Toronto finds its physical identity

When PWHL Toronto first assembled back in November, the talk was of what kind of team they wanted to be. What would be their identity?

The consensus then was they wanted to be a team that played fast and a team that played hard.

Fast was self-explanatory. Hard by Toronto’s definition was a team that was physical and not one opponent’s would enjoy playing against.

Through the first five games of the season, getting to that identity was not easy. The goal was clear but it took a while to get there.

Friday night as both PHWL Toronto and Montreal celebrated International Women’s Day, PWHL Toronto finally got there in a complete 3-0 victory … and Montreal did not like it.

“I thought it was one of our most complete games,” Toronto assistant head coach Rachel Flanagan said after the game. “We’ve been battling some ups and downs when momentum shifts. We have been struggling a little bit to get back on top but I thought today we did a really good job of managing momentum when we had it and when we lost it we got it back quickly and I think that goes across the board to our team.”

Flanagan was obviously there when this team decided the best way for this group to go about winning hockey games and she’s watched as they’ve gotten there bit by bit each game.

“We set out an identity and it was driven by the players at the beginning of the year and we’ve always felt we (were) not quite there yet,” she said. “But this game we were as close as we could be to the style and the way we want to play to our identity.”

Physical play has not just been encouraged in the PHWL but celebrated. When fans comment on the exciting play in the new league, the added physicality is one of the first things out of their mouths, primarily because the international game limits it as much as possible.

The way the game is being officiated plays a big part in that. But with the chains off, so to speak, there is still that process of finding where to draw that line.

One play in Friday’s game that drew the ire of some Montreal players and Montreal head coach Kori Cheverie was a third period front-of-the-montreal-net collision between Toronto’s Brittany Howard and Montreal defender Catherine Daoust.

Howard came in digging for a loose puck just as Maureen Murphy pounced on it and took it the other way. Daoust made a play on the puck as well before it was cleared and was hunched over as Howard arrived and the two collided with Howard’s stick making contact with the back of Daoust’s head.

Daoust stayed down long enough as the play went up ice that officials eventually blew it down. Only then did Daoust get up and make her way bent over to the Montreal bench.

Asked about the play after the game, Cheverie said the officials, when asked, said they did not see the contact.

“I just said when one of our players is coming back to the bench with a face full of blood with a cage in women’s hockey, something happened,” Cheverie said.

Cheverie mentioned a few high hits by Toronto in the game were not to her liking as well.

“We’ve got to watch the video, but there were some pretty high hits today so I think that is where the line needs to be drawn,” Cheverie said. “There is a difference between shoulder to shoulder and head shots.”

Watching replays of the Howard and Daoust collision there is a definite intent on Howard’s part to get to the loose puck before it is secured by Murphy and taken the other way. At that point Howard is right up on Daoust who was bent over digging for the puck as well.

To be clear, Montreal does not have an issue with hard play. With players like Mariephilip Poulin and Laura Stacey, Erin Ambrose, Kati Tabin and Tereza Vanisova they are more than willing and eager to play that game and are certainly capable.

Poulin even said post game matching Toronto’s physicality was going to be the goal the next time these two meet which just happens to be next Sunday in Pittsburgh.

“I think we just have to match their physicality,” Poulin said. “For them, they are very good at their forecheck and finishing their check and being physical all over the ice. That’s something we have to match and come out hungry right from the (start).”