Five Whale players selected to play All-Star game; Engstrom suspended 1 game

Kelli Stack is one five players from the Connecticut Whale to be selected for January’s All-Star game in Buffalo.

NEW YORK – Eleven members of the Boston Pride were selected to participate in the National Women’s Hockey League’s first annual All-Star game on Jan. 24 in Buffalo. All-Star captains Hilary Knight of Boston and Emily Pfalzer of Buffalo each drafted players from the Pride (5-3), Beauts, Connecticut Whale and New York Riveters.

The undefeated Whale (7-0) had five players selected to play in the game including Kelli Stack, Kaleigh Fratkin, Jamie Leonoff, Shiann Darkangelo and Jordan Brickner. Fratkin is Connecticut’s leading scorer with five goals and six assists while Leonoff has won four games in net. Stack (2 goals, 4 assists, 6 points) was the second pick for Team Knight. Stack, Fratkin, Leonoff and Brickner were selected to Team Knight while Darkangelo was selected to play for Team Pfalzer.

Buffalo having seven players picked by the two captains in the draft while New York had two players selected. Fans can vote for the final two players to be added to the All-Star game. Voting begins on Friday, Dec. 11.

Team selections in order of selection. Team Knight had the first overall pick.

Team Knight: Kacey Bellamy, Boston D; Kelli Stack, Connecticut F; Kaleigh Fratkin, Connecticut D; Janine Weber, New York F; Jamie Leonoff, Connecticut G; Alyssa Gagliardi, Boston D; Jordan Smelker, Boston F; Brianne McLaughlin, Buffalo G; Shelby Bram, Buffalo D; Amanda Pelkey, Boston F; Jordan Brickner, Connecticut D

Team Pfalzer: Brianna Decker, Boston F; Meghan Duggan, Buffalo F; Kelley Steadman, Buffalo F; Nana Fujimoto, New York G; Megan Bozek, Buffalo D; Gigi Marvin, Boston D; Blake Bolden, Boston D, Brittany Ott, Boston G, Shiann Darkanagelo, Connecticut F; Emily Field, Boston F, Zoe Hickel, Boston F

Engstrom suspended one game

Connecticut’s Molly Engstrom has been suspended for one game by the NWHL.

NEW YORK, Dec. 10 – Connecticut Whale defender Molly Engstrom was suspended for one game by the National Women’s Hockey League for her hit on Buffalo’s Meghan Duggan in the second period of Sunday’s game in Stamford.

Engstrom was initially called for a cross checking penalty but was thrown out of the game after her hit to the head of Duggan left the Buffalo forward laying on the ice. Duggan didn’t return to the game. The league posted video of the play on You Tube as part of their news release on the suspension.

Engstrom will miss Sunday’s game against New York in Brooklyn. NWHL writer Hannah Bevis wrote on Twitter that the one game suspension in an 18-game season is equal to a five-to-six game suspension in the 82-game NHL season.

The NWHL held a player safety hearing Wednesday with league commissioner Dani Ryan, NWHLPA director Erika Lawler, Patrick Burke from the NHL’s Department of Player Safety and representatives from Boston and New York.