The final two games of the Premier Hockey Federation’s record 84-game season were played between four playoff-bound teams on Sunday afternoon.
Connecticut Whale 3, Minnesota Whitecaps 1
The Whale are rolling into the 2023 Isobel Cup Playoffs with six-straight wins following a weekend series sweep over the Whitecaps who are also streaking into the postseason but with eight-straight losses. All four goals were scored in the third period of this contest beginning with Alyssa Wohlfeiler’s seventh of the year on the doorstep at 3:05. A Hannah Bates blast from the point at 10:11 made it 2-0 Connecticut. Minnesota got on the board for the first time in the series at 12:58 when Liz Schepers tipped a cross-ice feed from Amanda Boulier for her sixth goal of the season. There would be no late comeback in the final minutes with the extra attacker as Janine Weber buried her first of the season into the empty-net in her 98th career regular season contest. Kennedy Marchment got the assist to finish the campaign on a record 18-game point-streak. Meeri Raisanen made 25 saves for her fourth win of the season, and Amanda Leveille tied a season-high with 41 saves despite the loss. The Whitecaps now travel to Boston where they’ll take on the Pride in a best-of-three semifinal series starting Thursday, while the Whale head to Toronto for their semifinal series that starts on Friday.
Boston Pride 4, Toronto Six 5
The league’s top two teams and highest scoring offenses combined for nine goals to finish their regular season series. Kayla Friesen put Boston on the board first at 7:58 of the opening frame, but Toronto responded with four goals of their own before the period was up. Shiann Darkangelo scored her 12th of the year, Daryl Watts got her third, Brittany Howard netted her 16th, and Michela Cava her ninth on the power play all within the period’s final nine minutes to make it 4-1. Pride defender Olivia Zafuto scored her second of the series at 14:26, set up by top scorer Loren Gabel who tied teammate Jillian Dempsey’s PHF single season record with 40 points. Sammy Davis set a new career-high with six goals at the 19:08 mark to cut the deficit to one, but T6 answered on a late power play with Breanne Wilson-Bennett’s seventh of the season at 19:53. Boston got one back with Kali Flanagan scoring early in the third period and pressured throughout the final frame but couldn’t beat Carly Jackson for the equalizer in her 36-save victory. Lovisa Selander stopped 25 in her second start of the season. The Pride locked up first place in Saturday’s win and turn their attention to playoffs where they’ll host Minnesota in a best-of-three semifinal series starting Thursday. T6 will also host a semifinal series and welcome Connecticut to town with game one on Friday.
Cover photo by Kayla Franz
