On a crazy day in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), Minnesota missed its opportunity, Boston took matters into its own hands and will not enter the playoffs by the back door, but Minnesota might…if Ottawa loses to Toronto in regulation tonight. Once that result is known, Toronto will have 24 hours to choose its opponent and the playoffs will start on May 8 in Toronto.
Act One: Minnesota vs New York
The day started with Minnesota taking on New York at UBS Arena. To qualify, Minnesota only needed a single point to book its place in the playoffs. In other words, they had to avoid losing in regulation. New York, which was eliminated from playoff contention already, came out of the gate ready for a battle. Micah Zandee-Hart’s teammates dictated play right away, and they never surrendered control. The game was Lindsey Post’s first start in the PWHL and it could not have gone any better. She was named the first star of the game, stopping 30 of the 32 shots she faced.
Related: PWHL Minnesota’s First Line Needs to Step Up in Final Games
While missing the playoffs wasn’t something New York thought might happen early in the season, they went through an eight-game losing streak which unsettled them. The losing streak started on Feb. 23 and only ended on March 25. Just before the international break, they lost three games in a row. Once eliminated, they played free of any pressure and finished the season with two wins. Their consolation prize, getting the first pick at the June draft, which should help them get over the lack of postseason action. Furthermore, Sarah Fillier, who many believe will be the first pick of the draft, has just completed her NCAA career at Princeton University in the neighboring state of New Jersey. It’s almost as if it was meant to be.
As for Minnesota, they didn’t expect New York to come out that strong and looked shell-shocked for the rest of the game. As soon as the home team took a two-goal lead, they had the body language of a team that had given up. This lack of interest, when all they needed was to get a single point to get into the playoffs, is unforgivable and worrying. Now their fate rests solely on Ottawa’s shoulders, if Emerance Maschmeyer pulls it off and beats Toronto for a fourth time in five meetings, Minnesota will be eliminated. However, should Toronto manage to beat its pet peeve, Minnesota will be in. Time to go light a few candles in a…
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