Riveters Pregame 11/20: A message from captain Ashley Johnston

Today the New York Riveters play on their home ice at the Barnabas Hockey House in Newark for the first time in over a month. And, just like on October 16th, they will host the Connecticut Whale.

The Riveters grabbed their first three points of the season last weekend in a double-header weekend against the Buffalo Beauts. But the controversial calls from Sunday’s overtime loss to the Beauts have been forgotten over the past week.

Those calls have been forgotten because it has been a dark week for professional women’s hockey. If you need catching up, here are some pieces where you can read what the players think about being told, not asked, by the NWHL that they will be taking a pay cut.

• Riveters’ captain Ashley Johnston weighs in on salary cuts to NWHL players
• Riveters’ Madison Packer speaks out on NWHL salary cuts
• Pay cuts leave NWHL players reeling (interview with Kaleigh Fratkin)
• Tatiana Rafter: Survival of professional women’s hockey hangs in the balance
• Madison Packer Q & A with Kate Cimini for Excelle Sports

The New York Riveters’ captain, Ashley Johnston, reached out to Blueshirt Banter last night and asked if we would include a statement from her in our pregame. We were more than happy to accommodate her request.

Mike Murphy

From New York Riveters’ captain Ashley “Stretch” Johnston:

“I believe professional women's hockey can be a successful business that respects all parties. But most importantly I believe it can provide a platform for young female athletes to strive for and achieve their dream of being a professional athlete- a dream that is so often only available for their male counterparts.”

“Stretch”, the Riveters and the rest of the NWHL’s players have put forth a list of conditions that they are asking the league to meet. But the players have decided to step onto the ice today in Buffalo and Newark before their conditions are met by the league.

They step onto the ice today without being provided proof of insurance, without having been given a say in their salaries being cut up to a reported 60 to 65 percent and without knowing who the leagues investors are or how things have gotten to this point.

They step onto the ice today to play hockey.

You can watch today’s Riveters home game for free via live stream:

• NWHL.zone/video
• The NWHL’s YouTube page

The puck drops at the Barnaby Hockey House in Newark, New Jersey at 4:00PM ET. Let’s go Riveters.