Toronto's Olivia Knowles (7) and Minnesota's Taylor Heise (27) battle for the puck during first period PWHL action in Toronto on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS
Toronto's choice of Minnesota as its semifinal opponent in the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) on Monday night brought an end to the suspense for the remaining three playoff teams.
Minnesota swiftly geared up for their upcoming matches, preparing to fly to Toronto for the first two games of the best-of-five semifinal on Wednesday and Friday at Coca-Cola Coliseum.
"Considering it was about 30 minutes ago, all of us are scrambling to find dog sitters, babysitters, get our passports and figure out what time our flight is in the morning," said Kendall Coyne Schofield, captain of the Minnesota team, during a media conference call.
In its inaugural season, the PWHL introduced an unconventional playoff format where the regular-season winner had the privilege to choose between the third and fourth seeds for its semifinal opponent.
Toronto, having secured first place with five days left in the regular season, had 24 hours following Sunday's 5-2 victory over Ottawa to announce its decision.
Opting for the fourth-seeded Minnesota team meant that the second-seeded Montreal would face off against the third-seeded Boston in the other semifinal, commencing Thursday at Place Bell in Laval, Quebec. Home-ice advantage was granted to the higher-seeded teams for games one, two, and five in each series.
The winners of the semifinals would progress to the best-of-five Walter Cup. New York and Ottawa, however, found themselves outside the playoffs in the six-team league.
Toronto's management, led by general manager Gina Kingsbury and head coach Troy Ryan, had ample time to contemplate their decision following their first-place clinch.
"The process started a long time ago when we knew the rules and when we clinched first place, we started those discussions already on the hypotheticals of who that may be that we get to choose from," Kingsbury stated.
Kingsbury emphasized the importance of player input in the decision-making process, indicating that the team's leadership group played a significant role.
"Montreal (10-3-5-6) ranked second ahead of Boston and Minnesota with identical 8-3-4-9 records. Boston ranked higher in the tiebreaker."
Toronto, riding a four-game win streak into the postseason, had the luxury of choosing between two U.S. teams heading in opposite directions. Minnesota, despite backing into the playoffs with a five-game losing streak, remained optimistic about their chances.
"It's a new season. Everyone starts with a clean slate. Every team, every player and we look forward to going into Toronto with that clean slate," Coyne Schofield remarked.
On the other hand, Boston ended their regular season on a high note, winning four out of their last five games.
Toronto's decision brought a mix of reactions from the other teams, with Boston's head coach Courtney Kessel acknowledging the suspense created by the 24-hour deadline for Toronto's decision.
Montreal's head coach Kori Cheverie commented on the dynamic nature of the situation, acknowledging that the news broke while she was driving and adding an extra layer of intensity to the playoffs.
