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We’ve already looked at how former BC hockey players did in the NWHL during the 2016-17 season, so now it is time to check in on BC’s alumni in the CWHL. All 6 former Eagles that played in the CWHL last season played for the Boston Blades, the only CWHL team located in the USA. The Blades have struggled significantly since the founding of the NWHL, as they lost a number of players to the Pride. Boston’s CWHL team won only 2 games in 2016-17 - an improvement over 1 win in 2015-16.
Melissa Bizzari (Boston Blades)
2016-17 Season Grade: B
Bizzari scored 2 goals and recorded 6 assists over 22 games last season. This put her in third place on the team in both points (8) and assists, which is a nice statistic, but also shows what a low scoring team the Blades were.
Kristina Brown (Boston Blades)
2016-17 Season Grade: B-
In her second season with the Blades, Brown increased her points from 4 to 6. She was fourth on the team with 5 assists, 2 of which were assists on power play goals. Brown was never a high scorer with the Eagles, but found significant success during the 2 seasons she played in Europe.
Dru Burns (Boston Blades)
2016-17 Season Grade: B
Burns is in her fourth season with the Blades. She matched a career high with 6 assists in 2016-17, tying her for third on the team in assists. Burns led all Blades defenders in assists during the 2016-17 and was tied for first amongst defenders in points.
Meghan Grieves (Boston Blades)
2016-17 Season Grade: B+
Grieves was second on the Blades in points (13) and goals (5) during her rookie season. Grieves was also second on the team in power play goals with 3. She led the team in assists with 8 during the 2016-17 season.
Erin Kickham (Boston Blades)
2016-17 Season Grade: B
Kickham scored 3 goals for the Blades last season and recorded a single assist. She led the team in game winning goals, scoring the game winner in Boston’s only non-shootout win. Kickham scored only 1 goal in 2015-16 (her rookie season), so she is showing improvement.
Kate Leary (Boston Blades)
2016-17 Season Grade: A-
Kate Leary was the star of the Blades in 2016-17. She led the team with 16 points and 10 goals, despite having taken a year off of hockey in 2015-16. Leary also led the team in power play goals (4) and was second in assists with 6.