Distractions were everywhere.
After not seeing “the sun in six months,” the Boston Pride were in Florida getting ready for the Premier Hockey Federation playoffs.
Escaping the cold of Massachusetts, the Pride were basking in sunshine and 80-degree temperatures.
Head coach Paul Mara had a simple message for his team: “Once we win you can enjoy all the pool time you want.”
His players took the message to heart, dispatching the Buffalo Beauts, Toronto Six and Connecticut Whale to capture Boston’s second consecutive Isobel Cup championship and a league-record third playoff title.
“It’s extremely difficult,” Mara said of repeating as champions. “You want to beat the Boston Pride? You’re getting everyone’s ‘A’ game each and every night. It’s a huge win for us. When our team’s focused, there isn’t a better team.”
Repeating as champions was far from easy. The Pride faced adversity on and off the ice all season. They finished the regular season with 32 points, far behind Connecticut (47) and Toronto (46).
To make matters worse, the Pride entered the playoffs on a five-game losing streak. All five losses came in overtime. Boston won 10 of 20 regular-season games. Not exactly the record of a juggernaut.
“Adversity builds teams and builds character,” Mara said. “We had some adversity this year and we dealt with it.
The trip to Florida and the playoffs was a chance to reset.
Leading the way was Katie Burt (Lynn, Mass.), the former Boston College goaltender who stopped 82 of 85 shots during the playoffs. Jillian Dempsey (Winthrop, Mass.), the captain, scored a goal in the championship game and set the emotional tone. Dempsey made history, becoming the first player in league history to win the Isobel Cup three times.
Forward Taylor Wenczkowski (Rochester, N.H.), who scored a goal in all three playoff wins, was named the playoff MVP.
Defender Kali Flanagan (Burlington, Mass.), who didn’t score a goal during the regular season, stepped up her game. She tallied two goals and her five points led the Pride in the postseason, one point ahead of forwards Christina Putigna and Mary Parker (Milton, Mass.).
On Monday, in Wesley Chapel, Fla., the Pride upset top-seeded Connecticut, 4-2, in come-from-behind fashion. Boston led 1-0 before Connecticut scored a pair of goals. The Pride had to go into scramble mode when Dempsey was issued a five-minute penalty in the second period.
“We kind of thought that if we made it through that thing we’d be in great shape,” Mara said.
Burt made nine saves during those five minutes and her teammates blocked other shots.
“I had given up a bad goal on the first goal. I hadn’t really gotten into the game at that point. What goes through my mind is I have to be the best penalty killer on the ice. We took the momentum. There were a lot of shots,” Burt said. “It can easily get away from you on a five-minute penalty. I was like either we’re going to lose 2-1 or we’re going to come back and win the game. The bench was going nuts during the penalty kill.”
Boston tied it with 13:23 left in the third on a goal by Evelina Russell. Wenczkowski scored on a rebound just 17 seconds later. Suddenly, Connecticut won on its heels. Jenna Rheault (Deering, N.H.) sent a shot into an empty net with 90 seconds remaining to seal the championship.
“Our third period was one for the ages,” Mara said. “We just kept rolling, kept rolling, kept rolling. Our depth really showed in the third period.”
Boston had been 1-3 against Connecticut prior to the title game and had lost the previous three meetings. The Pride opened the playoffs with a 6-0 romp over Buffalo and a 5-1 victory over Toronto.
Burt said the team bonded during several late-season road trips, even if the results weren’t favorable.
“Off the ice is really where we hit our stride,” Burt said. “It’s the tight-knit groups which always seem to come out on top. We always thought a championship was in the cards.”
Burt is the director of hockey operations and a goaltending coach at Stop It Goaltending. Dempsey is a school teacher. Yes, the Pride players are professionals. But the paychecks aren’t big enough for them to be year-round athletes.
“No one sees all the hard work,” Burt said.
“It’s just a testament to their dedication,” Mara said. “A lot of them have second jobs. That could change in the future. I know the salary cap is going up next season. It’s for the love of the game.”
The Pride beat the Minnesota Whitecaps for the National Women’s Hockey League championship last year before the league was renamed. Boston came close to pulling off three straight playoff titles. The team was 23-1 when the 2020 tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Mara said this championship may be the sweetest because of the “heart and passion” the team showed in rallying.
“Now it’s victory time again,” he said.
On Thursday, that meant being honored by the Boston Bruins at the TD Garden. There will be plenty of time to be cheered at Celtics, Patriots, Red Sox and Revolution games.
When it gets warmer, the players will also have plenty of time to sit by a pool.
