From the Press Box: New York Rangers vs. Washington Capitals

The Washington Capitals faced the New York Rangers at Verizon Center for the Capitals’ final pre-season game. The crowd was light for this Sunday matinee, on the eve of Yom Kippur.

In their first matchup of pre-season, the Blueshirts defeated the Caps 3-2 on Sept. 24 at Madison Square Garden, handing the Capitals their second loss.

In today’s game, the Capitals dominated the first two periods as Rangers’ Sean Avery looked on from the press box (alongside teammate Matt Gilroy), seemingly bored to tears by the lifeless play by his teammates. Avery is out of the pre-season lineup because of a sprained right knee sustained during morning skate after a collision with forward Ryan Callahan.

In the first period, Brooks Laich deked Rangers’ goaltender Lindqvist for an even strength goal unassisted at 4:26. Alexander Semin slipped the biscuit past Lundqvist at 17:34 on assists by Tyler Sloan and Laich (assist originally credited to Brian Pothier). Semyon Varlamov hampered all five of the Blueshirts’ attempts to score on the rookie goaltender.

Looking to trade his chocolate brown sweater for a red sweater, Chris Bourque scored at 2:59 in the second period with help from Pothier and Dave Steckel. Former Flyer Mike Knuble scored the team’s fourth and final goal of the game at 4:30 with an assist by Mike Green and Jeff Schultz.

All throughout the second period, the Rangers had a steady stream of players entering the sin bin, but momentum changed in the third period, animating Avery.

Rangers coach John Tortorella substituted Lundqvist with Steve Valiquette after the Capitals reduced the King to a prince.

Tortorella quite possibly scolded his team in the second intermission because after being dominated the first two periods, the Rangers returned to the ice with a vengeance. Artem Anisemov, Evgeny Grachev and former Capital Donald Brashear put the Rangers on the scoreboard. While the Rangers had 11 shots on goal (SOG) in the first two periods, the team had 20 in the third compared to the Capitals’ four.

After an intense third period, the Capitals prevailed, 4-3. Despite 12 minutes in the penalty box, all goals scored by Capitals were even strength.

The team closed out the pre-season with several firsts: Laich, Semin, Bourque, and Knuble scored their first pre-season goals; and Sloan, Laich, Pothier, Steckel, and Green earned their first pre-season assists.

Bruce Boudreau applauded Sloan and John Erskine in the coach’s press conference. Boudreau commended Varlamov for his performance in the first two periods, for controlling his rebounds really well, but coach thought the team let Varlamov down in the third period.

The Capitals end the pre-season 4-2. The Southeast Division will open the regular season on the road against the Boston Bruins on Oct. 1.

Amateur Women's Hockey Club in Ukraine Receives Help From Abroad

Women’s hockey worldwide continues to be on the rise.

Those that once believed that women couldn’t or shouldn’t play hockey have been proven incredibly wrong by women that rule the ice.

Teams are forming for women globally including an amateur hockey club located 301 miles from Kiev, Ukraine, in the western city of Ternopol (Ternopil).

Podolyanochka consists of persistent young athletes (both students and young professionals), who met for the first time one month ago on Aug. 29; some had never held a hockey stick, but all seem eager to learn the sport.

The club has future plans to divide the team into several age groups and hopes to develop the popularity of hockey in the region.

But the team has a major barrier to overcome — acquire much-needed hockey equipment.

The team is challenged by the lack of hockey equipment to outfit the enthusiastic players. Podolyanochka needs 10 full sets of equipment (4 sets ~175 cm height; 6 sets ~165-170 cm).

The Hockey Foundation has established a fundraising initiative to assist the amateur women’s team and is reaching out to the global community to lend a hand in making a difference in these young girls’ lives.

Executive director and founder Adam Sherlip set in motion The Hockey Foundation in Ladakh, India to support grassroots hockey worldwide and has expanded the program into Ternopol, Ukraine to keep “sharing happiness & changing lives, one puck at a time.”