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Four Takeaways From The American Leg Of The Rivalry Series

ian kennedy
·4 min read

The first leg of the Rivalry Series touring through California, Utah, and Idaho is over. Canada took a 2-1 series lead winning a pair of games after USA opened with a lopsided victory.

What happened at the first leg of the 2024-25 Rivalry Series however could have implications on the PWHL and beyond. Here's a look at four takeaways from the American stops on the Rivalry Series.

Emerance Maschmeyer struggled in year one of the PWHL. Most notably, she looked shrunken into her net, and off balance. Several times a game last year with the Ottawa Charge, Maschmeyer could be seen sitting on the ice, legs wide fishing for the puck. In that position Maschmeyer immobilized herself in net. In her first Rivalry Series appearance this year, it looked like a small change with huge benefit had been made. Maschmeyer's stance looked new, an impact of the offseason. Maschmeyer was more upright with better all around posture. She was pushing her chin out over the puck, a technique common in recent NHL coaching. The result was Maschmeyers gloves were pushing forward with her chest staying up. She was more stable, bigger in the net, and was driving pucks away from the line in control instead of falling back and opening opportunities for scrambles.

Laila Edwards is a fantastic player wherever she is on the ice, but by removing their top forward from the 2024 World Championships from her natural position, and asking her to face the best on the planet was unwise. Edwards provided a different layer up front for USA at Worlds, and her shot was missed as a weapon to keep Canada's defenders and netminders honest. She played alongside Megan Keller on the back end, but the pairing finished as a minus. This is not a condemnation of Edwards' defensive capabilities, as any player who can make a drastic positional change at this level is a player who has a diverse skill set that's being positively recognized. Instead, this is a decision that impacted USA negatively, because they removed Edwards' game changing impact up front and kept her away from the space where she thrives.

Abbey Murphy and Lacey Eden are in a unique situation in the NCAA. While the extra year of eligibility all players received from COVID has expired, sending players back to four years of NCAA eligibility, Murphy and Eden still have a year in the bank. They used their COVID year like everyone else, but the duo also have an extra year from their 2022 Olympic participation. While the Minnesota and Wisconsin stars could technically return next season, they are both more than ready for the next step in the PWHL. Unless they have a year remaining on an educational program that can't be finished remotely, returning for another NCAA year makes no sense for this duo in terms of their hockey careers, particularly with expansion coming. Murphy remains the likely first overall pick in the 2025 PWHL Draft, and Eden is a lock to go in the first or second round.

At some point as the PWHL continues to grow, the league will certainly look at the value of the Rivalry Series vs. the risk. It's always exciting to provide opportunities for fan bases in new cities to see the best women in the world, but seeing the turnout in Utah, and watching the injuries mount before the puck drops on the PWHL season, at some point the PWHL may wonder if the Rivalry Series is a detriment to their brand and players. The injury to Cayla Barnes, however, stands as the most prominent negative coming from the first leg of the 2024-25 series. The potential to lose a first round pick during an exhibition series that has no bearing on international rankings, or in most cases on roster spots for the national teams, is hard to justify. Last season it was first overall pick Taylor Heise who was hurt in the Rivalry Series, and Canada's Erin Ambrose also found herself injured. When the Rivalry Series returns in February, PWHL teams will already be looking at the playoff forecast, and general managers and fans will be holding onto their seats a little more tightly. For Montreal Victoire fans, the loss of Barnes could change the course of their year if she isn't ready for puck drop.