Connecticut Whale (NWHL)
| Connecticut Whale | |
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 2017–18 NWHL season
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| City | Stamford, Connecticut |
| League | National Women's Hockey League |
| Founded | 2015 |
| Home arena | Terry Conners Ice Rink |
| Colors | White, blue, green |
| Owner(s) | NWHL |
| Head coach | Ryan Equale |
| Captain | Sam Faber |
| Media | The Collinsville Press NWHL Cross Ice Pass (on YouTube) |
| Website | Official Website |
The Connecticut Whale is a professional women's ice hockey team based in Stamford, Connecticut. It is one of the four charter franchises of the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL). Its name and colors are an homage to the former NHL and WHA franchise known as the Hartford Whalers.
For their first season, the Whale played home games in Stamford, Connecticut at Chelsea Piers. Chris Ardito was hired as the first general manager in franchise history, while Jake Mastel and Lisa Giovanelli coached the team. The team is the second professional hockey team to bear the Connecticut Whale name, following the American Hockey League team previously and currently known as the Hartford Wolf Pack.
Among their off-season acquisitions, the Whale signed Kaleigh Fratkin to a contract on July 1, 2015. She was the first Canadian player to sign a contract in the NWHL.
The team made its debut in 2015. The first game in NWHL history was a sell out on October 11, 2015 between the New York Riveters and Connecticut Whale. The Whale prevailed by a 4–1 tally as Jessica Koizumi scored the first goal in both franchise and NWHL history. In the same game, Kelli Stack had one goal and two assists, becoming the first player to record a multi-point performance. Whale goaltender Jaimie Leonoff was credited the win, capturing the game's First Star. Stack was recognized as the Second Star, and , who became the first Canadian-born player to score a goal in an NWHL regular season game, was acknowledged as the Third Star.
The Whale won their first three games in franchise history with three different goalies. In the first game, the Whale prevailed with Jaimie Leonoff, while former Quinnipiac goaltender Chelsea Laden captured the second win, and Nicole Stock played her first game in over five years to capture the third win on the road against the New York Riveters.
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