Defence and discipline are keys for Six at Isobel Cup
The Toronto Six and the Minnesota Whitecaps will be looking to strike a balance between playing with confidence and focusing on defensive details when they meet for the Isobel Cup on Sunday.
The Six had their final practice in Toronto on Wednesday before boarding a flight for the one-game Premier Hockey Federation championship, which will be played at Mullet Arena in Tempe, Ariz., on Sunday, beginning at 9 p.m.
The focus for the Six was defensive zone play, a continuation from their three-game semifinal with Connecticut last weekend. Toronto, playing an open, less details-oriented game dropped the series opener 5-3. That’s when the message about details — having all five players back in the defensive zone, blocking shots, and having smooth, quick breakouts — took hold. They heard the same message Wednesday, with a few other reminders.
“Stay out of the (penalty) box,” Six coach Geraldine Heaney said. “Minnesota is up there in powerplay and penalty-kill stats. If we stay out of the box and stick to our game, we give ourselves a chance for success.”
Toronto finished the regular season with 206 penalty minutes in 24 games, tied for third in the league. It was the highest mark among the four playoff teams. Connecticut scored a pair of power-play goals — and a short-handed effort — to beat the Six in their playoff opener.
Minnesota was second in the league this season in power-play percentage.
The Six’s rebound against Connecticut reminded the team of something they have talked about from the opening of training camp.
“I think we learned that we are a resilient group, we don’t get down when we are behind a goal, or behind in a series,” Six captain Shiann Darkangelo said. “It’s good we took that hit in Game 1 (against Connecticut). It showed we can play our game and come back.”
The Six won all four games against the Whitecaps in the regular season, but Minnesota boasts an advantage in Isobel Cup experience. Darkangelo and Tereza Vanišová are the only two Toronto players with an Isobel Cup win, while over half the Whitecaps have either won or played in the final.
The Whitecaps are coming off a two-game upset of top-ranked Boston in the other semifinal. But with players like defenceman Joanna Albers, who recently hit 100 career points, and goalie Amanda Leveille, who is second all time in PHF wins (59), the Whitecaps have experience.
“I know what it feels like to throw your gloves off and tackle your teammates (in a championship celebration), and I know what it feels like to be on the other side of that,” Leveille said. “When the puck drops, none of that matters … We’re focusing on this game, here and now, and that’s all that matters.”
Scoring the game’s first goal should be a factor. The Six went 14-1-0 when scoring first this season, and they have scored the first goal in 15 of their 27 games, regular season and playoffs. They are 5-5-2 when their opposition scores first.
The Whitecaps know they have to cut down the number of shots on net. Minnesota allowed 45 shots on goal in Game 2 against Boston, and Leveille had to steal the moment for the win.
“We have to limit the shots and we have to limit those high-danger chances,” Whitecaps coach Ronda Englehardt said. “Just cut that down and keep the puck to the outside of the (faceoff ) dots.”