Toronto Six defeat Minnesota Whitecaps in OT to capture first Isobel Cup

Mike Gould
Mike Gould
Toronto Six defeat Minnesota Whitecaps in OT to capture first Isobel Cup
Credit: Steven Ellis / Daily Faceoff

The Premier Hockey Federation’s Toronto Six defeated the Minnesota Whitecaps in overtime by a 4–3 score on Sunday evening to capture their first Isobel Cup championship in franchise history.

Tereza Vanisova scored the OT winner at Mullett Arena in Tempe, AZ to seal the victory for Toronto, which finished the 2022–23 regular season as the PHF’s second-best team. Six forward Michela Cava was named playoff MVP after collecting three goals and six points in four games.

Toronto goaltender Elaine Chuli made 21 saves on Sunday to guide her team to the championship. Led by first-year head coach Geraldine Heaney, the Six outshot the Whitecaps by a 39–24 margin in the final (and 7–1 in overtime).

It only took until the 4:23 mark of overtime for Vanisova to score the Isobel Cup-winning goal. Vanisova was named the player of the game and now adds a third PHF championship to her resume after winning with the Boston Pride in 2021 and 2022.

Dominika Laskova, Breanne Wilson-Bennett, and Taylor Woods all scored in regulation for the Six. Toronto led by 1–0 and 2–1 scores before falling behind 3–2 in the opening minute of the third period; Woods beat Whitecaps goaltender Amanda Leveille to tie the game at three with 12:04 remaining in regulation.

Laskova kicked off the scoring for Toronto at the 7:22 mark of the first period, doing so largely against the flow of play: Minnesota controlled the shots on goal 8–4 in the opening frame.

The Six outshot Minnesota by a 27–15 count over the final 40 minutes, but the Whitecaps made their opportunities count. Brittyn Fleming tied the game at one for Minnesota with an unassisted goal at the 4:02 mark of the second period.

Then, after Wilson-Bennett restored Toronto’s one-goal lead six minutes later, Brooke Madsen netted her first of the playoffs (and only her third of the entire season) with 3:54 remaining in the middle frame to even the score once more.

The two teams traded goals again in the third period. Jonna Albers gave the Whitecaps their first lead just 20 seconds into the final frame, but Woods capitalized off a net-front scrum for her first of the playoffs to make it 3–3 at the 7:56 mark.

The Six became the first Canadian team to win the Isobel Cup. They defeated the Connecticut Whale in three games to reach the championship final; Minnesota upset the two-time defending champion and No. 1 seed Boston Pride in a two-game series sweep to punch their tickets to Tempe.

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