PHF Playoff Preview: Isobel Cup Final
Previewing the 2023 Isobel Cup Final between the Premier Hockey Federation's Minnesota Whitecaps & Toronto Six.
The Buckeyes outshot the Huskies 53-15, breaking their season high for shots faced and season low for shots taken. Ohio State owned this game from start to finish, putting together a top tier effort in every area of the ice. Northeastern couldn't do much but try and slow the Ohio State attack to mixed success. The three goals is more than they'd given up in all but one game this season, but was less than the 4.26 the Buckeyes average per game.
“I’ve coached hockey in division one as an assistant and as a head coach and honestly that is probably the best hockey game that I have ever coached in terms of pride in what my team accomplished. We played against a really good opponent and the way [Ohio State] controlled the game, the pace, moved the puck fast, quick transitions and continued to press [was impressive].'' - Ohio State coach Nadine Muzerall.
“We put a lot of lethal shots on net. We had great goaltending and all through our depth chart, everybody stepped up. We trusted everybody on the ice and they made great things happen. To be that relentless, poised and composed at the same time spoke volumes about our mental and physical ability." - Muzerall.
“They just swarm and swarm and swarm and it's like they get more energy when they get you pinned in. We pride ourselves in not turning the puck over from one top of the circle to the other top of the circle. I think we turned the puck over more times today in that area than we have maybe all semester. That's how they play and they make you make mistakes and then they counter with their speed.” - Northeastern coach Dave Flint
“They were definitely the better team on the ice this afternoon. We struggled to generate offense. You have to do everything quicker. They really don’t stop. When you're used to having an extra second to make a play and all of a sudden that window is gone, it's hard. We have fast players, but they came at you with everybody. It was a track meet we couldn’t keep up with.” - Flint
"I think there's so much trust in this team and everyone just has so much trust in everyone. I think everyone had confidence in [the PK]. After killing it off we just kept playing our game and being relentless and kept taking it to them." - Ohio State forward Makenna Webster
This back-and-forth game featured far more missed chances than goals, but it was still plenty entertaining to watch. The Gophers took an early 1-0 lead and held that for more than 40 minutes. The Badgers dominated shots and possession in the second period, but could not find the back of the net. But they also didn't panic or get frustrated. They scored twice in a minute on goals from Laila Edwards and Sophie Shirley to take the lead early in the third. But Minnesota pulled their goalie for an extra attacker with about 90 seconds left in regulation and Madeline Wethington capitalized to tied the game and force overtime. Both goalies made spectacular saves in regulation and overtime to keep the momentum with their team. In the extra frame, Ella Huber had some point blank chances in front of the net and Abbey Murphy missed the net by inches when she tried to squeeze the puck through traffic. In the end, it was KK Harvey who took a pass on her backhand, moved the puck to her forehand and picked her spot over Vetter's shoulder to give Wisconsin a 3-2 overtime win.
“Our team knew we were due to score. We kept pressing on them and we were so close for so long, so it was about time we were going to put one in the net. It happened and we were able to get a couple of quick ones. Our team has so much fight in us and so much grit. We knew we were going to come back and get the job done today.” - Wisconsin defender KK Harvey
"I'm super proud of our team, they left it all on the ice. They played for one another. Unfortunately it's an occupational hazard that when you get under the bright lights one team is going lose and one team is going to win and unfortunately we were on the wrong end of it here tonight." - Minnesota coach Brad Frost
"There's just so much skill on the ice and that's why it's so hard to keep the momentum when you have it, because eventually the other team is going to get it." - Frost
"I think they're one of the most talented classes we've ever recruited at Minnesota. This obviously hurts, but it hurts a lot because I hurt for them and the rest of the group because they came back with the intention of winning the national championship." - Frost
"I didn't expect this to be an easy game. Minnesota's a really skilled team, and we've had a lot of good battles with them this year. It's just been a mental preparation for games like this. You grow, you become mentally stronger and you're able to get over things better." - Wisconsin goalie Cami Kronish
"The best thing we did with Laila was we took her from playing the off wing and we put her on the right side. As her coach, I probably should have done it earlier. When I saw it for the first time at St. Thomas, it was like something sparked. It just opened up her game. Gave her some confidence. She's done wonderful the second half." - Wisconsin coach Mark Johnson