First place Pride host fourth place Whitecaps in best-of-three semifinal series
The 2023 Isobel Cup Playoffs begin today in Boston, home of the regular season winners and back-to-back champion Pride who welcome the Minnesota Whitecaps.
SCHEDULE
Game 1 – Thursday March 16 at 7:00 p.m. ET
ESPN+ / TSN+ with Josh Eastern and Alexis Pearson, Paige Capistran rinkside,
NESN+ with Joe Malfa and Madison Packer
Game 2 – Saturday March 18 at 6:00 p.m. ET
ESPN+ / TSN+ with Josh Eastern and Alexis Pearson, Jackie Daly rinkside,
NESN+ with Donny Baarns and Madison Packer
Game 3 – Sunday March 19 at 6:00 p.m. ET (if necessary)
ESPN+ / TSN+ with Joe Malfa and Alexis Pearson, Paige Capistran rinkside,
NESN+ with Donny Baarns and Madison Packer
All games to be played at The Bentley Arena at Bentley University. Click here to purchase tickets.
SYNOPSIS
This marks the second official playoff meeting between the teams following the 2021 championship, however both clubs were finalists in 2020 but never competed due to the pandemic. Boston enters the series winning three of their last four games including a weekend sweep over Minnesota at Warrior Ice Arena Mar. 3-4 that secured a 4-0 season series victory. The Pride outscored the Whitecaps 17-9 in head-to-head action which included a pair of 5-4 decisions in overtime and in a shootout. Minnesota completed their season schedule with eight-straight losses which counts as the worst stretch in franchise history and included three shutouts against. The series features the PHF’s top two goaltenders in Boston’s Corinne Schroeder who burst onto the scene and set single season records with 19 wins and seven shutouts as a rookie, opposite Minnesota’s Amanda Leveille who is a two-time Goaltender of the Year, all-time wins leader, and continues to show why she’s the backbone of her team. The Pride’s top scoring offense is led by Loren Gabel who tied a single season record with 40 points, and captain Jillian Dempsey who has averaged a point-per-game in her league-leading 14 playoff appearances. Whitecaps veteran Jonna Albers and newcomer Natalie Snodgrass tied for the team lead with 20 points each, with the latter among the league’s top scoring class of 2022 collegiate graduates. A pair of 2018 Olympic gold medalists anchor both blue lines with Minnesota’s shot leader Sidney Morin staring across from Kali Flanagan who led the 2022 playoffs in scoring. This is the first time the playoffs will feature a best-of-three series since the inaugural 2015-16 season. The victor will face the winner between Toronto and Connecticut in the Isobel Cup Championship on March 26 at Mullett Arena in Tempe, AZ.
PRE-SERIES QUOTES
Boston:
“I’ve said time and time again that playoff hockey is like a new season and there’s nothing like it. We’re obviously thrilled to get that going and taking it one game at a time. It’s going to be a battle, but we expect that and we love that. Those are the kinds of games you want to be a part of…What we know from our battles with them is that they run hard right until the end. They’re going to be a tough opponent. They have the forward depth, they have strong goaltending, and defensemen who are very offensive and get on the scoresheet. We know it’s going to be a tight game in all areas and we have to come out hungry and ready.” – Pride captain Jillian Dempsey
“From my standpoint it’s like our first cup. I think we’ve had eight or nine new players each of the past couple of years so it doesn’t matter if we won last year or the year before that, it’s a new season and we want to win it again…Our team in our locker room only cares about winning the Isobel Cup and that’s our main focus. All of these records mean absolutely zero if you don’t get the job done at the end of the day.” – Pride head coach Paul Mara
Minnesota:
“We’re super excited as a group. For me, playoff hockey is always the best type of hockey when there’s that added pressure and more anticipation for those games, I think it’s an exciting environment and I know all of us are looking forward to the week…It’s obviously been frustrating not having that success offensively lately, but I do think that we’re a super hungry team and hungry to beat this Boston team…It’s definitely nice looking back to see how we have played on the road and I think that does give us a good feeling.” – Whitecaps captain Sydney Brodt
“We’re just looking for that fresh start now that it’s playoffs. Obviously I haven’t been too happy with the scoreboard as of late, but we are seeing progress so we’re hoping that changes here this coming week…I’m hoping our team feels confident. We’ve taken them to overtime twice. They are a good scoring team so I think it’s important for us to play disciplined defensively and not give up so many chances. Our plan is to go there and compete hard and play our game…Hopefully being in Boston for playoff time will bring another layer of energy for us.” – Whitecaps head coach Ronda Engelhardt
TALE OF THE TAPE
BOS vs MIN (2022-23 Rank)
Records: 19-4-1 (1) vs 10-11-3 (4)
Goals For: 92 (1) vs 58 (5)
Goals Against: 52 (7) vs 66 (T4)
Goal Differential: +40 (1) vs -8 (4)
Shots For: 846 (2) vs 751 (5)
Shots Against: 880 (1) vs 775 (4)
Shot Differential: -34 (6) vs -24 (5)
Penalty Minutes: 171 (5) vs 157 (7)
Power Play: 13/83 .157 (5) vs 14/71 .197 (2)
Penalty Kill: 62/71 .873 (2) vs 55/66 .833 (6)
TOP FORWARDS
Boston:
Loren Gabel – 40 PTS (20G 20A) 22GP
Jillian Dempsey – 28 PTS (14G 14A) 24GP
Élizabeth Giguère – 22PTS (6G 16A) 18GP
Minnesota:
Natalie Snodgrass – 20PTS (10G 10A) 22GP
Jonna Albers – 20PTS (10G 10A) 24GP
Liz Schepers – 14PTS (6G 8A) 22GP
TOP DEFENDERS
Boston:
Kali Flanagan – 16PTS (3G 13A) 21GP
Kaleigh Fratkin – 12PTS (3G 9A) 24GP
Minnesota:
Sidney Morin – 17PTS (7G 10A) 24GP
Patti Marshall – 12PTS (2G 10A) 24GP
TOP GOALIES
Boston:
Corinne Schroeder, 19-1-1, 7 SO, 1.67 GAA, .955 SV%
Minnesota:
Amanda Leveille, 9-6-2, 2.43 GAA, .923 SV%
SEASON SERIES
Boston won 4-0 with 10 out of 12 points.
Nov. 18: BOS 2 MIN 0
Nov. 19: BOS 5 MIN 4 OT
Mar. 3: MIN 4 BOS 5 SO
Mar. 4: MIN 1 BOS 5
Boston also leads 13-4 in all-time regular season matchups.
ALL-TIME PLAYOFF HISTORY
Boston:
2021-22: Defeated BUF 6-0 in Preliminary, Defeated TOR 5-1 in Semifinals, Defeated CTW 4-2 to win Isobel Cup.
2020-21: Defeated TOR 6-2 in Semifinals, Defeated MIN 4-3 to win Isobel Cup.
2019-20: Defeated CTW 5-1 in Semifinals, Cancelled Final vs MIN.
2018-19: Lost to BUF 4-0 in Semifinals.
2017-18: Lost to BUF 3-2 OT in Semifinals.
2016-17: Defeated CTW 8-2 in Semifinals, Lost to BUF 3-2 in Final.
2015-16: Defeated MET 6-0 & 7-4 in Semifinals, Defeated BUF 4-3 & 3-1 to win Isobel Cup.
Minnesota:
2021-22: Defeated MET 4-1 in Preliminary, Lost to CTW 4-2 in Semifinals.
2020-21: Defeated CTW 7-0 in Semifinals, Lost to BOS 4-3 in Final.
2019-20: Defeated MET 1-0 in Semifinals, Cancelled Final vs BOS.
2018-19: Defeated MET 5-1 in Semifinals, Defeated BUF 2-1 OT to win Isobel Cup.
PLAYOFF EXPERIENCE
Boston:
All-Time Playoff Experience on Roster: 13 players – 82 games / 65 points / 3 wins
Jillian Dempsey (14/14), Kaleigh Fratkin (12/9), Allie Thunstrom (7/8), McKenna Brand (7/6), Christina Putigna (6/9), Jenna Rheault (6/3), Lauren Kelly (6/3), Taylor Wenczkowski (5/5), Sammy Davis (5/2), Kayla Friesen (4/1), Meghara McManus (4/0), Kali Flanagan (3/5), Lovisa Selander (3/3).
Minnesota:
All-Time Playoff Experience on Roster: 10 players – 50 games / 22 points / 7 wins
Amanda Leveille (10/7), Amanda Boulier (9/5), Jonna Albers (7/9), Emma Stauber (6/0), Stephanie Anderson (5/1), Sydney Baldwin (4/3), Maddie Rowe (4/1), Patti Marshall (2/2), Ashleigh Brykaliuk (2/1), Denisa Křížová (1/0).
ISOBEL CUPS
Boston: 2022, 2021, 2016
24 total cup wins on roster
Jillian Dempsey (2022, 2021, 2016), McKenna Brand (2022, 2021), Sammy Davis (2022, 2021), Kaleigh Fratkin (2022, 2021), Lauren Kelly (2022, 2021), Meghara McManus (2022, 2021), Christina Putigna (2022, 2021), Jenna Rheault (2022, 2021), Lovisa Selander (2022, 2021), Taylor Wenczkowski (2022, 2021), Kali Flanagan (2022), Kayla Friesen (2022), Allie Thunstrom (2019).
Minnesota: 2019
6 total cup wins on roster
Amanda Boulier (2022, 2019), Amanda Leveille (2019, 2017), Jonna Albers (2019), Emma Stauber (2019).
For more information about the 2023 Isobel Cup Playoffs visit premierhockeyfederation.com/playoffs.
Cover photo by Kayla Franz
About the Isobel Cup
The Isobel Cup takes its name from Lord Frederick Arthur Stanley’s daughter, Isobel, who shared his love of the game and is known to be one of the first female hockey players in Canada. Isobel, along with her brothers, encouraged her father to purchase a silver cup to award to the best amateur hockey team in Canada. The Stanley Cup, as it was later named, became the championship trophy of the National Hockey League. The front of the Isobel Cup reads: “The Lady Isobel Gathorne-Hardy Cup 1875-1963. This Cup shall be awarded annually to the greatest professional women’s hockey team in North America. All who pursue this Cup, pursue a dream; a dream born with Isobel, that shall never die. EST. 2016.”
About the Premier Hockey Federation
The PHF is the home of professional women’s hockey in North America. Established in 2015 as the National Women’s Hockey League, the NWHL rebranded to become the PHF in 2021 and provide opportunities for elite athletes to earn a living playing the game they love while fueling the continued growth of the sport. The league is made up of the Boston Pride, Buffalo Beauts, Connecticut Whale, Metropolitan Riveters, Minnesota Whitecaps, Montreal Force, and the Toronto Six who all compete annually for the Isobel Cup. As part of a two-year agreement with ESPN, live coverage of the 2022-23 and 2023-24 PHF seasons is available exclusively on ESPN+ in the United States, and provides international rights for games which includes TSN in Canada. For more information visit premierhockeyfederation.com.
