Six teams play six games as schedule rolls into March
The Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) regular season is down to its final two weekends as the calendar turns to March and the schedule closes in on the 2023 Isobel Cup Playoffs. Six teams are in action over six games including a doubleheader between the playoff bound Boston Pride and visiting Minnesota Whitecaps, the Connecticut Whale visit the Buffalo Beauts, and the Montreal Force wrap up their season on the road against the Metropolitan Riveters.
Here’s a closer look at the action:
FRIDAY MARCH 3, 2023
7:00 PM ET – Minnesota Whitecaps (10-8-2) vs Boston Pride (16-3-1)
(ESPN+ & TSN+ with Steve Goldstein and Alexis Pearson)
Two playoff teams go head-to-head in a preview of a potential Isobel Cup semifinal. Boston has already assured themselves a top-two finish, and Minnesota has clinched a berth as either the third or fourth playoff seed which means there is a 50 percent chance that they’ll meet again. While combined outcomes over the final two weekends will determine final standings, this is an important opportunity for both clubs to assert themselves against top competition. Friday’s result will see one team’s six-game streak come to an end. The Pride are fresh off their first loss in five games and return home to Warrior Ice Arena for the final time this season where they’ve won nine of 10 games including six in a row. The Whitecaps lost all four games of their recent homestand but have been road warriors this season winning their last six away from Richfield. The last time Minnesota beat Boston at home was Mar. 2, 2019 with four-straight losses since then. The Pride also hold a 2-0 advantage in this season’s series following Nov. 18-19 games that featured a 2-0 shutout and a 5-4 overtime triumph where Sammy Davis scored the winner opposite Sydney Brodt’s first career multi-goal game. Minnesota’s slumping offense has generated just one goal in it’s last three games including back-to-back shutouts for the first time in franchise history. They’ll face a Boston team that has given up the league’s fewest goals, however continues to allow the most shots against. The Pride also have the top ranked penalty kill which could be tested against the Whitecaps’ second best power play. Boston is third best when playing with the advantage, while Minnesota ranks sixth when playing shorthanded.
SATURDAY MARCH 4, 2023
1:00 PM ET – Minnesota Whitecaps vs Boston Pride
(ESPN+ & TSN+ with Josh Eastern and Alexis Pearson)
7:00 PM ET – Connecticut Whale (10-8-2) vs Buffalo Beauts (5-13-2)
(ESPN+ & TSN+ with Josh Eastern and Erica Ayala)
Connecticut hits the road for the rest of the 2022-23 campaign that includes their final four regular season games followed by playoffs that will begin with a semifinal series in either Boston or Toronto. The Whale enter Buffalo as winners of two-straight on a pair of six-goal outings. The Beauts return home after six-straight away games where they managed three consecutive victories before giving up six in last Sunday’s loss to Montreal. Connecticut won the first two games of the season series in a rare midweek matchup back on Jan. 17-18. Abbie Ives recorded her second shutout of the year in the 3-0 win, then Kennedy Marchment tallied her first career hat-trick as the team scored a season-high 7-3 victory. Claudia Kepler responded with two goals. The Whale won both of last season’s games at Northtown Center by 3-1 scores which snapped a previous six-game losing streak accumulated over three seasons (2017-20) while visiting their Founding Four rivals. Connecticut’s power play has become the league’s most efficient with 15 goals and a .254 percent success rate. Buffalo’s 13 goals with the advantage is tied for second most while their overall efficiency of .149 is tied for fourth. On the penalty kill, the Beauts rank third with a .863 percentage compared to the Whale’s .814 which ranks fifth, although Connecticut does lead the league with seven shorthanded tallies. Keep an eye on shot totals in this series as the Whale hold the greatest differential in their favor (+173) compared to the Beauts largest margin against (-212) which means Connecticut outshoots their opponent by an average of over eight per game, while Buffalo surrenders 10 more shots on average than they produce.
7:00 PM ET – Montreal Force (8-13-1) vs Metropolitan Riveters (7-13-0)
(ESPN+ & TSN+ with Joe Malfa and Alexis Pearson, TVA Sports 2)
The Force hit the ice for the final time in their historic expansion season as the first team to wrap up their regular season schedule this weekend. As for the Riveters, they return home to The Rink at American Dream where they’ll host their final four games of the campaign. The Riveters have won three of their last five games including a big 6-2 victory over Boston last Friday night on home ice. Montreal won their last home game of the season by scoring a franchise-high six goals to beat Buffalo and snap a season-long four-game losing-streak. Even though both teams have been eliminated from playoff contention, Montreal currently holds a three-point lead in the standings for fifth place. Finishing on a high note remains top of mind as both teams are eager to snatch their first season series win after splitting their first encounters Nov. 26-27 north of the border. A hat-trick and five-point performance from Jade Downie-Landry highlighted the opening 5-3 victory for the Force, then the Riveters rebounded with a 3-2 win powered by a last-minute goal from Kelly Babstock. Special teams inefficiencies have plagued both teams down the stretch with the Riveters power play tied for second worst with 11 goals, and the Force listed at the bottom of the category with just nine successful conversions. Montreal’s penalty kill has risen to second best, but the team still searches for its first ever shorthanded goal. The Riveters have given up a league-leading 21 goals to opponents on the power play.
SUNDAY MARCH 5, 2023
1:00 PM ET – Connecticut Whale vs Buffalo Beauts
(ESPN+ & TSN+ with Steve Goldstein and Erica Ayala)
2:00 PM ET – Montreal Force vs Metropolitan Riveters
(ESPN+ & TSN+ with Josh Malfa and Alexis Pearson, TVA Sports 2)
PLAYOFF TRACKER
All four spots in the 2023 Isobel Cup Playoffs have been clinched by Toronto, Boston, Connecticut, and Minnesota. T6 and the Pride have secured the top two rankings and will host semifinals against either the Whale or Whitecaps who will finish the season in the third and fourth seeds. Based on the current standings, this weekend’s results will only set the stage for next weekend’s matchups that will ultimately solidify final placements. Toronto currently leads Boston by two points in the standings which means their head-to-head matchup Mar. 11-12 will decide first place. Connecticut and Minnesota are currently tied for points and go head-to-head to close out the season where the pendulum could swing in either direction to settle third place. Semifinal tickets went on sale this week and can be purchased online.
PRIDE PLAY FINAL WEEKEND AT WARRIOR
Boston’s final two regular season games of the season will bring plenty of excitement to Warrior Ice Arena. On Friday the team will wear specialty designed jerseys to celebrate Pride and the LGBTQ+ community. Then on Saturday it’s ‘Denna Day’ in honor of Denna Laing, an original member of the Pride who suffered a career-ending spinal cord injury on Dec. 31, 2015 in the Outdoor Women’s Classic at Gillette Stadium.
BEAUTS CELEBRATE PAST AND PRESENT
Buffalo’s final two home games of the season at Northtown Center will welcome back Beauts alumnae and also recognize this season’s top performers. On Saturday, favorite Beauts like Kourtney Kunichika and other members of the 2017 Isobel Cup champions will be attendance for special pre-game ceremonies and will meet fans and sign autographs at intermission. Then following Sunday’s game, the team will present its five annual awards including MVP, Rookie of the Year, the Unsung Hero Award, the ‘Row the Boat’ Award for being a good teammate and showing sportswomanship, and the Debra A. Cresanti Memorial Award for community contributions.
RIVETERS WELCOME SPECIAL GUESTS
Before Saturday’s puck drop, the Riveters will be hosting a Women’s Leadership in Sports Panel at 5:30 p.m. ET in Court A of American Dream as part of International Women’s Day celebrations. Speakers include team president Digit Murphy, as well as SVP of MSG Ticketing Jaimie Morningstar, NBPA Sr. Manager of Partnerships Khadija Campbell, Ameena Dye of WNBA Partner Management, and Sarah Beeson, the NHL’s Manager of Club Business Development. Sunday’s game will feature an appearance from Ice Hockey in Harlem, an organization that helps young Harlem residents learn valuable life lessons as they also learn to play hockey.
FORSTER MAKES FINAL SWISS ROSTER
Riveters defender Sarah Forster got some good news this week when announced as part of Switzerland’s roster for the 2023 IIHF Women’s World Championship scheduled for April 5-16 in Brampton, Ontario. The 29-year-old has extensive international experience representing her country at seven previous top division tournaments where she won a 2012 bronze medal, plus three Olympic Winter Games highlighted by a 2014 bronze. So far in her first PHF season she has one goal and two assists over 16 games.
MARCHMENT’S STREAK STANDS ALONE
When Kennedy Marchment picked up an assist last Sunday in Connecticut’s 6-3 win she set a PHF regular season record for consecutive games with a point counting 14-straight dating back to Dec. 18. It’s not the first time she’s produced so consistently, having a pair of 10-game stretches last year including one that covered the Whale’s playoff run to the final. The previous single season high of 13 was held by Riveters captain Madison Packer at the start of the 2019-20 campaign, while Hilary Knight recorded points in 19-straight games for Boston but over two seasons beginning Dec. 5, 2015 through Jan. 27, 2017.
JDL FINISHING STRONG
It’s been quite the first season for the Force, and rookie Jade Downie-Landry in particular. Heading into the team’s final weekend she leads the squad in scoring and sits eighth overall in points with 22 in as many games with 10 goals and 12 assists. She’s come on strong of late with four goals in her last three games and five points over her last two series. The 2022 U SPORTS Player of the Year from McGill University is currently the top scoring collegiate graduate across the PHF.
CREASE CUTS
Boston’s Corinne Schroeder continues to lead all PHF goaltenders with 19 starts, 16 wins, seven shutouts, a goals-against-average of 1.57, and save percentage of .958. She needs 13 more saves to set a new single season record while two more wins would also establish a new highwater mark surpassing Lovisa Selander who made her first star of the season last Friday. Jenna Brenneman has been solid for Minnesota despite their string of losses, posting a 2.87 GAA and .900 SV% over her five total starts. Abbie Ives has made 13 starts for Connecticut where she’s won seven games with two shutouts and a 2.95 GAA and .892 SV%. She’s likely to split time with Meeri Räisänen who has made seven starts with three wins, one shutout, a 3.03 GAA and .885 SV%. Samantha Ridgewell has made the last three starts for Buffalo where she’s won twice with one shutout for an overall GAA of 2.16 and SV% of .933. Lovisa Berndtsson also won her last start and raised her SV% to .887. Rachel McQuigge returned from injury to start both games last weekend for the Riveters with split decisions. Over her first season she’s posted a 3.70 GAA and .880 SV%. Tricia Deguire has made eight-straight starts for Montreal and has five wins in 14 total games with one shutout, a 2.64 GAA, and .916 SV%.
SNATS SNAPSHOT
Boston’s Loren Gabel enters another weekend as the league’s leading scorer with 35 points including 19 goals and 16 assists. Other top team point producers in action are Connecticut’s Kennedy Marchment with 29, Montreal’s Jade Downie-Landry with 22, the Riveters’ Kelly Babstock with 20, Buffalo’s Mikyla Grant-Mentis with 18 along with Minnesota’s Jonna Albers and Natalie Snodgrass both with 18 points each. Marchment and Pride captain Jillian Dempsey remain tied for the league-lead with four game-winning goals. Whale forward Taylor Girard has four shorthanded goals, while her four power play goals are also tied for the lead with Dempsey and Riveters defender Minttu Tuominen. Team shots on goal leaders are Gabel (113), Marchment (92), Minnesota’s Sidney Morin (86), Downie-Landry (85), the Riveters’ Sarah Bujold (79), and Grant-Mentis (63). Team faceoff leaders in overall efficiency with 100 or more wins includes Babstock (.589), Montreal’s Alexandra Labelle (.564), Minnesota’s Liz Schepers (.551), Connecticut’s Lenka Serdar (.537), Dempsey (.511), and Buffalo’s Cassidy MacPherson (.455).
DECKER CALLS IT A CAREER
Brianna Decker, the PHF’s Team and Player Development Advisor, has announced her retirement following a legendary on-ice playing career. The three-time Olympian and 2018 gold medalist was also a six-time world champion who played 147 games in the U.S. sweater where she recorded 170 points including 81 goals and 89 assists. She was also one of the first PHF superstars as a member of Boston’s 2016 Isobel Cup champions and earned back-to-back MVP honors with the Pride during the league’s first two seasons where she amassed 60 points in 33 games.
FINALISTS NAMED FOR 2023 PATTY KAZMAIER MEMORIAL AWARD
The 10 finalists for the 2023 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award were unveiled Thursday by the USA Hockey Foundation. The honor, which was first presented in 1998, is given annually to the top player in NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey. Finalists include forwards Jennifer Gardiner (Ohio State), Taylor Heise (Minnesota), Alina Mueller (Northeastern), Maureen Murphy (Northeastern), Danielle Serdachny (Colgate), Kiara Zanon (Penn State), and Grace Zumwinkle (Minnesota), defender Sophie Jaques (Ohio State), and goaltenders Pia Dukaric (Yale) and Gwyneth Philips (Northeastern). The winner will be announced on Mar. 18 as part of the NCAA Women’s Frozen Four.
The PHF currently has three former Patty Kazmaier winners including Boston’s Élizabeth Giguère (2020) and Loren Gabel (2019), plus Toronto’s Daryl Watts (2019). Giguère and Watts were also recognized as top-10 finalists three other seasons, and Gabel one other time before winning. Other active PHF players who have been recognized as top-10 finalists include Connecticut’s Caitrin Lonergan (2021 and 2018) and Kennedy Marchment (2017), Pride goaltender Lovisa Selander (2019) and captain Jillian Dempsey (2013), Minnesota defender Sydney Baldwin (2018), T6 forward Brittany Howard (2018), Montreal’s Sarah Lefort (2014), and the Riveters’ Kelly Babstock (2014).
PHF AT SLOAN SPORTS ANALYTICS CONFERENCE
For the second straight year the PHF was represented at the prestigious MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. PHF Board member Johanna Boynton took part in a panel titled Start Me Up: How New Leagues Are Innovating Sports and Capturing Fans. The session tackled strategies and tactics with speakers from leagues like Athletes Unlimited, League One Volleyball, and Premier League Lacrosse in addition to the PHF sharing what’s in store for the exciting next chapter of professional sports. 2023 marks the program’s 17th annual forum for industry professionals and students to discuss the increasing role of analytics in the global sports industry.
Fans in the United States can enjoy live PHF action all season long exclusively on ESPN+ for just $9.99 a month (or $99.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). In Canada, live coverage of the PHF is available to TSN subscribers through the network’s five television feeds as well as live streaming via TSN+ available on TSN.ca and the TSN app. PHF games that are part of the ESPN International distribution network may be available in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa via ESPN Player, in Latin America via Star+, the Caribbean through ESPN Player via the ESPN App, and Oceania through Watch ESPN via the ESPN App. All Montreal Force games are available in French exclusively on TVA Sports.
Cover photo by Kayla Franz
