2022–23 PHF season

The 2022–23 PHF season was the eighth and final ice hockey season of the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) – known as the National Women's Hockey League during its first six seasons (2015–2021).

2022–23 PHF season
League	Premier Hockey Federation
Sport	Ice hockey
Duration	November 5, 2022 (2022-11-05) – March 12, 2023 (2023-03-12)
Number of games	84 (24 per team)
Number of teams	7
TV partner(s)	ESPN+, TSN
Regular season
Season Champions	Boston Pride
Season MVP	Loren Gabel, Boston
Top scorer	Loren Gabel, Boston
Playoffs
Playoffs MVP	Michela Cava, Toronto
Isobel Cup
Champions	Toronto Six
Runners-up	Minnesota Whitecaps
Finals MVP	Tereza Vanišová

League business

The PHF decided not to hold a draft this year.

Montreal expansion

The long-expected Montreal Force expansion franchise was announced in July and the team name, colors and logo were revealed in August. The team will not have an official home arena during the 2022–23 season but will instead play home games across the province of Quebec, with expected stops in Montreal, Gatineau, Quebec City, Rimouski, Rivière-du-Loup, Saint-Jérôme, and Sept-Îles, Quebec, among others.^[1]

International players

A record twenty international players signed as roster players in the PHF for the 2022–23 season. Of the international players, six are from Finland, five are from Czechia, four are from Sweden, two are from Austria, two are from Hungary, and one is from Switzerland.^[2] Signed as a practice player rather than to the main roster, Iveta Klimášová of the Buffalo Beauts is from Slovakia.^[3]

An additional four players are North American-born but hold multiple citizenship and have represented nations outside of North America in international competition (listed with nations of citizenship): Taylor Baker (Canada/Hungary). Janka Hlinka (Slovakia/United States), Leah Lum (Canada/China), and Lenka Serdar (Czechia/United States).^[4]

Player nationalities

• Austria: Antonia Matzka, Janine Weber^[5]
• China: Leah Lum
• Czechia: Denisa Křížová, Dominika Lásková, Kateřina Mrázová, Lenka Serdar, Aneta Tejralová, Tereza Vanišová
• Finland: Anna Kilponen, Eveliina Mäkinen, Emma Nuutinen, Meeri Räisänen, Jenna Suokko, Minttu Tuominen^[6]
• Hungary: Taylor Baker, Réka Dabasi, Fanni Garát-Gasparics^[7]
• Slovakia: Janka Hlinka, Iveta Klimášová
• Sweden: Lovisa Berndtsson, Ebba Berglund, Ronja Mogren, Lovisa Selander^[8]
• Switzerland: Sarah Forster^[9]

Front office changes

On May 17, 2022, the Minnesota Whitecaps announced that Jack Brodt, who co-founded the team in 2004, would take a position with NLTT Hockey, the company who bought the Whitecaps in the 2021–22 season.^[10]

On August 21, 2022, Chi-Yin Tse was named as the new general manager for the Whitecaps.^[11]

Coaching changes

On May 9, 2022, Venla Hovi succeeded Ivo Mocek as head coach of the Metropolitan Riveters. Mocek remains with the team as associate head coach.^[12]

On May 17, 2022, Ronda Engelhardt took over as sole head coach of the Whitecaps.^[13]

Regular season

Standings

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	OTW	OTL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Boston Pride	24	15	4	1	4	92	52	+40	54	Playoffs
2	Toronto Six	24	15	2	2	5	87	62	+25	51
3	Connecticut Whale	24	13	1	2	8	83	66	+17	43
4	Minnesota Whitecaps	24	10	0	3	11	58	66	−8	33
5	Metropolitan Riveters	24	8	3	0	13	64	79	−15	30
6	Montreal Force	24	5	3	2	14	56	70	−14	23
7	Buffalo Beauts	24	5	0	3	16	50	95	−45	18

Updated to match(es) played on March 5, 2023. Source: PHF^[a][b]

Notes

1. A win in regulation time is awarded 3 points, 2 points are awarded for an overtime/shootout win, 1 point is awarded for an overtime/shootout loss, 0 points are awarded for a regulation loss^[14]
2. Tiebreaker order is: points, head-to-head record, regulation wins, wins, goal difference^[15]

Schedule

The 2022–23 season schedule was published on September 19, 2022.^[16][17]

All times in Eastern Standard Time (UTC−05:00); exception of November 5–6, 2022, which are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−04:00).

Regular season
Date	Time	Visitor	Score	Home	OT	Notes	Gamesheet
November 5	2:00	Minnesota	2–3	Toronto	OT		[Game 1]
	7:00	Montreal	5–4	Buffalo	SO		[Game 2]
	7:00	Connecticut	0–4	Boston		Shutout recorded by Corinne Schroeder (1)[18]	[Game 3]
November 6	11:00	Minnesota	2–3	Toronto			[Game 4]
	1:00	Montreal	2–3	Buffalo			[Game 5]
	2:00	Metropolitan	0–2	Boston		Shutout recorded by Corinne Schroeder (2)[19]	[Game 6]
November 18	8:00	Boston	2–0	Minnesota		Shutout recorded by Corinne Schroeder (3)[20]	[Game 7]
November 19	1:00	Toronto	3–6	Metropolitan			[Game 8]
	6:00	Buffalo		Connecticut		Postponed due to inclement weather; rescheduled for January 17[21]
	7:00	Boston	5–4	Minnesota	OT		[Game 9]
November 20	12:00	Toronto	5–2	Metropolitan			[Game 10]
	12:00	Buffalo		Connecticut		Postponed due to inclement weather; rescheduled for January 18[21]
November 26	2:00	Metropolitan	3–5	Montreal		Hat-trick recorded by Jade Downie-Landry[22]	[Game 11]
	7:00	Toronto	2–3	Boston	OT		[Game 12]
November 27	2:00	Metropolitan	3–2	Montreal			[Game 13]
	2:00	Toronto	7–3	Boston			[Game 14]
December 3	1:00	Connecticut	3–4	Montreal	SO		[Game 15]
	7:00	Metropolitan	3–4	Minnesota			[Game 16]
December 4	1:00	Connecticut	3–2	Montreal			[Game 17]
	2:00	Metropolitan	1–4	Minnesota			[Game 18]
December 9	7:00	Minnesota	0–2	Connecticut		Shutout recorded by Abbie Ives (1)[23]	[Game 19]
December 10	2:00	Metropolitan	3–2	Toronto	SO		[Game 20]
	2:00	Minnesota	4–3	Connecticut			[Game 21]
	7:00	Boston	3–0	Buffalo		Shutout recorded by Corinne Schroeder (4)[24]	[Game 22]
December 11	1:00	Boston	7–5	Buffalo		Hat-trick recorded by Jillian Dempsey (1)[25]	[Game 23]
	2:00	Metropolitan	2–5	Toronto		Hat-trick recorded by Brittany Howard (1)[26]	[Game 24]
December 16	7:00	Toronto	2–1	Buffalo		Played outdoors at Riverworks in Buffalo[27]	[Game 25]
December 17	2:00	Metropolitan	5–2	Connecticut			[Game 26]
	7:00	Toronto	6–4	Buffalo			[Game 27]
	7:00	Montreal	2–5	Minnesota		Hat-trick recorded by Natalie Snodgrass(1)[28]	[Game 28]
December 18	2:00	Boston	4–6	Connecticut			[Game 29]
	2:00	Montreal	4–1	Minnesota			[Game 30]
January 6	7:00	Boston	5–2	Connecticut			[Game 31]
January 7	3:00	Toronto	3–2	Montreal	SO		[Game 32]
	7:00	Boston	4–1	Metropolitan			[Game 33]
	7:00	Minnesota	4–1	Buffalo			[Game 34]
January 8	1:00	Connecticut	6–0	Metropolitan		Shutout recorded by Meeri Räisänen (1)[29]	[Game 35]
	1:00	Minnesota	5–3	Buffalo			[Game 36]
	2:00	Toronto	3–2	Montreal			[Game 37]
January 14	3:00	Montreal	5–4	Connecticut		Played at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Pittsburgh[30]	[Game 38]
	3:00	Minnesota	3–2	Metropolitan			[Game 39]
	7:00	Buffalo	0–8	Boston		Shutout recorded by Corinne Schroeder (5)	[Game 40]
January 15	2:00	Buffalo	1–2	Boston	OT		[Game 41]
	2:00	Minnesota	4–1	Metropolitan			[Game 42]
January 17	7:00	Buffalo	0–3	Connecticut		Rescheduled from November 19[31] Shutout recorded by Abbie Ives (2)[32]	[Game 43]
January 18	7:30	Buffalo	3–7	Connecticut		Rescheduled from November 20[31] Hat-trick recorded by Kennedy Marchment (1)[33]	[Game 44]
January 21	2:00	Connecticut	4–7	Toronto			[Game 45]
	3:00	Boston	5–0	Montreal		Hat-trick recorded by Loren Gabel (1) Shutout recorded by Corinne Schroeder (6)	[Game 46]
	7:00	Metropolitan	1–4	Buffalo			[Game 47]
January 22	1:00	Metropolitan	8–2	Buffalo			[Game 48]
	1:00	Boston	1–2	Montreal	OT		[Game 49]
	2:00	Connecticut	4–1	Toronto			[Game 50]
January 27	7:00	Montreal	1–4	Connecticut			[Game 51]
February 3	7:00	Connecticut	1–2	Metropolitan	SO		[Game 52]
February 4	1:00	Minnesota		Montreal		Postponed due to inclement weather; rescheduled for February 6[34]
	2:00	Buffalo	0–3	Toronto		Shutout recorded by Elaine Chuli (1)	[Game 53]
7:00	Metropolitan	0–5	Boston		Shutout recorded by Corinne Schroeder (7)	[Game 54]
February 5	1:00	Minnesota	4–1	Montreal			[Game 55]
	2:00	Buffalo	2–7	Toronto			[Game 56]
2:00	Connecticut	2–5	Boston			[Game 57]
February 6	1:00	Minnesota	3–2	Montreal		Rescheduled from February 4[34]	[Game 58]
February 11	2:00	Montreal	3–0	Toronto		Shutout recorded by Tricia Deguire (1)[35]	[Game 59]
February 12	2:00	Montreal	1–2	Toronto			[Game 60]
February 18	7:00	Toronto	5–3	Connecticut			[Game 61]
	7:00	Montreal	1–4	Boston			[Game 62]
	7:00	Buffalo	4–2	Minnesota			[Game 63]
February 19	2:00	Toronto	4–6	Connecticut			[Game 64]
	2:00	Buffalo	1–0	Minnesota		Shutout recorded by Samantha Ridgewell (1)[36][37]	[Game 65]
	3:00	Montreal	1–2	Boston			[Game 66]
February 24	7:00	Boston	2–6	Metropolitan			[Game 67]
February 25	7:00	Toronto	1–0	Minnesota		Shutout recorded by Elaine Chuli (2)[38]	[Game 68]
	7:30	Buffalo	3–1	Montreal			[Game 69]
February 26	1:00	Buffalo	2–6	Montreal			[Game 70]
	1:00	Toronto	7–1	Minnesota			[Game 71]
	3:00	Metropolitan	3–6	Connecticut		Hat-trick recorded by Justine Reyes (1)[39]	[Game 72]
March 3	7:00	Minnesota	4–5	Boston	SO		[Game 73]
March 4	1:00	Minnesota	1–5	Boston			[Game 74]
	7:00	Connecticut	2–1	Buffalo	OT		[Game 75]
	7:00	Montreal	1–2	Metropolitan	OT		[Game 76]
March 5	1:00	Connecticut	4–2	Buffalo			[Game 77]
	2:00	Montreal	3–4	Metropolitan			[Game 78]
March 10	7:00	Buffalo	2–5	Metropolitan			[Game 79]
March 11	2:00	Boston	3–2	Toronto			[Game 80]
	2:00	Buffalo	2–3	Metropolitan			[Game 81]
	7:00	Connecticut	3–0	Minnesota		Shutout recorded by Abbie Ives (3)[40]	[Game 82]
March 12	2:00	Boston	4–5	Toronto			[Game 83]
	2:00	Connecticut	3–1	Minnesota			[Game 84]

News and notes

• December 10, 2022: Boston Pride goaltender Corinne Schroeder set a new PHF single season record for shutouts, recording her fourth shutout in just seven starts for the first place Pride.^[24]
• December 11, 2022: Boston Pride team captain Jillian Dempsey tied a PHF record with six points on Sunday including her first career hat-trick to lead Boston to a 7–5 win versus Buffalo.^[41]

Player statistics

Scoring leaders

The following players led the league in regular season points at the conclusion of the season on March 12, 2023.^[42][43]

Player	Team	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
Loren Gabel	Boston Pride	22	20	20	40	4
Kennedy Marchment	Connecticut Whale	24	17	18	35	6
Jillian Dempsey	Boston Pride	24	14	14	28	6
Taylor Girard	Connecticut Whale	24	10	18	28	16
Brittany Howard	Toronto Six	20	16	10	26	10
Shiann Darkangelo	Toronto Six	24	12	13	25	16
Emma Woods	Toronto Six	24	10	13	23	6
Jade Downie-Landry	Montreal Force	24	10	13	23	20
Ann-Sophie Bettez	Montreal Force	23	11	11	22	8
Élizabeth Giguère	Boston Pride	18	6	16	22	4

The following skaters were the top point scorers of teams not represented in the scoring leader table at the conclusion of the season, noted with their overall league scoring rank:

• 11. Madison Packer (F), Metropolitan Riveters: 24 GP, 11 G, 10 A, 21 Pts, 14 PIM
• 14. Mikyla Grant-Mentis (F), Buffalo Beauts: 24 GP, 9 G, 12 A, 21 Pts, 20 PIM
• 15. Natalie Snodgrass (F), Minnesota Whitecaps: 22 GP, 10 G, 10 A, 20 Pts, 4 PIM

Leading goaltenders

The following goaltenders led the league in regular season save percentage at the conclusion of the season on March 12, 2023, while playing at least one-third of games.^[44][43]

Player	Team	GS	TOI	W	L	SA	GA	SO	SV%	GAA
Corinne Schroeder	Boston Pride	22	1290:15	19	1	797	36	7	.955	1.67
Amanda Leveille	Minnesota Whitecaps	17	1013:00	9	6	533	41	0	.923	2.43
Tricia Deguire	Montreal Force	15	902:41	5	9	478	39	1	.918	2.59
Elaine Chuli	Toronto Six	19	1127:00	12	5	591	49	2	.919	2.58
Marie-Soleil Deschênes	Montreal Force	9	544:01	3	5	291	25	0	.914	2.76
Katie Burt	Metropolitan Riveters	11	647:00	5	5	308	30	0	.903	2.78
Abbie Ives	Connecticut Whale	16	935:00	10	6	410	40	3	.896	2.74
Lovisa Berndtsson	Buffalo Beauts	13	714:06	2	8	402	43	0	.893	3.61
Meeri Räisänen	Connecticut Whale	9	515:35	4	2	226	24	1	.894	2.79
Rachel McQuigge	Metropolitan Riveters	8	477:16	4	4	242	27	0	.888	3.39

Awards and honors

• Most Valuable Player: Loren Gabel (BOS)^[45]
• Outstanding Player of the Year: Loren Gabel (BOS)^[45]
• Defender of the Year: Kali Flanagan (BOS)^[46]
• Goaltender of the Year: Corinne Schroeder (BOS)^[47]
• Newcomer of the Year: Loren Gabel (BOS)^[48]
• Rookie of the Year: Corinne Schroeder (BOS)^[48]
• Denna Laing Award: Lauren Kelly (BOS)^[49]

PHF Foundation Award Winners^[50]

• Boston: Sammy Davis
• Buffalo: Cassidy MacPherson
• Connecticut: Shannon Turner
• Metropolitan: Reagan Rust
• Minnesota: Denisa Křížová
• Montreal: Laura Jardin
• Toronto: Shiann Darkangelo

Player of the Month

• November 2022: Corinne Schroeder (BOS)^[51]
• December 2022: Brittany Howard (TOR)^[52]
• January 2023: Kennedy Marchment (CTW)^[53]
• February 2023: Loren Gabel (BOS)^[54]
• March 2023: Madison Packer (MET)^[55]

Three Stars of the Week

• November 5–6: 1. Corinne Schroeder (BOS), 2. Brittany Howard (TOR), 3. Élizabeth Giguère (BOS)^[56]
• November 18–20: 1. Sarah Bujold (MET), 2. Corinne Schroeder (BOS), 3. Leah Lum (TOR)^[57]
• November 26–27: 1. Jade Downie-Landry (MON), 2. Ann-Sophie Bettez (MON), 3. Fanni Garát-Gasparics (MET)^[58]
• December 3–4: 1. Kennedy Marchment (CTW), 2. Minttu Tuominen (MET), 3. Sydney Brodt (MIN)^[2]
• December 9–11: 1. Jillian Dempsey (BOS), 2. Loren Gabel (BOS), 3. Brittany Howard (TOR)^[59]
• December 16–18: 1. Natalie Snodgrass (MIN), 2. Shiann Darkangelo (TOR), 3. Taylor Girard (CTW)^[60]
• January 6–8: 1. Taylor Girard (CTW), 2. Loren Gabel (BOS), 3. Elaine Chuli (TOR)^[61]
• January 14–15: 1. Allie Thunstrom (BOS), 2. Ann-Sophie Bettez (MON), 3. Jonna Albers (MIN)^[62]
• January 17–22: 1. Loren Gabel (BOS), 2. Kennedy Marchment (CTW), 3. Brittany Howard (TOR)^[63]
• February 3–6: 1. Loren Gabel (BOS), 2. Shiann Darkangelo (TOR), 3. Corinne Schroeder (BOS)^[64]
• February 11–12: 1. Tricia Deguire (MON), 2. Elaine Chuli (TOR), 3. Alexandra Labelle (MON)^[65]
• February 18–19: 1. Corinne Schroeder (BOS), 2. Samantha Ridgewell (BUF), 3. Michela Cava (TOR)^[66]
• February 24–26: 1. Madison Packer (MET), 2. Tereza Vanišová (TOR), 3. Justine Reyes (CTW)^[67]
• March 3–5: 1. Kennedy Marchment (CTW), 2. Sarah Bujold (MET), 3. Jillian Dempsey (BOS)^[68]
• March 10–12: 1. Madison Packer (MET), 2. Daryl Watts (TOR), 3. Abbie Ives (CTW)^[69]
• March 16–20: 1. Jonna Albers (MIN), 2. Amanda Leveille (MIN), 3. Michela Cava, (TOR)^[70]

Playoffs

The top four teams in the standings qualified for the Isobel Cup playoffs, which were held in two rounds. The first round was a best-of-three series, hosted at Bentley Arena in Waltham, Massachusetts and Mattamy Athletic Centre at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, starting Thursday, March 16, 2023. The two semi-final winners played a one-game championship final on Sunday, March 26, 2023, at Mullett Arena in Tempe, Arizona.^[71][72]

Bracket

As of March 26, 2023

	Semifinals							Finals
	1	Boston Pride	2	1	–
	4	Minnesota Whitecaps	5	4	–
								Minnesota Whitecaps		3
								Toronto Six		4OT
	2	Toronto Six	3	3OT	3
	3	Connecticut Whale	5	2	0

Semifinals

(1) Boston Pride vs. (4) Minnesota Whitecaps

March 16, 2023 7:00 PM

Boston Pride

2–5 (2–2, 0–0, 0–3)

Minnesota Whitecaps

Bentley Arena, Waltham

Game reference
	Corinne Schroeder (30 saves / 33 shots)	Goalies	Amanda Leveille (30 saves / 32 shots)	Referees: Amanda Tassoni Charlotte Hurley Linesmen: Chelsea Ward McIntosh Jennifer Cameron
	0–1 02:56 – Mogren (Wente) 0–2 14:04 – Albers (Knowles) (SH) Gilmore (Fratkin, Thunstrom) (PP) – 14:26 1–2 Gabel (Dempsey) – 16:51 2–2 2–3 51:21 – Albers (Schepers, Morin) (PP) 2–4 58:41 – Brodt (Křížová, Marshall) (EN) 2–5 59:23 – Albers (Baldwin) (EN)
	Hat trick recorded by Jonna Albers
	6 min	Penalties	6 min
	32	Shots	36

March 18, 2023 6:00 PM

Boston Pride

1–4 (1–2, 0–0, 0–2)

Minnesota Whitecaps

Bentley Arena, Waltham

Game reference
	Corinne Schroeder (27 saves / 31 shots)	Goalies	Amanda Leveille (47 saves / 48 shots)
	Wenczkowski (Gilmore, Fratkin) – 06:19 1–0 1–1 08:05 – Albers (SH) 1–2 10:56 – Fleming (Křížová, Marshall) 1–3 43:04 – Morin 1–4 47:13 – Snodgrass (Schepers, Albers)
	4 min	Penalties	6 min
	48	Shots	31

Minnesota Whitecaps win series, 2–0

(2) Toronto Six vs. (3) Connecticut Whale

March 17, 2023 3:00 PM

Toronto Six

3–5 (1–2, 0–1, 2–2)

Connecticut Whale

Mattamy Athletic Centre, Toronto

Game reference
	Elaine Chuli (28 saves / 32 shots)	Goalies	Abbie Ives (21 saves / 24 shots)	Referees: Lacey Senuk Gillian Allen Linesmen: Meghan Mactavish Ali Beres
	0–1 14:24 – Reyes (Lonergan, Turner) (PP) 0–2 15:15 – Samoskevich (Mrázová) Woods (Wilson-Bennett, Vanišová) – 17:35 1–2 1–3 36:28 – Serdar (Lonergan, Munroe) (PP) 1–4 40:25 – Girard (Marchment) (SH) Cava (Howard, Greco) – 41:42 2–4 Cava (Darkangelo) – 46:21 3–4 3–5 58:42 Girard (Marchment) (EN)
	6 min	Penalties	4 min
	24	Shots	33

March 18, 2023 2:00 PM

Toronto Six

3–2 OT (0–1, 2–1, 0–0) (OT: 1–0)

Connecticut Whale

Mattamy Athletic Centre, Toronto

Game reference
	Elaine Chuli (23 saves / 25 shots)	Goalies	Abbie Ives (26 saves / 29 shots)	Referees: Amy Martin Lacey Senuk Linesmen: Madison Pendleton Gillian Allen
	0–1 15:46 – Marchment (Girard) Howard (Wilson-Bennett, Eastwood) (SH) – 26:21 1–1 1–2 27:44 – Girard (Turner, Samoskevich) (PP) Howard (Watts, Lásková) – 28:55 2–2 Woods (Tabin, Darkangelo) – 62:31 3–2
	12 min	Penalties	6 min
	29	Shots	25

March 20, 2023 6:00 PM

Toronto Six

3–0 (1–0, 1–0, 1–0)

Connecticut Whale

Mattamy Athletic Centre, Toronto

Game reference
	Elaine Chuli (31 saves / 31 shots)	Goalies	Abbie Ives (22 saves / 25 shots)	Referees: Meghan Mactavish Amy Martin Linesmen: Madison Pendleton Ali Beres
	Cava (Tabin, Eastwood) – 05:21 1–0 Lum (Cava, Tabin) – 20:32 2–0 Tabin (Howard, Lásková) (PP) – 49:18 3–0
	Shutout recorded by Elaine Chuli
	2 min	Penalties	4 min
	25	Shots	31

Toronto Six win series, 2–1

Isobel Cup final

March 26, 2023 9:00

Toronto Six

4–3 OT (1–0, 1–2, 1–1) (OT: 1–0)

Minnesota Whitecaps

Mullett Arena, Tempe

Game reference
	Elaine Chuli (21 saves / 24 shots)	Goalies	Amanda Leveille (35 saves / 39 shots)	Referees: Amanda Tassoni Lacey Senuk Linesmen: Erin Zack Sarah Buckner
	Lásková (Cava, Lum) – 07:22 1–0 1–1 24:02 – Fleming Wilson-Bennett (E. Woods) – 30:27 2–1 2–2 36:06 – Madsen (Snodgrass, Schepers) 2–3 40:20 – Albers (Snodgrass, Marshall) (PP) T. Woods (Cava) – 47:56 3–3 Vanišová – 64:23 4–3
	4 min	Penalties	2 min
	39	Shots	24