March 25, 2022
by Paul Krotz
The stage is set for the 2021-22 Isobel Cup Playoffs as all six Premier Hockey Federation teams converge this weekend in Tampa Bay, Florida where the top prize in professional women’s hockey will be awarded.
The action begins on Friday afternoon with Preliminary Round games between the third place Boston Pride and the sixth place Buffalo Beauts, along with the fourth place Metropolitan Riveters taking on the fifth place Minnesota Whitecaps. The first place Connecticut Whale and second place Toronto Six await the winners in Sunday’s semifinals. The championship final takes place on Monday.
Here’s a look at the teams.
BOSTON PRIDE
Team Stats:
Record: 10-5-5 (3rd Place)
Goals For: 48 (5th)
Goals Against: 47 (3rd)
Power Play: .056 (6th)
Penalty Kill: .881 (4th)
2021-22 Leaders:
Points: McKenna Brand and Taylor Wenczkowski, 15 (T14th)
Goals: Taylor Wenczkowski, 8 (T12th)
Assists: McKenna Brand, 10 (T12th)
Defender Points: Amanda Boulier, 11 (T6th)
Penalty Minutes: Kaleigh Fratkin, 34 (1st)
Game Winning Goals: Amanda Boulier and Taylor Wenczkowski, 2 (T4th)
Plus/Minus: Meghara McManus and Christina Putigna, +7 (T27th)
Shots on Goal: Christina Putigna, 86 (4th)
Blocked Shots: Amanda Boulier, 15 (12th)
Power Play Goals: Taylor Wenczkowski, 2 (T8th)
Shorthanded Goals: Jillian Dempsey, 2 (T2nd)
Faceoff Percentage: Evelina Raselli, .609 (1st)
Wins: Katie Burt, 7 (3rd)
Save Percentage: Katie Burt, .958 (1st)
Personal Highlights:
Captain Jillian Dempsey became the first in PHF history to play 100 games and score 50 goals and remains the all-time leader in games (118), goals (56), points (118). Kaleigh Fratkin ranks second all-time in games (114), tied with Dempsey for first in assists (62), sixth in points (74). McKenna Brand ranks fourth all-time in goals (33) and points (75). Amanda Boulier ranks second behind Fratkin in all-time scoring by a defender (59). Katie Burt set a PHF record for longest shutout streak at 214:55.
All-Time Playoff Experience on Roster: 18 players – 69 games / 44 points / 3 wins
Jillian Dempsey (11/11), Kaleigh Fratkin (9/6), Mary Parker (7/5), Amanda Boulier (6/2), McKenna Brand (4/3), Mallory Souliotis (4/2), Lauren Kelly (3/2), Christina Putigna (3/5), Jenna Rheault (3/2), Katelynn Russ (3/3), Lovisa Selander (3/3), Tori Sullivan (3/0), Paige Capistran (2/0), Sammy Davis (2/1), Meghara McManus (2/0), Taylor Wenczkowski (2/2), Katie Burt (1/0), Kayla Friesen (1/0).
Isobel Cup Titles on Roster: 16
2021: McKenna Brand, Paige Capistran, Sammy Davis, Jillian Dempsey, Kaleigh Fratkin, Lauren Kelly, Mary Parker, Christina Putigna, Jenna Rheault, Meghara McManus, Lovisa Selander, Mallory Souliotis, Tori Sullivan, Taylor Wenczkowski. 2019: Amanda Boulier. 2016: Jillian Dempsey.
Franchise Playoff History:
2015-16: Defeated MET 6-0 & 7-4 in Semifinals, Defeated BUF 4-3 & 3-1 to win Isobel Cup.
2016-17: Defeated CTW 8-2 in Semifinals, Lost to BUF 3-2 in Final.
2017-18: Lost to BUF 3-2 OT in Semifinals.
2018-19: Lost to BUF 4-0 in Semifinals.
2019-20: Defeated CTW 5-1 in Semifinals, Cancelled Final vs MIN.
2020-21: Defeated TOR 6-2 in Semifinals, Defeated MIN 4-3 to win Isobel Cup.
What they’re saying:
“It’s been a hectic few weeks here but that’s part of professional sports. We’re excited and really looking forward to it. I don’t think there are many teams who have gone into overtime five games in a row and lost, but I think our team has the right mindset going into Friday. I think we’ve known for the past three or four weeks that we are going to have this opportunity to be in third place and to play the sixth place team, most likely Buffalo, so we’ve been preparing for that for a long time. Our focus, our intensity, and our compete level will be at 100% come Friday at 4pm.” – Head coach Paul Mara.
“Playoffs is always the start of a new season. It’s a fresh start for us. We’ve battled in our past five games but came up with the short end of the stick. The effort was there and the toughness was there but not the result that we wanted. We’re really excited for the opportunity to go into a do or die situation with our backs against the wall and find out what we’re really made of. We feel that we’ve been building that mental toughness pretty much all season but especially this last month. We’re battle tested so it’s going to be a great opportunity on Friday to go out against that team and play the way we know we can play and come out on top.” – Captain Jillian Dempsey.
“We have a pretty core group of veterans which is going to be huge going into playoffs. We have a lot of experience. This year hasn’t gone perfectly according to plan for us. We’ve gone through adversity, I think we’re battle tested, and I’m excited to see what we can do with our backs against the wall.” – Alternate captain McKenna Brand.
BUFFALO BEAUTS
Team Stats:
Record: 6-14-0 (6th Place)
Goals For: 44 (6th)
Goals Against: 73 (6th)
Power Play: .098 (5th)
Penalty Kill: .726 (6th)
Leaders:
Points: Autumn MacDougall, 14 (T17th)
Goals: Anjelica Diffendal and Dominique Kremer, 6 (T16th)
Assists: Autumn MacDougall, 9 (T14th)
Defender Points: Dominique Kremer, 11 (T6th)
Penalty Minutes: Cassidy Vinkle, 30 (T2nd)
Game Winning Goals: Kennedy Ganser and Cassidy Vinkle, 2 (T4th)
Plus/Minus: Anjelica Diffendal and Autumn MacDougall, +5 (T36th)
Shots on Goal: Cassidy Vinkle, 61 (T16th)
Blocked Shots: Emma Keenan, 25 (T4th)
Power Play Goals: Anjelica Diffendal, 3 (T3rd)
Shorthanded Goals: Autumn MacDougall, 1 (T5th)
Faceoff Percentage: Cassidy MacPherson, .529 (4th)
Wins: Carly Jackson, 6 (4th)
Save Percentage: Carly Jackson, .903 (6th)
Personal Highlights:
Co-captain Taylor Accursi became the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, building her record up to 53 points including a team-high 29 goals which ranks seventh in the PHF all-time. Elena Orlando became the fourth in PHF history to eclipse 100 career games. Cassidy MacPherson and co-captain Marie-Jo Pelletier both played in their 50th career games in Buffalo. 10 different Beauts scored their first career goals in 2021-22 including four players from the 2021 draft class.
All-Time Playoff Experience on Roster: 7 players – 21 games / 4 points / 0 wins
Elena Orlando (7/1), Taylor Accursi (5/1), Grace Klienbach (3/1), Dana Trivigno (3/1), Erin Gehen (1/0), Cassidy MacPherson (1/0), Marie-Jo Pelletier (1/0).
Isobel Cup Titles on Roster: 0
Franchise Playoff History:
2015-16: Defeated CTW 0-3, 4-1, 4-3 in Semifinals, Lost to BOS 4-3 & 3-1 in Final.
2016-17: Defeated MET 4-2 in Semifinals, Defeated BOS 3-2 to win Isobel Cup.
2017-18: Defeated BOS 3-2 OT in Semifinals, Lost to MET 1-0 in Final.
2018-19: Defeated BOS 4-0 in Semifinals, Lost to MIN 2-1 OT in Final.
2019-20: Lost to CTW 5-3 in Preliminary.
2020-21: Did not qualify.
What they’re saying:
“We’re definitely riding high on the two wins that we had this past weekend (against Boston). Really the Saturday game kind of started playoff hockey for us and that was kind of our mindset heading into it. Friday won’t really be anything different for us in the realm of we’re kind of playing how we’re playing and we’re rolling with it. We told the players that the coaches are here to guide you but you are the drivers. They’ve really taken the wheel and driven it fast. We’re just behind them at this point and they’re going ahead full of steam towards the cup.” – Head coach Rhea Coad.
“This year took us a little longer to kind of get it together. We took this last weekend as an opportunity to look at what to expect for playoffs and we went into the weekend (against Boston) with that mentality. Everybody bonded together. I’ve been saying this all year but it’s not the first five it’s the last three, so I’m excited to see what this group has in store for this weekend.” – Co-captain Taylor Accursi.
“We have a really special group this year. Probably the most special group I’ve ever been a part of. We’re a really tight knit group and when we come together and play as a team from top to bottom we can do some really special things out on the ice. Going into playoffs we’re just going to ride off what we created last weekend. It was good for us to have some overtime games. To experience that, since playoff hockey is a battle, and I don’t expect it to be anything different than tight games and battling to the end. We’re ready and we’re excited.” – Co-captain Marie-Jo Pelletier.
CONNECTICUT WHALE
Team Stats:
Record: 15-3-2 (1st Place)
Goals For: 74 (1st)
Goals Against: 44 (1st)
Power Play: .153 (4th)
Penalty Kill: .937 (T1st)
Leaders:
Points: Kennedy Marchment, 33 (1st)
Goals: Kennedy Marchment, 13 (T2nd)
Assists: Kennedy Marchment, 20 (1st)
Defender Points: Allie Munroe, 13 (4th)
Penalty Minutes: Rebecca Morse, 16 (T15th)
Game Winning Goals: Taylor Girard and Kennedy Marchment, 4 (T2nd)
Plus/Minus: Kennedy Marchment, +29 (1st)
Shots on Goal: Taylor Girard, 84 (5th)
Blocked Shots: Shannon Turner, 25 (T4th)
Power Play Goals: Amanda Conway, 5 (T1st)
Shorthanded Goals: Taylor Girard, Kennedy Marchment, Allie Munroe, Emma Vlasic, 1 (T5th)
Faceoff Percentage: Emma Vlasic, .537 (3rd)
Wins: Abbie Ives, 10 (2nd)
Save Percentage: Mariah Fujimagari, .934 (3rd)
Personal Highlights:
Kennedy Marchment became the club’s single season record holder for goals, assists, and points while becoming the franchise’s first scoring champion. Taylor Girard was the franchise’s first player chosen first overall in the draft and led the 2021 class in scoring. Captain Shannon Turner became the third player in PHF history to play 100 career games. Emily Fluke climbed to eighth in all-time PHF scoring. Abbie Ives set a franchise single season record with 10 wins, and Mariah Fujimagari became the first Whale goaltender to record two shutouts in a season.
All-Time Playoff Experience on Roster: 14 players – 45 games / 14 points / 0 wins
Shannon Turner (8/2), Janine Weber (6/2), Hanna Beattie (5/2), Emily Fluke (4/3), Taylor Marchin (4/1), Kaycie Anderson (4/0), Emma Vlasic (3/3), Alyssa Wohlfeiler (3/1), Rebecca Morse (3/0), Amanda Conway (1/0), Tori Howran (1/0), Cailey Hutchison (1/0), Abbie Ives (1/0), Melissa Samoskevich (1/0).
Isobel Cup Titles on Roster: 1
2018: Rebecca Morse
Franchise Playoff History:
2015-16: Lost to BUF 0-3, 4-1, 4-3 in Semifinals.
2016-17: Lost to BOS 8-2 in Semifinals.
2017-18: Lost to MET 5-0 in Semifinals.
2018-19: Lost to MET 5-2 in Preliminary.
2019-20: Defeated BUF 5-3 in Preliminary, Lost to BOS 5-1 in Semifinals.
2020-21: Lost to MIN 7-0 in Semifinals.
What they’re saying:
“It’s exciting! It’s been a lot of work this season and it really paid off. Our mindset is it’s great (being regular season champions) but we have business still to do and we want to keep looking forward.” – Head coach Colton Orr.
“Being with the team since its first game until having the pleasure of still being part of the team in season seven, I honestly thought it (winning a regular season title) would be more emotional reaching a milestone with this special group, but as soon as we went back to the locker room I immediately went over to coach, gave him a big hug and said congrats on a huge accomplishment, but then we were both like ‘we’re not done yet’. This is just a small victory and we’re more focused on the one that’s hopefully two games away.” – Captain Shannon Turner.
“This season has been really personally successful but as a team we’ve just been so successful finishing first and bringing the Whale to where they are supposed to be. These last two games mean everything to us and we’re not done with our accomplishments yet. We’ve got to keep pushing forward and get the success that we all want.” – Top scorer Kennedy Marchment.
METROPOLITAN RIVETERS
Team Stats:
Record: 7-12-1 (4th Place)
Goals For: 54 (3rd)
Goals Against: 65 (5th)
Power Play: .163 (3rd)
Penalty Kill: .862 (4th)
Leaders:
Points: Madison Packer, 23 (5th)
Goals: Madison Packer, 12 (T4th)
Assists: Kristen Barbara, 13 (T5th)
Defender Points: Kristen Barbara, 14 (T2nd)
Penalty Minutes: Kelly Babstock, 30 (T2nd)
Game Winning Goals: Kelly Babstock and Kendall Cornine, 2 (T4th)
Plus/Minus: Madison Packer, +13 (10th)
Shots on Goal: Madison Packer, 80 (T8th)
Blocked Shots: Kristen Barbara, 26 (3rd)
Power Play Goals: Rebecca Russo, 5 (T1st)
Shorthanded Goals: Madison Packer, 2 (T2nd)
Faceoff Percentage: Emily Janiga, .507 (10th)
Wins: Brooke Wolejko, 4 (T5th)
Save Percentage: Brooke Wolejko, .915 (5th)
Personal Highlights:
Captain Madison Packer became just the second player in PHF history to score 50 goals and 100 career points and fifth to 100 games. She built upon her own franchise records for games (107), goals (54), assists (54), and points (108). Kelly Babstock climbed up to a tie for fourth in all-time PHF points (75) and Rebecca Russo is tied for ninth (60). Kiira Dosdall-Arena joined Packer in a group of just six players to compete in all seven PHF seasons. Kendall Cornine reached double digits in goals for the second time in two full seasons.
All-Time Playoff Experience on Roster: 16 players – 48 games / 19 points / 1 win
Madison Packer (8/5), Kiira Dosdall-Arena (8/1), Kelly Babstock (7/4), Rebecca Russo (5/3), Emily Janiga (4/5), Colleen Murphy (4/1), Rachael Ade (2/0), Brooke Wolejko (2/1), Rose Alleva (1/0), Brooke Avery (1/0), Kristen Barbara (1/0), Kendall Cornine (1/0), Lenka Curmova (1/0), Haley Frade (1/0), Leila Kilduff (1/0), Mallory Rushton (1/0).
Isobel Cup Titles on Roster: 3
2018: Kiira Dosdall-Arena, Madison Packer, Rebecca Russo
Franchise Playoff History:
2015-16: Lost to BOS 6-0 & 7-4 in Semifinals.
2016-17: Lost to BUF 4-2 in Semifinals.
2017-18: Defeated CTW 5-0 in Semifinals, Defeated BUF 1-0 to win Isobel Cup.
2018-19: Defeated CTW 5-2 in Preliminary, Lost to MIN 5-1 in Semifinals.
2019-20: Lost to MIN 1-0 in Semifinals.
2020-21: Did not qualify.
What they’re saying:
“The last couple of weeks have been, knock on wood, real good. Good practice time, good games against Minnesota I would say. Funny thing was I actually think we played a better game on Saturday when we lost than we played on Sunday when we won. Both games showed us a lot of good things, a lot of progress on the things we’ve been working on.” – Head coach Ivo Mocek.
“I think the group is excited, we added a couple of practices the last couple weeks so having an off week was good. We were on the road a lot so finishing at home for the last couple of weekends has been good for camaraderie and being able to relax and focus on travelling to Florida. It’s one and done. The hardest thing to do is end a team’s season and that’s kind of the boat that everyone is in. I expect Friday night to be a fast paced game. We’re excited to get that miniseries with Minnesota. We’re 2-2 right now so we’re kind of playing for a few things in that game.” – Captain Madison Packer.
“I’m really excited and I think our group is really excited as well. I think the last few weekends have been great leading up to playoffs, getting us rolling and really having us in a rhythm. We’ve pretty much beaten every team in the league once so it really shows what we can do when we put our mind to it. Being back home is something very special for me. Definitely didn’t see it coming. Being able to play professionally, especially when that wasn’t even an option or something I could believe when I was growing up there is really cool.” – Alternate captain Rachael Ade.
MINNESOTA WHITECAPS
Team Stats:
Record: 6-13-1 (5th Place)
Goals For: 52 (4th)
Goals Against: 64 (4th)
Power Play: .164 (2nd)
Penalty Kill: .841 (5th)
Leaders:
Points: Jonna Curtis, 24 (T3rd)
Goals: Allie Thunstrom, 18 (1st)
Assists: Jonna Curtis, 15 (3rd)
Defender Points: Taylor Turnquist, 11 (T6th)
Penalty Minutes: Stephanie Anderson, 24 (T6th)
Game Winning Goals: Allie Thunstrom, 2 (T4th)
Plus/Minus: Taylor Turnquist, +15 (T7th)
Shots on Goal: Allie Thunstrom, 93 (2nd)
Blocked Shots: Mak Langei, 18 (T6th)
Power Play Goals: Allie Thunstrom, 3 (T3rd)
Shorthanded Goals: Allie Thunstrom, 3 (1st)
Faceoff Percentage: Ashleigh Brykaliuk, .513 (8th)
Wins: Amanda Leveille, 4 (T5th)
Save Percentage: Amanda Leveille, .937 (2nd)
Personal Highlights:
Jonna Curtis reached the 80-point plateau which ranks third in all-time scoring. Allie Thunstrom brought her career goal total up to 48 which ranks third all-time and continues to be the Whitecaps leader in all-time games played with 64. Audra Morrison cracked the top-10 for all-time PHF goals and now ranks tied for eighth with 28. Amanda Leveille continued to build her own all-time records between-the-pipes with her 49th career win and eighth shutout.
All-Time Playoff Experience on Roster: 20 players – 70 games / 33 points / 6 wins
Amanda Leveille (8/6), Audra Morrison (5/7), Jonna Curtis (5/6), Allie Thunstrom (5/6), Winny Brown (5/2), Chelsey Rosenthal (5/0), Meaghan Pezon (4/4), Lisa Martinson (4/1), Emma Stauber (4/0), Lexie Laing (3/2), Meghan Lorence (3/1), Haylea Schmid (3/1), Stephanie Anderson (3/0), Sara Bustad (3/0), Haley Mack (2/1), Maddie Rowe (2/1), Taylor Turnquist (2/1), Sydney Baldwin (2/0), Nicole Schammel (1/0), Brooke White-Lancette (1/0).
Isobel Cup Titles on Roster: 11
2021: Lexie Laing, Taylor Turnquist. 2019: Winny Brown, Jonna Curtis, Amanda Leveille, Lisa Martinson, Meaghan Pezon, Chelsey Rosenthal, Emma Stauber, Allie Thunstrom. 2017: Amanda Leveille.
Franchise Playoff History:
2018-19: Defeated MET 5-1 in Semifinals, Defeated BUF 2-1 OT to win Isobel Cup.
2019-20: Defeated MET 1-0 in Semifinals, Cancelled Final vs BOS.
2020-21: Defeated CTW 7-0 in Semifinals, Lost to BOS 4-3 in Final.
What they’re saying:
“I anticipate all of the games to be intense and can go either way. We did just come from playing New Jersey, it was a good series and a battle both ways. I think that when you think of our team, where we’ve come, we’ve come a long ways. I don’t know if the scoreboard always reflects the growth we’ve had but I think we’re hitting a good stride right now. We’re excited to go there, we’re excited to compete, and we’re excited to do our best and to be successful.” – Co-head coach Ronda Engelhardt.
“We’ve faced a ton of adversity this year. It was not a year that the Whitecaps as an organization are used to but I think that our team has really bonded together through all of it and we’re starting to put those pieces together. I think we’re really looking forward to getting down to Tampa. We’re fortunate to have a team full of players that are used to being in those types of games. We have a lot of players from our 2018-19 team, we have a lot of players on our team who have played in national championships at the college level, so I think we have a team that are used to that pressure situation. We have come a long way this year and improved along the way and are excited to get down to Tampa and put it all together.” – Alternate captain Allie Thunstrom.
“I think the Whitecaps have been in the final every year since we’ve started. We have the experience of getting to the final and I think we’re going to end up there. We’re going to show them that it’s a new season. Everything happened at the beginning of the season in the regular schedule but playoffs are another story and it’s a completely new season and I think we’re ready to go.” – Forward Audra Morrison.
TORONTO SIX
Team Stats:
Record: 16-3-1 (2nd Place)
Goals For: 66 (2nd)
Goals Against: 45 (5th)
Power Play: .228 (1st)
Penalty Kill: .937 (T1st)
Leaders:
Points: Mikyla Grant-Mentis, 30 (2nd)
Goals: Mikyla Grant-Mentis, 13 (T2nd)
Assists: Mikyla Grant-Mentis, 17 (2nd)
Defender Points: Taylor Woods, 17 (1st)
Penalty Minutes: Emma Woods, 18 (T13th)
Game Winning Goals: Mikyla Grant-Mentis, 6 (1st)
Plus/Minus: Mikyla Grant-Mentis, +25 (3rd)
Shots on Goal: Mikyla Grant-Mentis, 96 (1st)
Blocked Shots: Saroya Tinker, 37 (1st)
Power Play Goals: Emma Woods, 3 (T3rd)
Shorthanded Goals: Brooke Boquist, Mikyla Grant-Mentis, Emma Woods, 1 (T5th)
Faceoff Percentage: Shiann Darkangelo, .573 (2nd)
Wins: Elaine Chuli, 16 (1st)
Save Percentage: Elaine Chuli, .930 (4th)
Personal Highlights:
Mikyla Grant-Mentis established a new PHF single game points record with six. Her points-per-game average now stands at 1.56 over 27 career games which is the third best figure all-time for a player with that many appearances. Captain Shiann Darkangelo scored her 25th career goal which brings her to a tie for 11th on the all-time list. Elaine Chuli set a new PHF single season record with 16 consecutive wins. Toronto led the PHF in points from the blue line with 60.
All-Time Playoff Experience on Roster: 11 players – 17 games / 10 points / 0 wins
Shiann Darkangelo (6/4), Mikyla Grant-Mentis (2/4), Breanne Wilson-Bennett (1/2), Brooke Boquist (1/0), Elaine Chuli (1/0), Amy Curlew (1/0), Lindsay Eastwood (1/0), Natalie Marcuzzi (1/0), Sarah Steele (1/0), Emma Woods (1/0), Taylor Woods (1/0).
Isobel Cup Titles on Roster: 1
2017: Shiann Darkangelo
Franchise Playoff History:
2020-21: Lost to BOS 6-2 in Semifinals.
What they’re saying:
“We had a great start (to the season) and I actually sent a message to the ladies that we’ve had a couple bumps in the road but we rebounded every time we lost a game. When we didn’t fare well or play well I’ve been happy with our response every time. If the trend continues we’re going to be golden this weekend in Tampa.” – Head coach Mark Joslin.
“We’re excited, just doing the same thing we’ve been doing all season. Just focusing on the next period and the next game. We have a great group of girls, good chemistry in the locker room, and I think everyone is ready to go and we’re excited to get to Tampa.” – Captain Shiann Darkangelo.
“We’re definitely excited. It’s been a great year with this group. We have total confidence in this group. We obviously don’t know who we’re playing yet but we’re going to be ready for any opponent. We really don’t care who we play because we believe that we can beat everybody in this league, and we’ve proven that.” – Alternate captain Emma Woods.
2022 ISOBEL CUP PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE
Friday March 25 – Preliminary Round:
4:00 p.m. ET – Buffalo Beauts (6) vs Boston Pride (3) on ESPN+ and TSN Direct.
The teams split the season series with two wins apiece, both sweeping on home ice. Boston won 4-3 and 1-0 February 26-27, with Buffalo earning two overtime victories March 19-20 by scores of 2-1 and 3-2 to close the regular season schedule. The Founding Four members met each of the first four playoffs in PHF history including the 2016 final won by Boston, the 2017 final won by Buffalo, then the 2018 and 2019 semifinals that were both won by the Beauts.
7:30 p.m. ET – Minnesota Whitecaps (5) vs Metropolitan Riveters (4) on ESPN+ and TSN Direct.
Another 2-2 season series, but one that featured a pair of splits throughout the campaign. February 19-20 it was Minnesota winning the opener 5-2, with Metropolitan victorious the next day by a 7-4 score. The Whitecaps won the first encounter once again March 12-13 by a 4-2 decision, and the Riveters rebounded to win the finale 4-3. The Whitecaps eliminated the Riveters in both the 2019 and 2020 playoff semifinals.
Sunday March 27 – Semifinals:
1:00 p.m. ET – Lowest Remaining Seed vs Connecticut Whale (1) on ESPN+ and TSN Direct.
4:30 p.m. ET – Highest Remaining Seed vs Toronto Six (2) on ESPN+ and TSN Direct.
Monday March 28 – Championship Final:
9:00 p.m. ET – Winner of Semifinal 1 vs Winner of Semifinal 2 on ESPN2 and TSN2
About the Isobel Cup
The Isobel Cup is the championship trophy of the National Women’s Hockey League. It 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 Premier Hockey Federation (PHF)
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 maintains the mission to provide strong role models and fuel the continued growth of the sport. The league is made up of the Boston Pride, Buffalo Beauts, Connecticut Whale, Metropolitan Riveters, Minnesota Whitecaps, and the Toronto Six who all compete annually for the Isobel Cup. For more information visit premierhockeyfederation.com.
