Blades | 6–2 W | Brampton Thunder |
|---|---|---|
Milton Academy |
28 February 2015 |
| Montreal Stars | 1–2 W | Boston Blades |
|---|---|---|
Desmarteau Rink |
1 March 2015 |
| Montreal Stars | 1–3 W | Boston Blades |
|---|---|---|
Desmarteau Rink |
Source[2]
Coaches & Staff (Updated for 2015–16)
- Head Coach: Brian McCloskey
- General Manager: Krista Patronick
Source[3]
Roster (Updated for 2014–15)
| Number | Player | College | Former Team | Hometown | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 |  |
Geneviève Lacasse | Providence College | Canadian Olympic Team | Kingston, Ontario |
| 31 |  |
Brittany Ott | University of Maine | St. Clair Shores, Michigan | |
Reference[4]
Past Seasons
| Year | Regular Season |
Clarkson Cup Playoffs |
|---|---|---|
| 2014–15 | 1st | Won Clarkson Cup Championship against Montreal Stars. W(2–3 OT)[5] |
| 2013–14 | 2nd | Lost Clarkson Cup Championship against Toronto Furies. L(1–0 OT)[6] |
| 2012–13 | 1st | Won Clarkson Cup Championship against Montreal Stars. W(5–2)[7] |
| 2011–12 | 2nd | Did not win necessary amount of playoff games (2) to qualify for Clarkson Cup Championship. |
| 2010–11 | 3rd | Lost in first round of Clarkson Cup Playoffs against Toronto Furies. Swept 2–0 |
History
On August 12, 2010, the CWHL announced that Boston would be granted an expansion team for the 2010–11 CWHL season, ultimately making the Boston franchise the first US team in the CWHL.[8]
On September 14, 2010, retired goalkeeper Erin Whitten was named Boston's first head coach.[9] An expansion draft was held to stock the team in August.[10] Their most significant player was free agent signing Angela Ruggiero, four-time Olympian and one of the greatest stars of women's hockey history.
The Boston Blades’ inaugural season included 16 home games. Their first match, on October 30, 2010, ended with a 3–0 shutout victory over the Burlington Barracudas, and the team began the season with seven victories in their first twelve games. A seven-game losing streak ensued, however, and the Blades finished with a 10–16 record, but still good enough for third place in the five team league. In the playoffs against the Toronto Aeros, the Blades lost 4–2 and 3–1, and were swept in the best-of-three series.
In the 2012–2013 season, the Boston Blades became the second American-based team to capture the Clarkson Cup, the women's equivalent of the men's Stanley Cup. The Clarkson Cup is named after Canada's former Governor General, Adrienne Clarkson. The Blades beat rival Montreal for the clinching victory, and were also the regular season champions. Hilary Knight was named CWHL MVP, Geneviève Lacasse Best Goalie, and Digit Murphy Coach of the Year.
In the second last game of the regular season in 2013–14, Jessica Koizumi became the first player to register 50 career points with the Blades franchise.
In the 2014–2015 season, the Blades finished the regular season with the best record in the CWHL. Their regular season record was 15–2–1–6, good enough for the first seed in the Clarkson Cup Playoffs. In the first round of the Clarkson Cup Playoffs, the Blades were matched up against the fourth seeded Toronto Furies. The best-of-three series ended in a sweep for the Blades, as they collected both 3–0 and 7–3 victories.
On March 7, 2015, the Boston Blades matched up against the Montreal Stars in a battle for the Clarkson Cup. The Blades were on a quest for their second Cup in three years; the Blades had previously won the Clarkson Cup in the 2012–2013 season. Both the Blades and Stars tallied goals in the first and third periods. Hillary Knight and Brianna Decker were the lone goal scorers in regulation for the Blades. Regulation ended with the score tied at 2–2, so an overtime was required to decide a winner. Wasting little to no time, Janine Weber scored the series-clinching goal on a pass from her former college roommate Corinne Buie, with 2:12 in the overtime period, earning the Boston Blades their second Clarkson Cup.
The following players participated in the 2014 Winter Olympics:
Notable Former Players
Scoring Leaders
Year-by-year
| Season | Leader (F) | GP | G | A | Pts | Leader (D) | GP | G | A | Pts | PPG | SHG | GWG |
| 2010–11[12] | Sam Faber | 23 | 15 | 15 | 30 | Angela Ruggiero | 22 | 11 | 15 | 26 | Ruggiero (6) | Faber (2) | Jessica Koizumi (3) |
| 2011–12[13] | Kelli Stack | 27 | 25 | 17 | 42 | Kacey Bellamy | 22 | 5 | 7 | 12 | Stack (4) | Erika Lawler and Kacey Bellamy (1) | Gigi Marvin (4) |
| 2012–13[14] | Hilary Knight | 24 | 17 | 15 | 32 | Anne Schleper | 24 | 2 | 13 | 15 | Knight (3) | Karen Thatcher (1) | Knight (5) |
| 2013–14[15] | Jillian Dempsey | 24 | 14 | 14 | 28 | Blake Bolden | 23 | 5 | 14 | 19 | Dempsey (5) | Casey Pickett (2) | Four tied with 2 |
| 2014–15 | Brianna Decker | 12 | 16 | 16 | 32 | Tara Watchorn | 21 | 6 | 14 | 20 | Decker (6) | Decker and Watchorn (2) | |
| 2015–16 | Megan Myers | 17 | 4 | 3 | 7 | Tara Watchorn | 23 | 2 | 4 | 6 | Seven tied with 1* | None | Kristina Brown (1) [scored in shootout] |
All-Time Scoring Leaders
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | Seasons |
| Jessica Koizumi | 66 | 27 | 28 | 55 | 2010–present |
| Hilary Knight | 38 | 25 | 28 | 53 | 2012–present |
| Kelli Stack | 39 | 31 | 22 | 53 | 2011–present |
Awards & Honors
- Hilary Knight, 2013 CWHL Player of the Year
- Genevieve Lacasse, 2013 CWHL Goaltender of the Year
- Jillian Dempsey, 2014 CWHL Rookie of the Year
- Jillian Dempsey, 2013–14 Leading scorer among CWHL rookies
- Brianna Decker, CWHL Rookie of the Year (2014–15)
- Jillian Dempsey, 2014–15 Leading scorer among CWHL rookies
- Tara Watchorn, CWHL Defender of the Year (2014–15)
Team honors
- First overall, CWHL standings (2012–13)
- First overall, CWHL standings (2014–15)
See also
References
- ↑ New England journal, Blades have high aims in inaugural CWHL season
- ↑ http://cwhlboston_hockey.stats.pointstreak.com/teamschedule.html?teamid=277085&seasonid=13281
- ↑ Boston Coaches & Staff
- ↑ Boston Team Roster
- ↑ http://cwhl.ca/view/cwhl/news-644/news_288663
- ↑ http://www.cwhl.ca/view/cwhl/news-644/news_69755
- ↑ http://www.cwhl.ca/view/cwhl/news-644/news_69755
- ↑ New England journal, Blades have high aims in inaugural CWHL season
- ↑ Erin Hamlen named coach of Boston
- ↑ New England Hockey Journal, Boston lands CWHL expansion team; roster announced
- ↑ 2014 U.S. Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team Roster
- ↑ http://cwhlboston_hockey.stats.pointstreak.com/teamplayerstats.html?teamid=277085&seasonid=6347
- ↑ http://cwhlboston_hockey.stats.pointstreak.com/teamplayerstats.html?teamid=277085&seasonid=8067
- ↑ http://cwhlboston_hockey.stats.pointstreak.com/teamplayerstats.html?teamid=277085&seasonid=9580
- ↑ http://cwhlboston_hockey.stats.pointstreak.com/teamplayerstats.html?teamid=277085&seasonid=11441
External links
- Official Website Boston Blades CWHL
- Schedule Boston Blades CWHL
- Facebook Boston Blades CWHL
- Twitter Boston Blades CWHL
- YouTube Channel Boston Blades CWHL
- Promo Video Boston Blades CWHL
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