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Second period surge leads Riveters past Connecticut

Whale rookie Kaycie Anderson scored early in Saturday’s game.

STAMFORD, Nov. 11 – Metropolitan’s Rebecca Russo scored two goals and had an assist to lead the visiting Riveters to a 5-1 win over the Connecticut Whale at Terry Connors Rink on Saturday night.

Courtney Burke had four assists for Metropolitan, which improves to 3-0. Goalie Katie Fitzgerald won her third game of the season for the Riveters, making 27 saves in net. Fitzgerald has the lowest goals against average in the league (1.33) and has given up just four goals in three weeks.

Connecticut (1-2) got a lone goal from rookie forward Kaycie Anderson (Norwich University) with just 5:44 gone in the game to take an early 1-0 lead but couldn’t get another puck past Fitzgerald. The Riveters scored three times in six minutes in the second period with goals from Russo, Lauren Wash and Tatiana Rafter to take command of the contest.

Anderson goal

NOTES: The Riveters play out of Newark, New Jersey, the home of the NHL’s New Jersey Devils. … Kelly Babstock led the Whale with five shots. … The newest Whale player Paige Savage had one shot in her Connecticut debut. The Whale acquired Savage on Wednesday for a conditional pick in the 2018 NWHL draft. Connecticut drafted Savage in the 2016 NWHL draft but she signed with Boston after graduating from Northeastern University in May. She didn’t play in Boston’s first two games of the season. Savage had 37 goals and 69 assists (106 points) in 148 career games with the Huskies.

Metropolitan 5, Connecticut 1
At Stamford
Metropolitan (3-0)          1  3  1  — 5
Connecticut (1-2)           1  0  0  — 1
First period
Connecticut 1, Kaycie Anderson 12:16; Metropolitan 1, Jenny Ryan (Alexa Gruschow, Courtney Burke), 13:56 (pp); Penalties: Jamie Goldsmith (CT) tripping, 3:17; Shannon Doyle (CT) delay of game, 4:26; Sam Faber (CT) hooking, 13:18; Harrison Browne (M), tripping, 19:57
Second period
Metropolitan 2, Rebecca Russo (Courtney Burke), 7:59; Metropolitan 3, Lauren Wash (Rebecca Russo, Courtney Burke), 10:44; Metropolitan 4, Tatiana Rafter (Kiira Dosdall, Courtney Burke), 13:54; Penalties: Grace Kliebach (CT) holding, 5:51; Tatiana Rafter (M) body checking, 11:10
Third period
Metropolitan 5, Rebecca Russo (Alexa Grushow, Jenny Ryan), 7:31 (pp); Penalties: Juana Baribeau (CT) body checking, 3:45; Shannon Doyle (CT), kneeing, 6:09
Power plays: Metropolitan 2-6, Connecticut 0-2
Shots: Metropolitan 30 (11-7-12), Connecticut 28 (7-11-10)
Goalies: Katie Fitzgerald (W, 3-0), 28 shots, 27 saves; Sydney Rossman (L, 1-2), 30 shots, 25 saves

2017-18 NWHL standings

W L OTL Pts. GF GA
Metropolitan 3 0 0 6 15 4
Buffalo 2 1 0 4 10 11
Connecticut 1 2 0 2 5 9
Boston 0 3 0 0 5 11

Saturday’s results
Metropolitan 5, Connecticut 1
Buffalo 5, Boston 3

Saturday, November 18
Metropolitan at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, November 19
Boston at Connecticut, 2:30 p.m.

Since 2009, the Collinsville Press has been providing award-winning coverage of sports and news in the Farmington Valley and across Connecticut.

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