BOSTON, MA – (November 7, 2022) – The Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) season is underway following an opening weekend that featured six games and all seven teams in action including the defending champion Boston Pride who raised a new Isobel Cup banner at Warrior Ice Arena.
Here’s a closer look at the results, top performers, and notable highlights:
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 5, 2022
Game 1
Minnesota Whitecaps 2
Toronto Six 3 OT
Box Score | Highlights
Brittany Howard powered the Toronto offense with two goals including the overtime winner plus an assist, while captain Shiann Darkangelo scored once with an assist in the season opening triumph against Minnesota.
Game 2
Connecticut Whale 0
Boston Pride 4
Box Score | Highlights
A trio of newcomers led Boston over Connecticut in a rematch of the Isobel Cup final. Loren Gabel scored two goals, Élizabeth Giguère scored once with an assist, and Corinne Schroeder stopped all 36 shots she faced.
Game 3
Montreal Force 5 SO
Buffalo Beauts 4
Box Score | Highlights
Montreal made history with their first-ever PHF victory in a shootout over Buffalo. Captain Ann-Sophie Bettez scored the first goal in franchise history as part of a two-point performance matched by Jade Downie-Landry and Sarah Lefort. Samantha Isbell netted the shootout winner.
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2022
Game 4
Minnesota Whitecaps 2
Toronto Six 3
Box Score | Highlights
Goals from Leah Lum, Brittany Howard, and Saroya Tinker were enough for the Six to edge the Whitecaps, completing the weekend sweep and maintaining a perfect record on home ice.
Game 5
Montreal Force 2
Buffalo Beauts 3
Box Score | Highlights
Autumn MacDougall broke a 2-2 tie midway through the third period to give the Beauts their first win of the season. Anjelica Diffendal had two assists and Tera Hofmann made 31 saves.
Game 6
Metropolitan Riveters 0
Boston Pride 2
Box Score | Highlights
Corinne Schroeder earned a second straight shutout with 27 saves, with Pride offense coming from captain Jillian Dempsey and Élizabeth Giguère who spoiled the Riveters’ season opener.
OPENING WEEKEND STANDINGS
PHF regular season games are scored with a system that awards three points for a win in regulation time, two points for overtime and shootout wins, and one point for a loss in overtime or a shootout. The defending Isobel Cup champion Boston Pride (2-0-0) raised a new banner at Warrior Ice Arena and went on to win both of their opening weekend games in regulation to stand alone on top of the standings with six points. The Toronto Six (2-0-0) also swept their weekend series with a regulation and overtime win to give them five points, followed by the Buffalo Beauts (1-0-1) who earned a regulation win and a shootout loss for four points, the Montreal Force (1-1-0) who picked up two points in their shootout win, and the Minnesota Whitecaps (0-1-1) who have a single point from their overtime loss. The Connecticut Whale (0-1-0) and Metropolitan Riveters (0-1-0) both have zero points.
PERFECT START FOR SCHROEDER
It’s hard to be perfect but debuts don’t get any better than Corinne Schroeder’s first two games in the PHF. The Boston netminder turned aside all 63 shots she faced over two games to earn back-to-back shutout victories for the Pride. Her 36 saves on Saturday night in a 4-0 win against the Whale made her just the third goaltender in PHF history to post a shutout in their first career start, joining Buffalo’s Nicole Hensley and Shannon Szabados who both accomplished the feat in October of 2018. Her 27 saves in a 2-0 victory over the Riveters made her the sixth goaltender in PHF history to post back-to-back blanks following the Pride’s Katie Burt (2021-22), Toronto’s Elaine Chuli (2021-22), current teammate Lovisa Selander (2019-20), the Riveters’ Katie Fitzgerald (2017-18), and Boston’s Brittany Ott (2016-17).
HOWARD EARLY POINTS LEADER
Following the league’s first six games there is a frontrunner atop the scoring race as Toronto’s Brittany Howard leads the way with four points including three goals produced in a pair of weekend wins for the Six. Her contributions against Minnesota helped Toronto maintain a perfect record on home ice with a winning streak that has now reached 12 games since the start of last season. Two of those victories on Canadian ice required a fourth period including the last game of the 2021-22 season on March 13 along with Saturday’s 3-2 thriller where Howard scored the 20th overtime goal in league history.
A NIGHT OF FIRSTS FOR THE FORCE
Part of the PHF’s new era is the expansion Force who brings the total number of teams to seven. They had a truly historical night on Saturday in Buffalo where they recorded the franchise’s very first win. Along the way were some notable highlights: Jade Downie-Landry took the team’s first faceoff, Laura Jardin won the team’s first faceoff, Catherine Dubois recorded the first shot on goal, Tricia Deguire made the team’s first save, Alexandra Labelle received the first penalty, and of course, Ann-Sophie Bettez scored the team’s first goal with the first assists credited to Catherine Daoust and Downie-Landry. Bettez took the team’s first shootout attempt, but Kim Deschênes scored the first shootout goal, and Samantha Isbell netted the first winner. This was the first time in PHF history that a team’s first game went to a shootout, and marks the 22nd shootout game in league history. The eight rounds are tied for the second longest in PHF history, equaling Connecticut and Metropolitan on January 25, 2020, but behind the 10 rounds that Buffalo and Boston went back on January 27, 2018.
FIRST CAREER PHF GOALS
A total of 17 players representing five different teams scored their first career PHF goals on the weekend. The list includes Boston’s Loren Gabel and Élizabeth Giguère who both found the back of the net twice in two games. Buffalo’s Allison Attea started her second season by scoring her first goal, as did Whitney Dove who also tallied twice in two games. Beauts defender Antonia Matzka’s first career goal also counted as Buffalo’s first of the season, while fellow newcomer Maddie Truax also chipped one in. A trio of Whitecaps newcomers scored for the first time including Sidney Morin, Liz Schepers, and Natalie Snodgrass. Six members of the Force found the back of the net including Ann-Sophie Bettez, Deziray De Sousa, Kim Deschenes, Jade Downie-Landry, Sarah Lefort, and Kristina Shanahan. The aforementioned Brittany Howard scored her first three for Toronto, while fellow newcomer Leah Lum scored a single.
FIRST CAREER PHF WINS
Three of the PHF’s seven head coaches are new to the league and two of them added to already impressive hockey resumes. Chalk up first career PHF wins for Toronto Six bench boss Geraldine Heaney who is a Hockey Hall of Fame legend for her achievements with Canada’s National Women’s Team, and Peter Smith of the Montreal Force who previously amassed 534 wins with the McGill University Martlets. Another former Martlet picked up her first career win between-the-pipes as Tricia Deguire of the Montreal Force stopped 30 shots plus seven shooters in Saturday’s historic victory. She represented the class of rookie goaltenders in the win column alongside Boston’s Corinne Schroeder.
NEW FACES IN NEW PLACES
A total of 62 players hit the ice for the first time in the PHF this weekend including 29 who were making their professional hockey debuts following recent collegiate careers. The weekend also provided first opportunities for 13 players to put on new sweaters following their Season 7 competition. The list of free agents who made debuts with their new teams includes Boston’s Allie Thunstrom (via MIN), Buffalo’s Mikyla Grant-Mentis (via TOR) and Tera Hofmann (via TOR), Connecticut’s Emma Keenan (via BUF) and Mallory Souliotis (via BOS), Metropolitan’s Kaycie Anderson (via CTW), Catherine Crawley (via CTW), Kennedy Ganser (via BUF), Emilie Harley (via BUF), Taylor Marchin (via CTW), and Leah Marino (via TOR), Toronto’s Kati Tabin (via CTW) and Tereza Vanišová (via BOS). Additionally, Metropolitan’s Amanda Pelkey and Minnesota’s Denisa Křížová both returned to the PHF a few seasons removed from their time in Boston, while Montreal’s Brooke Stacey had previously played for Buffalo, and Minnesota’s Amanda Boulier returned to the Whitecaps following a season with the Pride. Toronto’s Carly Jackson and Connecticut’s Tori Sullivan are also among this year’s free agents changing teams from Buffalo and Boston respectively, however they did not see game action on opening weekend.
PATTY KAZMAIER CONNECTION
A new dynamic duo is forming in Boston featuring a pair of Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winners. Loren Gabel and Élizabeth Giguère were both recognized as the top players in NCAA women’s hockey in 2019 and 2020 respectively as members of the Clarkson University Golden Knights. Gabel remains the program’s all-time leading goal scorer with 116 tucks in 160 games, while Giguère’s 233 points over 137 games is also a record. So far they’ve combined for four goals and six points in two PHF games, and will look to make an impression with Canada’s National Women’s Team during the upcoming Rivalry Series.
CHULI CHALKS UP TWO WINS
The reigning PHF Goaltender of the Year is back in fine form. Elaine Chuli backstopped Toronto to both of their opening weekend wins with a pair of 25-save performances in two 3-2 decisions over Minnesota. The victories provide an early season goals-against-average of 1.99 and a save percentage of .926 just months after the All-Star MVP set a new PHF single season mark of 16 consecutive wins.
PTO PAYS OFF FOR BUFFALO
A day before their season opener the Beauts announced that goaltender Tera Hofmann had signed a professional tryout offer (PTO) and would be in the lineup against Montreal in place of the injured Kassidy Sauvé. On Sunday she delivered a 31-save performance, backstopping Buffalo to a 3-2 win over Montreal to pick up their first victory of the new season. For Hofmann, the win was her first since debuting with the Riveters on January 24, 2021 when she made 33 saves in a 4-3 win over the Whale. Last season she appeared in parts of three games for Toronto.
FLANAGAN STILL STREAKING
Boston’s Kali Flanagan led the 2022 Isobel Cup Playoffs with five points including two goals and three assists. She spread her scoring over all three games in the Pride’s championship run and is picking up right where she left off. Through two opening weekend games, the 2018 U.S. Olympic gold medalist has two assists, extending her carry-over scoring-streak to a PHF leading five-straight games.
CELEBRATING HERB CARNEGIE
On Sunday the Toronto Six celebrated the legacy of Herb Carnegie and his impact on BIPOC athletes. His daughter, Bernice Carnegie, is part of the T6 ownership group and performed the pre-game ceremonial faceoff together with members of Black Girl Hockey Club and the Little Native Hockey League. Herb Carnegie will be posthumously inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the Builder Category among the Class of 2022 coming up November 11-14.
The PHF regular season schedule resumes November 18-20 following a one weekend pause for the IIHF International Break. Boston visits Minnesota, Toronto travels to Metropolitan, and Buffalo comes to Connecticut in upcoming matchups. Visit ESPNplus.com and TSN.ca for broadcast details.
Cover photo by Michelle Jay / Boston Pride
