This feature appears in the May/June 2021 issue of New England Hockey Journal.
19.4 seconds.
That’s all that stood between the Boston Pride and their second Isobel Cup championship. After a season that featured so much adversity, roadblocks and challenges, 19.4 seconds was the last challenge the Pride faced.
“It was the longest 20 seconds of my life,” said defenseman Mallory Souliotis. “Just being so close, and at the same time we had to focus.”
After giving up an empty-net power-play goal with 19.4 seconds remaining, the No. 4-seeded Pride were clinging to a 4-3 lead over the No. 2 Minnesota Whitecaps at Warrior Ice Area in Brighton, Mass. Following the ensuing faceoff, the Whitecaps got the puck into the zone one last time, to no avail. The clock hit zero. The Boston Pride were 2021 Isobel Cup champions.
“Waiting for that clock to hit zero was so surreal and happy and such an incredible accomplishment,” Souliotis (Acton, Mass.) said. “I don’t think there are really words for me to describe that moment with this group of girls.”
“I don’t know that I will ever find the perfect words to describe that moment of it finally being over and accomplished and how deserving this team and staff and NWHL in general. They deserved to have this championship,” said Pride general manager Karilyn Pilch (Salem, N.H.). “It was one of the closest, most exciting hockey games I’ve seen in a long, long time.”
After the first period, it did not look like the Isobel Cup was going to stay in Boston. The Pride were outshot in the period, 8-7, and found themselves down 1-0. Despite the deficit, Boston remained calm.
“I looked down the bench and no one was panicked, no one was nervous or upset. We just stayed loose, stayed positive,” Souliotis said.
Just 2:41 into the second period, the Pride had another reason to relax. Forward Mary Parker (Milton, Mass.) punched in a rebound and knotted up the game at 1-1.
With just over five minutes left in the period, Pride captain Jillian Dempsey (Winthrop, Mass.) gave Boston the lead after the Pride forced a turnover in Minnesota’s defensive zone. To anyone watching, Dempsey coming up in the biggest moments for the Pride was no surprise.
Pilch described her as “the poster child of Boston Pride” and the “straw that stirs the drink” in her interview with New England Hockey Journal.
Soon after, the wheels fell off the wagon for Minnesota. The Whitecaps had two costly penalties, allowing Christina Putigna to set up Lexie Lang (Marblehead, Mass.) for a 5-on-3 goal to extend Boston’s lead to 3-1.
In the third, Minnesota scored with just over 12 minutes left to put the pressure back on Boston. However, in the biggest moments, the Pride delivered. On a power play, forward Taylor Wenczkowski (Rochester, N.H.) was in the right place at the right time and flipped in a rebound to give Boston a 4-2 cushion.
Wenczkowski scoring the game-deciding goal proved what the Boston Pride were all about. Picked 18th overall at the draft, Wenczkowkski “saved her best for last,” according to Pilch, and was a key newcomer providing depth for her new team.
“I think we are lucky because we have so much depth and a balanced roster and I think that’s one of the things that worked to our advantage in back-to-back games like that. We can play four lines of forwards and all seven defensemen,” Pilch said. “That’s a pretty big advantage.”
It took some time for the Pride’s depth to eventually show. Due to COVID-19, the 2021 NWHL season was condensed and initially played in a bubble environment in Lake Placid at the end of January. Seven total regular-season games were to be played between the six teams in the league, with the four-team playoffs beginning after that.
“The bubble environment was challenging for us,” Pilch said. “I’m going to be honest, I thought we were going to go up there, win nine hockey games and be Isobel Cup champions, and ride off into the sunset. We hit rough patches right out of the gate.”
After their first five games, the Pride had just one win to show for it. They were 1-4 and had scored multiple goals in only one game. They were in a rut and in danger of missing the playoffs.
Over the next two games, the Pride proved they belonged. They faced the Buffalo Beauts and won both games, outscoring their opponent 13-1. Boston’s 3-4 record was good enough for the last playoff seed.
“We were really able to get it going in our last two games against Buffalo and it really felt like we were clicking. Everyone was contributing,” Souliotis said.
Just as the Pride hit their stride, their next obstacle popped up. Due to numerous positive cases in the bubble, the league was shut down until the end of March. A new bubble format emerged for the playoff weekend — this time in Boston.
This meant the hottest team in the league — Boston — had to find a way to sustain its momentum. Boston defeated the No. 1-seeded Toronto Six 6-2 in convincing fashion.
“We thought a lot about it and how we were hoping to make sure we had that back half Lake Placid team, not the ones that showed up fashionably late to the bubble,” Pilch said.
She gave credit to head coach Paul Mara (Belmont, Mass.) and his staff as well as the compete factor from the women on the team to stay focused and continue their positive play. “We hit our stride at the end of Lake Placid with some pretty convincing wins,” Pilch said. “Once they saw what they could bring to the table, they just carried it from there.”
Souliotis also gave credit to Dempsey as the team captain for keeping everyone together during this difficult time.
“She noticed things were not clicking out in Lake Placid but she was never negative. She was always positive, pushing forward, focusing on what was ahead. What’s huge is to have a leader like her,” Pilch said.
“Her actions go far beyond the scoresheet. I don’t think a lot of people outside of our team realize and recognize how valuable she is to our team. At the end of the day, we are a team.”
Winning the Cup was especially sweet for the Pride given the way 2020 ended. In the regular season, the Pride were the best team in NWHL history — 23-1 with a plus-77 goal differential, 22 goals more than the next best differential in league history. The Pride were set up to face the Whitecaps in the championship but ultimately never got the chance to play as the league was shut down due to COVID-19.
“They were so close, you could taste the championship, and obviously it slips away,” Pilch said. “Our culture is so, so strong and our rookies came in and knew how important it was not only for themselves but they knew how much and how hard it was for the people in the room last season to come so close and not be able to compete.”
Following the championship win, the Isobel Cup went on a COVID-abridged tour around the city with stops at Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics games.
“This year was obviously the most unconventional season anyone could have ever imagined, a lot of ups and downs as a team,” Souliotis said. “Looking back, it’s pretty crazy that as a team we came together when it mattered most.”
Entering next season, the Pride have one simple goal: a repeat. “Our goal is always going to be to compete for the Cup. When we build this team, when we talk to these players, that tends to be on the forefront for everyone. It’s the ultimate goal,” Pilch said.
“Knowing what that feels like and how much work and effort, sacrifice went into getting the Cup this year, I know what it takes,” Souliotis said. “I will be eager to start putting in the work.”
