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PWHL

With the World Championships in the rearview, the PWHL is down to its final stretch

By Emma Healy Globe Staff,Updated April 17, 2024, 11:32 a.m.
PWHL Boston goalie Aerin Frankel (right) stopped a shot by PWHL Toronto's Blayre Turnbull during the gold-medal game of the World Championships.Adrian Kraus/Associated Press

After a three-week break for the IIHF Women’s World Championships, the PWHL returns to the ice Thursday for the final stretch of the regular season. All six teams are still in the playoff hunt, which should make for some interesting competition over the next three weeks.

While the league was on pause, 39 players were busy representing eight countries at the Worlds. And while the PWHL is still in its infancy, its players have a storied history with the tournament, having won a combined 209 medals — including 96 golds.

Team Canada, which featured 19 PWHL players, took down Team USA in a thrilling 6-5 championship game to take home the gold. Marie-Philip Poulin, a forward for PWHL Montreal, led Canada’s offense with two goals in the gold-medal game, earning her team-leading 12th World Championship medal and fourth gold since 2009.

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Toronto’s Renata Fast led Canada in scoring with 6 points and was named the best defender of the tournament. Montreal’s Ann-Renée Desbiens earned the victory in goal and now leads her country with 20 tournament wins.

PWHL Boston captain Hilary Knight became the most decorated player in Women’s World Championship history by leading Team USA to the silver medal. Knight has 14 medals since 2007, passing Hockey Hall of Fame forward Hayley Wickenheiser (13). Knight totaled 10 points in the tournament, tied with New York’s Alex Carpenter for the most.

Boston goaltender Aerin Frankel recorded four shutouts for Team USA, also a tournament record.

In the bronze-medal match, Boston forward Susanna Tapani helped Finland secure a 3-2 shootout victory over Czechia. She finished tied for the team lead with 6 points in seven games and won her sixth medal in the competition and first bronze since 2021.

Ottawa’s Sandra Abstreiter, who represents Germany, was named the top goaltender of the tournament after posting a 1.19 goals-against average and .950 save percentage.

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Nine Toronto players medaled — most in the league — followed by Ottawa with six; Boston, Minnesota, and Montreal with five; and New York with three.

Related: With just over a month to go, all six PWHL teams are still in the playoff hunt

The PWHL resumes play Thursday when Toronto visits Boston and Minnesota takes on Montreal. The remaining two teams will play Sunday.

Over the next three weeks, each team will play every other team once, and the top four teams in the standings will advance to the playoffs, where they will compete for the Walter Cup, named after PWHL owner Mark Walter and his wife, Kimbra. The semifinals and final will be best-of-five series.

But even after a team is eliminated from playoff contention, its results still matter. The PWHL is following a draft-order selection method called the Gold Plan, which will assign the first pick in the 2024 draft to the non-playoff team that accrues more points following its elimination from contention — ensuring that the remaining games will be meaningful.

As it stands, Boston and New York are in danger of elimination, though both still have a path to the playoffs. Toronto, Minnesota, and Montreal are firmly at the top of the standings, though they haven’t clinched their playoff spots, and Ottawa is currently in the final qualifying spot.

Emma can be reached at emma.healy@globe.com or on X @_EmmaHealy_.

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