APRIL 29, 2024 — Toronto center Sarah Nurse, Montréal goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens, and Boston center Hannah Brandt have been named the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) ‘3 Stars of the Week’ for the week ending April 28.
FIRST STAR – SARAH NURSE, C, TORONTO
Nurse is named first star of the week for the second time this season — she also received the honor for the week ending March 3. The 29-year-old played in just one game last week, but she made it count, recording her first-ever PWHL hat trick. Her trio of tallies was the most among all PWHL players for the week, as Toronto continued their quest for first place in the league standings. Nurse opened the scoring against New York on April 28, just 1:05 into the game, and added a powerplay marker later in the period. She completed her hat trick 56 seconds into the third period as Toronto earned three key points in the standings via a 6-2 win, moving back into first place while guaranteeing themselves home-ice advantage for at least the first round of the playoffs. Nurse now has 5 goals in her last two games played and sits tied for second in the league in goals scored, with 10 tallies in 22 games played. She also moves into fourth in overall league scoring with 20 points.
SECOND STAR – ANN-RENÉE DESBIENS, G, MONTRÉAL
Desbiens is named second star after guiding her team to two regulation victories last week. In two games played, she posted a .969 save percentage with a goals-against-average of 1.00, as Montréal secured six points in the standings, clinching home ice advantage for at least the first round of the PWHL playoffs. In her first game of the week, Desbiens made 31 saves against New York in a 5-2 win that saw the goaltender help her team go 5-for-5 on the penalty kill, including three in the first period alone. Then, on April 27 against Ottawa, Desbiens posted her first-ever PWHL shutout, making 31 saves in a 2-0 victory. Her performance was highlighted by turning aside a season-high 21 shots in the third period, second-most for any PWHL goaltender in a single period this season. Desbiens now has seven wins on the season, tied for third-most in the league.
THIRD STAR – HANNAH BRANDT, C, BOSTON
Brandt is named third star of the week after putting up two points (1G, 1A) in two games played last week. First, on April 24 against Ottawa, Brandt recorded a primary assist — and scored her team’s lone shootout goal in a 3-2 SO loss. With her team’s playoff hopes on the line against Minnesota on April 27, Brandt scored a dazzling game-winning goal with just 2.7 second remaining in regulation to lift her team to victory, securing three key points in the standings. In addition to her heroics on April 27, Brandt boasted a plus-minus rating of +three, won 57.25% of her faceoffs and averaged more than 20 minutes of ice-time across two games played last week.
The ‘3 Stars of the Week’ are announced each Monday throughout the season and encompass games from the previous Monday through Sunday. Points will be awarded to each selection and will help determine rankings at the end of the regular season.
First Star = 30 Points
Second Star = 20 Points
Third Star = 10 Points
Standings as of April 29:
1. Natalie Spooner (TOR) = 80 Points
2. Brianne Jenner (OTT) = 70 Points
T3. Marie-Philip Poulin (MTL) = 60 Points
T3. Sarah Nurse (TOR) = 60 Points
5. Daryl Watts (OTT) = 50 Points
T6. Kristen Campbell (TOR) = 40 Points
T6. Alex Carpenter (NY) = 40 Points
T6. Kendall Coyne Schofield (MIN) = 40 Points
T6. Alina Müller (BOS) = 40 Points
T10. Erin Ambrose (MTL) = 30 Points
T10. Claire Dalton (MTL) = 30 Points
T10. Kateřina Mrázová (OTT) = 30 Points
T10. Grace Zumwinkle (MIN) = 30 Points
T14. Michela Cava (MIN) = 20 Points
T14. Ann-Renée Desbiens (MTL) = 20 Points
T14. Jade Downie-Landry (NY) = 20 Points
T14. Aerin Frankel (BOS) = 20 Points
T14. Sophie Jaques (MIN) = 20 Points
T14. Ella Shelton (NY) = 20 Points
T20. Hannah Brandt (BOS) = 10 Points
T20. Renata Fast (TOR) = 10 Points
T20. Kali Flanagan (Tor) = 10 Points
T20. Taylor Heise (MIN) = 10 Points
T20. Abby Roque (NY) = 10 Points
T20. Corinne Schroeder (NY) = 10 Points