The series start in the LPHF without clear favorites

The playoffs of the Professional League for Female Hockey (LPHF) begin on Wednesday in Toronto, without clear contenders for obtaining the Walter Cup.

The result of an fierce season, during which parity was the main theme.

The four qualified training courses – Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal and Minnesota – can aspire to the great honors, but none of them goes widely favorite.

And for good reason, the last team to have qualified, the FROST of Minnesota, is reigning champion.

Toronto c. Minnesota

Minnesota won the very first LPHF championship in May 2024. The American training has the best attack on the circuit, by far, with 85 goals on the clock.

Minnesota was also the last qualified training last year before surprising Toronto in the first round and winning the grand finale against Boston.

The Frost has a diversified attack and its depth continues to serve it well. Taylor Heise, Kendall Coyne Schofield and Grace Zumwinkle represent a formidable trio of attackers, having abused the Toronto defense during the last eliminatory tournament.

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But last year, Minnesota also took advantage of the absence of Natalie Spooner, who injured himself during the confrontation.

In advance 2-0 in the series, Toronto suddenly found herself without her queen, the player par excellence of the last campaign. The Toronto attack broke down with spoon away. She then only scored a goal during the last three games, swept by the Frost.

Spooner returned to the game in February after a knee operation. Ontario has not yet found its full shape. It produces well below its usual standards, with five points in 14 games.

The scepters adjusted themselves and found a way of winning without it at the start of the season. If Spooner restarts at full speed, the team of the Queen city will become even more threatening.

The parity and the level of competition that we find in our league is unrivaledsaid the coach of the Frost, Ken Klee, who will notably turn to her star defender Sophie Jaques to tip the scales in his favor. She is a player in special occasions. She wants the puck on her stick during key moments, and she constantly wants to have an offensive impact.

This series will also oppose the best digital advantage of the League (Toronto with 25.8 %) to the worst digital disadvantage of the circuit (Minnesota at 81.1 %).

Montréal c. Ottawa

The other semi-final will oppose Ottawa’s charge and Montreal’s victory, which had the privilege of choosing its opponent, having finished at the top of the classification in season.

We are extremely motivated, regardless of the situationsaid the Ottavian captain Brianne Jenner on Tuesday morning. But the fact that they have chosen us, that makes you have the knife even more between the teeth. There has been a rivalry between our two teams for two seasons already, with the proximity of the two cities, and the matches have been tight.

We are excited to play for the first time in the playoffs, but we do not want to be content to participate, we want to go as far as possible.

Montrealers seem to be favorite. They are the only ones to have exceeded the plateau by 50 points. But the end of the team end of the team lets some doubts hover.

After the start of a sparkling campaign, winning 10 of her first 14 games, the Quebec troupe was shortlisted and lost five of her last eight.

Conversely, the load ended the year with the wind in the sails, winning eight of its last 12 games.

The Montreal attack went through a hollow period in spring, in particular in digital advantage. The victory presents the penultimate efficiency rate at 15.5 %.

The good news is that the only training having presented a less good return is that of the federal capital, at 14.9 %.

If the Ottavians give themselves as a match plan to monitor Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey, the two best markers of victory, Montreal will need a depth that has been very timid offensively.

On their own, Poulin and Stacey scored 39 % of all the nets of their team. In comparison, the two best freezer in the charge were responsible for 33.8 % of the goals in their training.

With 15 successes, Tereza Vanisova finished second; the row of the circuit behind Marie-Philip Poulin at 19, and tied with Hilary Knight.

The Czech will certainly want to haunt its former team. The director general of victory, Danièle Sauvageau, ceded her to Ottawa in March 2024.

The depth at the blue line also harmed Montreal chances last spring. The Kori Cheverie coach used the same three defenders excessively: Amanda Boulier, Erin Ambrose and Kati Tabin, leaving her other rear on the bench, in whom she obviously did not have confidence.

The direction came to correct this gap in the summer of the summer by adding Cayla Barnes, giving another option to Cheverie, and removing a little weight on the shoulders of Ambrose.

This had been used for more than 120 minutes in three games (including the one that ended in the third extension) last year against Boston!

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A question mark remains in front of the load net. The team has been deprived of its Emerance Maschmeyer holder since March due to an injury. In his absence, Gwyneth Philips, admirably held the fort, but the recruit has very little experience. The challenge does not seem to frighten him.

I was launched in the fray in crucial moments, she said after the morning training on Tuesday. I approach all the matches in the same way. It will be the same routine, the same energy for the series. I trust my teammates, and we will continue on the same path.

Montreal is counting on a seasoned veterane in Ann-Renée Desbiens, which dominated all statistical categories among the goalkeepers this year.

After losing his duel against Aerin Frankel in playoffs last year, Desbiens could in turn be the decisive factor in the series. And she can’t wait to see who among her teammates will be able to rise as obscure heroine.

We have many players who can contribute, who can get up, she said. I can’t wait to see who will take this hat. It is a great opportunity for everyone. It will be intense, you never know who can mark in overtime, block a throw, make the difference.

The team -starting goalkeeper Canada expects a tight confrontation.

They showed during the season that they can be very physical and very fast. They won important matches at the end of the game. We expect matches perhaps a little more open than against other traininganalyzed the Malbaie door.

If you want to win a championship, you have to beat the team in front of you, it doesn’t matter which one. The four teams can win, and they all have something unique.

The first match between Toronto and Minnesota will take place on Wednesday evening, and the one between Montreal and Ottawa on Thursday evening.

All series are presented in a three of five format.

With information from Christine Roger, Olivier Pellerin, Jonathan Jobin and Karissa Donkin