Five at The IX: Allie Morse — International hockey news and notes

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Five at The IX with Allie Morse

Over the weekend I spoke with former NWHL/PHF goaltender (and my co-host on the Around the Rink podcast) Allie Morse about transitioning to coaching after her playing career ended, her thoughts on the PWHL, the Minnesota Whitecaps and who some of her favorite goalies to watch are.

The Ice Garden: Your thoughts on the PWHL through its first four months?

Allie Morse: I think it’s been a successful first season. As someone who was heavily involved in the previous league, I think this is a step that maybe we could have gotten to sooner. I can truly appreciate the protection for the players, the increased visibility, the intensity of the games has been really good, and the availability of being able to see the games (on television) has been great, too.

TIG: What is your favorite memory of playing for the Whitecaps?

AM: I would have to say going to play in Sweden with the pre-NWHL Whitecaps team. The hockey was great, obviously, but I became good friends to this day with a lot of people I only sort of knew. We played four games, and I don’t think we won one! The goalies were me and Cassie Carpenter. And I hadn’t played a competitive game in 18 months!

TIG: Has coaching hockey been a soft landing to the end of your playing career or a way for you to still be involved with the game on a day-to-day basis?

AM: Yeah, totally. My favorite thing now is working with our goalies and getting them to the next level. We have a girl, Sedona Blair, who played nearly every game for the University of New Hampshire as a freshman — and put up some unbelievable numbers and I think she made the Hockey East All-Rookie Team; she is just doing amazing out there. I think I coached her since she was 11 years old.

Another is Grace Zahn for Team China. I don’t know that she is even 18-years-old yet, but Lev (Amanda Leveille) and I have been coaching her since she came to the States at 12 or 13. To watch her put up the numbers she has at the recently completed Women’s World Championships has been really cool. I went through a lot as an athlete so being able to use that and help our kids get to those kinds of levels has been awesome.

TIG: Who are some of your favorite goalies to watch?

AM: Henrik Lundqvist. Who doesn’t like Hank?!? Growing up in Minnesota I watched a lot of Manny Fernandez — with my family having season tickets for the Wild. There weren’t a lot of women goalies to watch growing up, but Jessie Vetter — who was the US goalie for a long time — is from Cottage Grove, Wisconsin and I thought that was kind of cool because I’m from Cottage Grove, Minnesota.

As far as current goalies, I like watching Lev play and Marc-Andre Fleury. They’re both a little unorthodox, but they get the job done.

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Linky Dinks

(a guide to some of the best links in women’s hockey from the past seven days)

Surprise, surprise — Team Canada won another gold medal at the Women’s World Championships. This time they triumphed over the Americans in an overtime thriller in Utica, New York, and The Ice Garden’s Lydia Murray has the recap.

Sarah Fillier — a star and captain for Princeton University and gold medalist with Team Canada announced on Instagram that she’s declaring for the 2024 PWHL Draft. In four collegiate seasons, Fillier posted 194 points (93 goals, 101 assists) over 120 games.

The PWHL and the IIHF have said they will work together going forward for the betterment of the game. Ian Kennedy from The Hockey News has the details.

Sandra Abstreiter was large and in charge in her big test at Worlds with Team Germany. Her goaltending nearly singlehandedly knocked out the Czechs and earned her Best Goaltender in the tournament. Mike Murphy of The Ice Garden has more on PWHL Ottawa’s budding star netminder.

Now that the Worlds are completed the PWHL resumes its schedule on April 18. Just 15 games remain in the league’s inaugural regular season and The Athletic’s Hailey Salvian takes a look at the push for the playoffs.

Former pro hockey player Colleen Murphy joined The Ice Garden’s Around the Rink podcast for a chat about her new career in ball hockey with Team USA, the not-so-obvious differences between ice and ball hockey, her commute to play in the NWHL/PHF and more.

Team Finland, for the first time since 2021, won the bronze medal at the World Championships by besting the Czechs. Nicole Haase has the details for The Victory Press.

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