Championship race remains tight in PWHL’S stellar debut season
Through a wildly entertaining first 19 games for each of its six member clubs, the Professional Women’s Hockey League has exceeded expectations on every level. From attendance to social media interactions to level and style of play, the hits came one after another.
At this point, it’s still too close to say which team looks best-situated to take home the first PWHL title, but there has been some separation in the ranks through the first 114 games played.
FROM A TEAM STANDPOINT
After a slow start, PWHL Toronto found its rhythm and reeled of a ridiculous 11-game winning streak that came to an end in Ottawa just before the break for the world women’s championship. That stretch allowed Toronto to take over sole possession of first in the league, though its lead remains tenuous.
Minnesota, a team that was strong out of the gate and then took a step back when its best player Taylor Heise missed a month of PWHL games with an injury she suffered during Rivalry Series play with Team USA, is just three points back.
The only other team that came close to matching the success enjoyed by Toronto and Minnesota was Montreal, though they missed leading scorer Marie-philip Poulin for the four games before the break and fell off a little because of that.
Ottawa would appear to have the inside track on the fourth and final playoff spot following some bold moves at the trade deadline that led to a strong push going into the break.
Because league scoring allows for three points for a regulation win, little has been settled, but a separation from the top three to the bottom three is visible.
TOP DEFENSIVE TEAM
Through 19 games, this is a two-horse race between Toronto and Minnesota with the team from the south coming out just ahead at this point in the year.
Backed by the strongest goalie tandem in the league in Nicole Hensley and Maddie Rooney and a defence that got a boost with the arrival of Sophie Jaques, Minnesota has allowed just 35 goals against this year or four fewer than Toronto, the next best team.
Hensley and Rooney have split the duties almost evenly (Hensley with 11 starts, Rooney with eight) and both with sub 2.00 goals against averages and both at least at the .925 save percentage mark.
Toronto’s Kristen Campbell leads all goalies with 12 wins and three shutouts.
Strictly from a blue line perspective, Toronto probably holds an edge with the top international tandem in the game in Renata Fast and Jocelyne Larocque in the fold to say nothing of the puck-moving skills of Kali Flanagan and the intimidating presence of Allie Munro.
Minnesota relies heavily on Lee Stecklein (27½ minutes a night) with the newcomer Jaques and Natalie Buchbinder also both playing big minutes.
TOP OFFENSIVE PRODUCERS
Toronto’s Natalie Spooner caught fire in the eighth game of the season and really hasn’t slowed down since. Spooner leads the league in points with 20 and goals with 15.
Injuries have prevented a couple of PWHL stars from keeping pace. Montreal’s Poulin still sits third in scoring with 17 points despite missing those four games with a lower body injury.
Minnesota’s Heise came out guns blazing until the injury that cost her a month of the season.
Hot on Spooner’s heels and equally as healthy is New York’s Alex Carpenter, who has 19 points including eight goals.
Ottawa’s Katerina Mrazova is up there, too, with 17 points, including six goals.