LOWELL, Mass. — PWHL Boston returned from the three-week break for the IIHF World Girls’s Championship match 5 factors behind PWHL Ottawa for the fourth and remaining playoff spot.
Boston gained a useful three factors after they defeated PWHL Toronto, 2-1, on Thursday night time at Tsongas Heart, closing the hole to 2 factors with 4 video games remaining within the common season. In a manner, the playoffs have already began for 3 of the PWHL franchises — Boston, Ottawa, and New York; as a result of they’re all vying for that remaining spot.
“As a crew, we assess what success is,” PWHL Boston coach Courtney Kessel informed reporters following her crew’s win. “I feel in some unspecified time in the future in your season, you’re scared to lose, proper? I feel we had been enjoying like that slightly bit and we had been dropping as a result of you’ll be able to’t play scared to lose. So, the mentality for tonight was for 60 minutes we simply performed to win.”
With seven PWHL Boston gamers and Kessel representing their international locations within the IIHF World Girls’s Championship, the crew solely had one observe after a 24-day hiatus earlier than internet hosting the perfect crew within the league.
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“I actually assume the break is, it’s a metallic reset for everybody concerned,” Kessel stated. “(We headed) into (the) break not doing nice and I feel it’s identical to a refresh. It’s not over, we now have 5 video games heading into (the Toronto sport). A few video periods can do the trick, simply as a lot as observe can, and typically even higher, to get these legs rested. It was a pleasant reset.”
Boston ahead Jamie Lee Rattray preferred how her crew responded popping out of the lengthy break.
“It was a fairly hard-fought sport. I feel our crew performed with plenty of urgency,” Rattray stated. “We have now an enormous run of video games right here, and I’m actually pleased with how everybody chipped in and performed the suitable manner. I feel we actually confirmed one another that after we play that manner, we will win some massive video games. It was plenty of enjoyable.”
Boston will likely be again in motion Saturday when it faces New York, which trails Boston by 5 factors within the standings.
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“Simply take one sport at a time and concentrate on our subsequent opponent,” Rattray stated. “It’s playoff time for us now. Additionally, for us too, enjoying some significant video games down the stretch and as soon as we get in (to the playoffs) may be actually helpful for our group.”
Puck drop for the Boston-New York tilt from the Prudential Heart is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET, and you’ll watch the sport on NESN+.
