The Connecticut Whale swept a pair of games from Buffalo over the weekend. (Jonathan Sawn photo courtesy of Connecticut Whale)
With a pair of victories over the weekend over the Buffalo Beauts, the Connecticut Whale is one point away from clinching the No. 3 seed in the upcoming Premier Hockey Federation playoffs.
The Whale swept a pair from last place Buffalo with Kennedy Marchment scoring a goal in overtime to give Connecticut a 2-1 victory on Saturday and added a goal and an assist in Sunday’s 4-2 victory over the Beauts.
Connecticut (12-8-2) faces the Minnesota Whitecaps on the road on Saturday and Sunday to close out the regular season. The Whitecaps need a win in regulation and a win in OT or a shootout to climb past Connecticut into third place.
The Whale and Whitecaps will both be on the road in the best-of-3 semifinals that begin on March 17. But it is likely that the No. 3 seed will face Toronto with the No. 4 seed facing the two-time defending Isobel Cup champion Boston Pride, which has the league’s best defense.
The Isobel Cup championship game is a one-game playoff – a better scenario to beat the Pride than trying to get two wins in a semifinal series.
Marchment has scored at least one point in a league-record 16 straight games. Goalie Abbie Ives (9-6) made 20 saves on Sunday and 19 saves on Saturday to pick up a pair of victories in net.
The Whale have now won nine straight games over Buffalo over back-to-back seasons. This year, Connecticut earned 11 of a possible 12 points over Buffalo, outscoring the Beauts, 16-6.
In the PHF scoring race, Boston’s Loren Gabel leads with 38 points (19 goals, 19 assists) with Marchment in second place with 33 points (16 goals, 17 assists) and Whale teammate Taylor Girard tied for third with 27 points (10 goals, 17 assists)
Connecticut 4, Buffalo 2
At Buffalo
Connecticut (12-8-2)Â Â Â Â Â 0Â 2Â 2Â — 4
Buffalo (5-14-3)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 0Â 1Â 1Â — 2
Second period
Bufalo 1, Claudia Kepler (Dominique Kremer), 0:19; Connecticut 1, Tori Howran (Kennedy Marchment, Taylor Girard), 7:12; Connecticut 2, Marchment (Melissa Samoskevich), 14:59 (pp)
Third period
Buffalo 2, Summer-Rae Dobson, 7:25; Connecticut 3, Caitrin Lonergan (Allie Munroe, Katerina Mrazova), 7:56; Connecticut 4, Emma Keenan (Justine Reyes), 9:16
Saves: Connecticut – Abbie Ives (W, 9-6) 20, Buffalo — Samantha Ridgewell 26 saves; Shots: Connecticut 30 (13-8-9), Buffalo 22 (6-8-8)
Connecticut 2, Buffalo 1, OT
At Buffalo
Connecticut (11-8-2)Â Â Â Â Â 0Â 1Â 0Â 1Â — 2
Buffalo (5-13-3)              0 0 1 0  – 1
Second period
Connecticut 1, Justin Reyes (Kennedy Marchment, Alyssa Wohlfeiler), 16:56
Third period
Buffalo 1, Claudia Kepler (Emma Nuutinen, Dominique Kremer) 8:32
Overtime
Connecticut 1, Kennedy Marchment (Taylor Girard, Tori Howran), 2:45
Saves: Connecticut – Abbie Ives (W, 8-6) 19; Buffalo – Lovisa Berndtsson 46 saves; Shots: Connecticut 48 (16-10-19-3), Buffalo 20 (9-6-5-0)
PHF standings, March 5, 2023
| Team | W-L-OTL | Pts. | RW | OTW | SOW | GF-GA |
| x-Boston | 18-3-1 | 51 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 85-45 |
| x-Toronto | 16-4-2 | 48 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 80-55 |
| x-Connecticut | 12-8-2 | 37 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 77-65 |
| x-Minnesota | 10-9-3 | 33 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 57-60 |
| Metropolitan | 9-13 | 24 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 56-75 |
| Montreal | 8-14-2 | 23 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 56-70 |
| Buffalo | 5-14-3 | 18 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 46-87 |
| x- clinched playoff berth | ||||||
| Friday’s game Buffalo at Metropolitan, 7 p.m. Saturday’s games Boston at Toronto, 2 p.m. Buffalo at Metropolitan, 2 p.m. Connecticut at Minnesota, 7 p.m. |
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| Sunday’s games Connecticut at Minnesota, 2 p.m. Boston at Toronto, 2 p.m. Regular season complete |
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| Friday, March 3 Boston 5, Minnesota 4, SO Saturday, March 4 Minnesota 5, Boston 1Metropolitan 2, Montreal 1, OT Connecticut 2, Buffalo 1, OT |
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| Sunday, March 5 Connecticut 4, Buffalo 2 Metropolitan 4, Montreal 3 |
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| Teams earn three points for win in regulation and two points for a win in OT or the shootout. Teams earn one point for a loss in OT or the shootout. | ||||||
