Pride Fall in Game One to Whitecaps

Photo via: Michelle Jay/The Boston Pride

Bentley Arena. Playoffs.

Series hockey returned to the PHF in Boston on Thursday Evening as the Boston Pride and Minnesota Whitecaps took to the ice for the Isobel Cup Playoffs. The semifinal series is the second playoff meeting of the two squads and first since the 2021 Isobel Cup Final. Let’s breakdown game one between these two rivals.

Period one was held tight in the grip of Minnesota. From puck drop the Whitecaps looked more prepared. They weren’t  just ready to play hockey, they were hungry to shake off their last eight losses. That hunger showed in an early goal that put the Pride on the edge of their seats. 

Morgen’s opening goal seemed to shock Pride goaltender Corinne Schroeder as the Whitecaps took an early 1-0 lead. Both before and after the goal Minnesota owned puck possession, and kept it in the Pride zone for a majority of the first ten minutes. 

Things looked worse when Jonna Albers notched a short handed goal to give the Whitecaps a 2-0 lead. Curtis’ goal was the wake-up call the pride needed, as the best look on net came shortly after the shorthanded goal when Becca Gilmore sent home the Pride’s first goal on the power play. 

Loren Gabel couldn’t let her teammate have all the fun and rung home the second goal for Boston minutes later to tie the game at 2. 

From there, things remained even. Despite power plays for Boston to end both periods, neither side could break the stalemate. Period two was a nice balance on both sides. Corinne Schroeder and Amanda Levielle remain the story as they stood tall on nice chances against them. 

Heading into period three the story was much of the same. A Too-many-skaters penalty helped Jonna Albers send home her second of the game and give the Whitecaps a 3-2 lead. Brodt would notch an empty netter to seal the game. Albers finished her hat-trick in the empty net.

This marks Boston’s first playoff loss since 2019 in Buffalo. 

In response to tonight, Captain Jillian Dempsey said, “When our backs are against the wall we play our best.”

Let’s play our best.