Hail to the Riveters: The 2018 NWHL Champs

Success hasn’t taken Miye D’Oench too far from home. The Metropolitan Riveters forward grew up in the heart of New York, and with a hometown jersey, she won her first professional title in front of Big Apple fans.

“It was amazing,” D’Oench said after the Riveters defeated the Buffalo Beauts, 1-0, to capture the NWHL championship March 25 at Barnabas Health Hockey House in Newark, N.J.. “The crowd was bumping. We appreciate every single person who came. It was such a great atmosphere.”

The Riveters were the top seed in the playoffs, earning home ice throughout the postseason. For former Harvard star D’Oench, that meant playing in front of a large group of supporters who have seen her career develop in the region.

“I love it,” she said. “I love it. I’m a true New Yorker and very proud of that. I grew up in New York. It’s something special to play for this team.”

D’Oench, who was drafted by the Boston Pride and traded to the then-New York Riveters before the 2016-2017 season, was on the ice for the game’s only tally.

Just six minutes into the opening frame, D’Oench slid a pass over to league MVP Alex Gruschow for a dramatic, falling-to-the-ice shot that would stand for the rest of the game.

“It was a highlight-reel goal,” D’Oench said. “I would expect nothing less. Her and I had chemistry all year, so it was really fun. And, a really cool goal celebration.”

Gruschow, who finished second in the league with nine goals and earned herself the regular-season MVP, knew right where the pass was going to come from and ended up scoring what was perhaps the most spectacular goal of the season.

“I slid it over to Miye, and she had great patience and poise,” said Gruschow. “She got it right back to me on my stick. It went through the defender’s legs — I saw it on the other side and went after it. I fell over the girl’s stick and flipped all around and celebrated on my butt. But that made it even better.”

D’Oench skated on a top line with Gruschow, and that chemistry came in handy, especially with D’Oench missing time. D’Oench missed a few games in the middle of the season with an ankle injury but returned just in time for the regular-season finale in Boston.

“I’m so grateful to my teammates for being so supportive,” she said. “The doctors, the physical therapists … it was a team effort. We put on a team performance, so it’s special for all of us, and I’m happy I was here.”

From the first game until the last, the Riveters were on top of the league. But that didn’t mean they didn’t hit any bumps along the way.

The Rivs had lost three straight games to the Beauts, but championship MVP Katie Fitzgerald didn’t allow a goal the entire postseason to lead the team to its first title. It turned out, with just the one goal in the title game, the Rivs needed that kind of effort from their netminder.

“I went through a little slump at the start of the season,” Fitzgerald said. “But the moment the team started to turn things around, I felt it personally as well. I was trying not to put pressure on myself, just take it period by period.”

When time ran out and the Riveters players swarmed the ice, the fan sections erupted.

It’s a far cry from where the Riveters were three seasons ago, playing in Brooklyn and not getting the amenities that a professional sports team should get. Now under the New Jersey Devils umbrella, the Rivs recognize how far they’ve come.

“I don’t how to express how that feels,” said head coach Chad Wiseman, who now departs to coach in the OHL. “From the first season at the Aviator with no dressing room, throwing our stuff all around, and now we’re playing at an NHL facility.”

Ashley Johnston, the Riveters captain, has been there since the beginning and was the first to raise the cup, following by Gruschow and Fitzgerald.

It was special for all involved, but as a New Yorker, D’Oench has memories watching her teams win titles. Getting to bring a title to New York fans this time is something else.

“I grew up watching New York sports teams,” she said. “It’s a special experience for me.”

More than 860,000 people watched the Twitter stream of the game, and it was played in front of a sold-out, beyond-capacity crowd at Barnabas Health Hockey House.

Given where the Riveters were two years ago, and where the league has been, it’s not lost on D’Oench the momentum that has picked up steam.

Now, it’s just about replicating that, again and again.

“This is what women’s hockey should be like,” she said. “This is amazing. It should always be this way.”