CT Whale Starting New Season with Fresh Faces

DANBURY, CT--With the start of the season approaching in less than one month, the Connecticut Whale of the National Women’s Hockey League are hitting the ice as a team that looks a little different than what fans saw last season.

Some of the changes are literal. After the NWHL decided to retire the historical, inaugural season jerseys, the Whale will be outfitted with new sweaters this year. This summer, the NWHL allowed fans to vote on new design proposals for each team; the Whale’s two new designs feature a color swap, with the characteristic white whale floating in the middle of a green and blue “C” atop a green background. The difference is in the details, as one design keeps the quirky, wave-shaped stripes around the waist and sleeves while the other veers into a more traditional look of straight lined stripes. The NWHL is yet to reveal which design has won the fan vote, so fans will have to keep their eyes peeled.

Other changes hit closer to the heart. Fans will recognize Jessica Koizumi as the first goal scorer of the NWHL and the captain of the Whale. As of last week, that title is no more. Koizumi has retired from the league in order to pursue an assistant coach offer at Ohio State University, leaving Coach Heather Linstad to find new leadership in her roster.

“Although the CT Whale staff and her teammates are disappointed Jessica will not be with us, we are very excited for her and believe she will have tremendous success coaching at Ohio State,” Linstad said.

As far as new leadership, Linstad took a pragmatic approach. “We are going to get a few practices completed and then decide who the next leader, or leaders, will be.”

This new leadership may be found in new company. The Whale recently added six new players to their roster: Dana Trivigno and Hayley Skarupa of Boston College, Ivana Bilic of Bemidji State University, and Nicole Connery, Nicole Kosta, and Cydney Roesler of Quinnipiac University. Linstad is excited for the new talent, who promise depth to the lineup, and fans should be as well.

Offense seems to be on the mind this year for Whale management. Skarupa and Tivigno are impressive scorers, netting 172 goals between the two of them in their cumulative careers on the ice in Boston. Bilic, on defense, is a shot blocker, but brings offensive finesse to the table after a 61 point season. The three former Bobcats, who will join three Quinnipiac alum on the Whale, have nothing short of outstanding scoring records. Roesler, former Bobcat captain, is the fourth defenseman in the program to score 50 points in her career. Kosta, not to be outdone, scored the second highest points in program history: an astounding 123, putting her in a small club of players who have recorded 100 plus points in the program. Connery is in that club, boasting 102 points in her career.

Last season, the Whale were an incredibly successful team, placing second in the league behind the Isobel Cup winning Boston Pride. This season, the Whale’s strategy looks to use the rookies for their full potential without forgetting the stars that have a season under their belts. Linstad is a system-oriented coach, demanding her players to follow that system to a T.

“We’re looking for team chemistry, speed and quickness, discipline and hard work,” Linstad said. “The NWHL is a very competitive league; the players need to work together to be successful on the ice and use our asset of team speed to create offense and take away opportunities for the opposition. Another key is staying with the team systems and putting the effort--hard work--into making them successful.”

Hopefully, that hard work will pay off.

The second NWHL season will begin October 7, 2016 with a matchup between the Buffalo Beauts and the Boston Pride at the Buffalo HarborCenter. The Whale's first game will be against the Beauts on October 9, 2016 at the HarborCenter. For tickets and more information, please visit nwhl.zone.

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