The 2021–22 PHF season was the seventh season of the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF), which was known as the National Women's Hockey League during the previous six seasons, in North America. After mostly playing in a bubble environment the previous season due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, the PHF commenced the 2021–22 season with a normal travel-based schedule.
| 2021–22 PHF season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| League | Premier Hockey Federation |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | November 6, 2021 – March 27, 2022 |
| Number of matches | 20 |
| Number of teams | 6 |
| TV partner(s) | ESPN+ ESPN2 and TSN2 (Isobel Cup finals) |
| Regular season | |
| Season Champions | Connecticut Whale |
| Top scorer | Kennedy Marchment (Connecticut) |
| Isobel Cup | |
| Champions | Boston Pride |
| Runners-up | Connecticut Whale |
| Finals MVP | Taylor Wenczkowski |
League business
editFollowing the 2021 Isobel Cup Finals, Lisa Haley was appointed as the league's vice president of hockey operations.[1]
On April 28, 2021, the league announced that it was planning to double the salary cap of every franchise to $300,000, based on projections of financial stability for the seventh season.[2]
On September 7, 2021, it was announced that the league would be renamed from the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL) to the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF).[3][4]
On February 23, 2022, the league announced that all teams were allowed to sign one additional player for the remainder of the season and spend an additional $10,000 above the current $300,000 salary cap. Additionally, all clubs would also be allowed to dress 18 skaters per game, up from 17 for the rest of the 2021–22 season.[5]
Expansion
editPlans for an expansion team in Montreal, Quebec, for the seventh season were delayed. Boston Pride president Miles Arnone, a member of the BTM Group, the group behind establishing the expansion club, confirmed the league announcement. With concerns over the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, the earliest season for an expansion team in Montreal would be 2022–23.[6]
Team ownership
editOn May 10, the NWHL announced the sale and transfer of ownership of the Connecticut Whale to Shared Hockey Enterprises (SHE), LLC, led by Tobin Kelly.[7] The Whale became the first of the four founding teams to be sold to outside ownership after the league's October 2020 announcement of its transition to joint venture models. The Metropolitan Riveters then were sold to BTM Partners on May 26, giving them control of three of the league's six franchises. A transfer of ownership from W Hockey Partners, the new ownership installed John Boynton to serve as the Riveters' chairman.[8] The NWHL finished selling its league operated teams to independent ownership with the sale of the Buffalo Beauts and Minnesota Whitecaps to a joint partnership of NLTT Ventures, LLC, and Top Tier Sports on June 28, 2021.[9]
Front office changes
edit| Off–season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 2020–21 GM | 2021–22 GM | Notes |
| Toronto Six | Mandy Cronin | Krystiana (Krysti) Clarke[10] | Clarke's background has included a role as manager of operations with York United FC of Canadian Premier League soccer |
(*) Indicates interim.
Coaching changes
edit| Off–season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 2020–21 coach | 2021–22 coach | Notes |
| Toronto Six | Digit Murphy | Mark Joslin[11] | Joslin spent the last four seasons with the Ontario Junior Hockey League's Toronto Patriots |
Regular season
editStandings
editThe regular season schedule was published on August 5, 2021.[12][13]
Standings as of March 22, 2022.[14]
| Team | GP | W | L | OTL | Pts[a][b] | RW | OTW | SOW | GF | GA | Diff | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut Whale | 20 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 47 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 74 | 44 | +30 | 142 |
| Toronto Six | 20 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 46 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 66 | 45 | +21 | 154 |
| Boston Pride | 20 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 32 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 48 | 47 | +1 | 152 |
| Metropolitan Riveters | 20 | 7 | 12 | 1 | 21 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 54 | 65 | -11 | 195 |
| Minnesota Whitecaps | 20 | 6 | 13 | 1 | 19 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 62 | 64 | -12 | 202 |
| Buffalo Beauts | 20 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 15 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 44 | 73 | -29 | 176 |
Schedule
editAll times listed are Eastern Time.
| Regular season schedule | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Visitor | Score | Home | OT | Notes | ||||
| November 6 | Connecticut | 1–4 | Metropolitan | ||||||
| Toronto | 4–3 | Buffalo | |||||||
| Minnesota | 4–6 | Boston | |||||||
| November 7 | Minnesota | 0–1 | Boston | ||||||
| Connecticut | 6–5 | Metropolitan | |||||||
| November 13 | Boston | 4–3 | Connecticut | OT | |||||
| November 14 | Boston | 1–3 | Connecticut | ||||||
| November 20 | Connecticut | 1–5 | Toronto | ||||||
| Buffalo | 4–3 | Metropolitan | OT | ||||||
| Boston | 0–2 | Minnesota | |||||||
| November 21 | Connecticut | 2–3 | Toronto | ||||||
| Boston | 2–1 | Minnesota | OT | ||||||
| Buffalo | 3–5 | Metropolitan | |||||||
| December 4 | Minnesota | 1–5 | Connecticut | ||||||
| Toronto | 1–2 | Boston | SO | ||||||
| December 5 | Minnesota | 2–4 | Connecticut | ||||||
| Toronto | 2–8 | Boston | |||||||
| December 11 | Metropolitan | 1–2 | Toronto | ||||||
| Buffalo | — | Minnesota | Postponed[16] | ||||||
| December 12 | Metropolitan | 0–3 | Toronto | ||||||
| Buffalo | — | Minnesota | Postponed[16] | ||||||
| December 18 | Boston | — | Metropolitan | Postponed[17] | |||||
| Connecticut | 3–1 | Buffalo | |||||||
| Toronto | 4–0 | Minnesota | |||||||
| December 19 | Toronto | 2–1 | Minnesota | ||||||
| Connecticut | 3–1 | Buffalo | |||||||
| Boston | — | Metropolitan | Postponed[17] | ||||||
| January 8 | Minnesota | — | Toronto | Postponed[18] | |||||
| Boston | — | Buffalo | Postponed[18] | ||||||
| January 9 | Boston | — | Buffalo | Postponed[18] | |||||
| Minnesota | — | Toronto | Postponed[18] | ||||||
| January 15 | Metropolitan | 1–5 | Connecticut | ||||||
| Buffalo | 1–6 | Toronto | |||||||
| January 16 | Buffalo | 3–8 | Toronto | ||||||
| Metropolitan | 2–3 | Connecticut | |||||||
| January 22 | Toronto | — | Connecticut | Postponed[19] | |||||
| Minnesota | 3–1 | Buffalo | |||||||
| Metropolitan | 1–3 | Boston | |||||||
| January 23 | Toronto | — | Connecticut | Postponed[19] | |||||
| Minnesota | 6–1 | Buffalo | |||||||
| Metropolitan | 4–3 | Boston | |||||||
| February 5 | Connecticut | 3–2 | Boston | ||||||
| Buffalo | 1–8 | Minnesota | Rescheduled from December 11[20] | ||||||
| February 6 | Buffalo | 6–2 | Minnesota | Rescheduled from December 12[20] | |||||
| Connecticut | 6–1 | Boston | |||||||
| February 12 | Minnesota | 2–6 | Toronto | Rescheduled from January 8[21] | |||||
| Metropolitan | 2–3 | Buffalo | |||||||
| February 13 | Minnesota | 1–2 | Toronto | Rescheduled from January 9[21] | |||||
| Metropolitan | 3–2 | Buffalo | |||||||
| February 19 | Metropolitan | 2–5 | Minnesota | ||||||
| February 20 | Metropolitan | 7–4 | Minnesota | ||||||
| February 21 | Toronto | 0–3 | Buffalo | ||||||
| February 26 | Toronto | 4–3 | Metropolitan | ||||||
| Buffalo | 3–4 | Boston | |||||||
| February 27 | Buffalo | 0–1 | Boston | ||||||
| Toronto | 3-2 | Metropolitan | |||||||
| March 5 | Boston | 2–0 | Metropolitan | Rescheduled from December 18[21] | |||||
| Connecticut | 4–2 | Minnesota | |||||||
| March 6 | Connecticut | 4–1 | Minnesota | ||||||
| Boston | 2–3 | Metropolitan | OT | Rescheduled from December 19[21] | |||||
| March 12 | Minnesota | 4-2 | Metropolitan | ||||||
| Boston | 1-2 | Toronto | OT | ||||||
| Buffalo | 3-5 | Connecticut | |||||||
| March 13 | Boston | 3–4 | Toronto | OT | |||||
| Buffalo | 0-4 | Connecticut | |||||||
| Minnesota | 3–4 | Metropolitan | |||||||
| March 19 | Toronto | 5-4 | Connecticut | OT | Rescheduled from January 22[22] | ||||
| Boston | 1-2 | Buffalo | OT | Rescheduled from January 8[21] | |||||
| March 20 | Boston | 2-3 | Buffalo | OT | Rescheduled from January 9[21] | ||||
| Toronto | 0-5 | Connecticut | Rescheduled from January 23[22] | ||||||
Playoffs
editThe Isobel Cup playoffs were held in the Tampa Bay area at AdventHealth Center Ice in Wesley Chapel, Florida. All six teams will compete in the postseason. The preliminary rounds will be played on March 25, with the semifinals on March 27 and the championship game on March 28. The championship game will air live on ESPN2 and TSN2.[23]
| Quarterfinals March 25 | Semifinals March 27 | Finals March 28 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Minnesota Whitecaps | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Minnesota Whitecaps | 4 | 1 | Connecticut Whale | 4 | |||||||||
| 4 | Metropolitan Riveters | 1 | 3 | Boston Pride | 4 | |||||||||
| 1 | Connecticut Whale | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Boston Pride | 5 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Buffalo Beauts | 0 | 2 | Toronto Six | 1 | |||||||||
| 3 | Boston Pride | 6 | ||||||||||||
Boston vs. Buffalo
edit| March 25 | Buffalo | 0 – 6 | Boston | Recap | ||||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 8:19 – Taylor Wenczkowski – (McKenna Brand, Sammy Davis) 14:42 – pp – Kali Flanagan – (McKenna Brand, Kaleigh Fratkin) 15:14 – Jillian Dempsey – (McKenna Brand, Evelina Raselli) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 11:03 – pp – Christina Putigna – (Amanda Boulier) 12:38 – Tereza Vanišová – (Christina Putigna, Amanda Boulier) 17:37 – Mary Parker – (Kali Flanagan, Kaleigh Fratkin) | ||||||
| (30 saves / 36 shots) Carly Jackson | Goalie stats | Katie Burt (32 saves / 32 shots) | ||||||
Metropolitan vs. Minnesota
edit| March 25 | Minnesota | 4 – 1 | Metropolitan | Recap | ||||
| 7:54 – Taylor Turnquist – (Audra Morrison, Jonna Curtis) | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| 6:54 – Sydney Baldwin – (Jonna Curtis, Audra Morrison) 11:58 – pp – Sydney Baldwin – (Jonna Curtis, Audra Morrison) |
Second period | 8:42 – Kelly Babstock – (Leila Kilduff, Rose Alleva) | ||||||
| 19:18 – en – Allie Thunstrom – (Haley Mack) | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Amanda Leveille (32 saves / 33 shots) | Goalie stats | Brooke Wolejko (29 saves / 32 shots) | ||||||
Connecticut vs. Minnesota
edit| March 27 | Minnesota | 2 – 4 | Connecticut | Recap | ||||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Allie Thunstrom – (Patti Marshall, Haley Mack) 15:29 – pp – Ashleigh Brykaliuk – (Sydney Baldwin, Patti Marshall) |
Second period | 01:23 – Kennedy Marchment – (Taylor Girard, Alyssa Wohlfeiler) 06:55 – Janine Weber – (Allie Munroe, Hannah Bates) 15:43 – Alyssa Wohlfeiler – (Kennedy Marchment, Shannon Turner) 17:10 – Tori Howran | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Amanda Leveille (31 saves / 35 shots) | Goalie stats | Abbie Ives (22 saves / 24 shots) | ||||||
Boston vs. Toronto
edit| March 27 | Boston | 5 – 1 | Toronto | Recap | ||||
| 15:39 – pp – Christina Putigna – (Lauren Kelly, Mallory Souliotis) 16:07 – pp – Kali Flanagan – (Kaleigh Fratkin) 17:53 – Kayla Friesen – (Kali Flanagan, McKenna Brand) |
First period | 19:26 – pp – Breanne Wilson-Bennett – (Brooke Boquist, Taylor Woods) | ||||||
| 03:40 – Evelina Raselli | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| 8:08 – pp – Taylor Wenczkowski (Kaleigh Fratkin, Amanda Boulier) | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Katie Burt (18 saves / 19 shots) | Goalie stats | Elaine Chuli (23 saves / 28 shots) | ||||||
Boston vs. Connecticut
edit| March 28 | Boston | 4 – 2 | Connecticut | Recap | ||||
| 4:14 – Jillian Dempsey – (Mary Parker) | First period | 16:44 – Amanda Conway – (Emma Vlasic, Janine Weber) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 0:33 – Taylor Girard – (Kennedy Marchment) | ||||||
| 6:39 – Evelina Raselli – (Mary Parker, Jillian Dempsey) 6:57 – Taylor Wenczkowski – (Christina Putigna, Kali Flanagan) 18:30 – en – Jenna Rheault |
Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Katie Burt (32 saves / 34 shots) | Goalie stats | Abbie Ives (26 saves / 29 shots) | ||||||
All-Star Game
edit
The 2022 PHF All-Star Game was originally scheduled to take place at the home of the Toronto Six,[24] but was moved to Buffalo, home of the Beauts, due to COVID-19 restrictions in Ontario.[25] At the same time as the relocation announcement, it was announced that the 2023 All-Star Game would be held in Toronto.[25]
Draft
editThe 2021 NWHL Draft resulted in Taylor Girard being selected first overall by the Connecticut Whale.[26]
References
edit- ^ Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press (March 30, 2021). "Canada's Lisa Haley named NWHL's senior vice-president of hockey operations". torontostar.com. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
- ^ "NWHL doubles salary cap to $300,000, delays Montreal expansion". espn.com. April 28, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ Wawrow, John (September 7, 2021). "NWHL Rebrands to 'Premier Hockey Federation' to Promote Inclusivity, Inspire Youth". WNBC.
- ^ Krotz, Paul (September 7, 2021). "NWHL REBRANDS AS PREMIER HOCKEY FEDERATION". Premier Hockey Federation. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
- ^ "Premier Hockey Federation increases salary cap for remainder of season and next season". ESPN.com. ESPN. Associated Press. February 23, 2022. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
- ^ "NWHL postpones arrival of Montreal expansion club to 2022-23". montreal.ctvnews.ca. April 28, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ Maggie Vanoni (May 10, 2021). "NWHL sell Connecticut Whale to new private ownership, Shared Hockey Enterprises". ctpost.com. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ "Metropolitan Riveters being sold to BTM Partners as company's third NWHL team". espn.com/. May 26, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ "NWHL Announces Sale of Buffalo Beauts and Minnesota Whitecaps". OurSports Central. June 28, 2021.
- ^ "Six name Clarke general managers". tsn.ca/. June 28, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ "Six appoints Joslin as head coach". tsn.ca/. June 7, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ Krotz, Paul (August 5, 2021). "NWHL Announces 2021-22 Regular Season Schedule". Premier Hockey Federation. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
- ^ "PHF Schedule". Premier Hockey Federation. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
- ^ a b "PHF standings". PHF. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
- ^ Krotz, Paul (November 6, 2021). "PHF Announces Changes to Playing Regulations". PremierHockeyFederation.com. Premier Hockey Federation. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
- ^ a b Krotz, Paul. "PHF Announces BUF/MIN Games Postponed". Premier Hockey Federation. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
- ^ a b Krotz. "PHF Announces BOS/MET Games Postponed". Premier Hockey Federation. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Krotz (January 5, 2022). "PHF Announces Jan 8-9 Games Postponed". Premier Hockey Federation. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
- ^ a b "PHF Announces TOR/CTW Games Postponed; Updated COVID-19 Protocols". Premier Hockey Federation. January 21, 2022.
- ^ a b Krotz, Paul (December 16, 2021). "PHF Announces BUF/MIN Games Rescheduled". Premier Hockey Federation. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f Krotz, Paul (January 14, 2022). "PHF Announces Rescheduling Of Three Weekend Series". Premier Hockey Federation.
- ^ a b Krotz, Paul (January 25, 2022). "PHF Announces TOR/CTW Games Rescheduled". Premier Hockey Federation.
- ^ "PHF To Award Isobel Cup in Florida on ESPN2". PHF. February 9, 2022.
- ^ Krotz, Paul (January 7, 2022). "2022 PHF All-Star Showcase Logo and Jerseys Unveiled". PremierHockeyFederation.com. Premier Hockey Federation. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
Unique Toronto designs are boldly 'Breaking Boundaries'
- ^ a b Krotz, Paul (January 12, 2022). "2022 PHF All-Star Showcase Relocates to Buffalo". PremierHockeyFederation.com. Premier Hockey Federation. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
Top PHF talents to compete January 29 at Northtown Center
- ^ Krotz, Paul (June 29, 2021). "2021 NWHL Draft Recap". PremierHockeyFederation.com. Premier Hockey Federation. Retrieved January 26, 2022.