Special Edition: Trophy chasing season

Thirty regular-season games each, three international breaks, and just over five months later, the four-team playoff picture features the aforementioned No. 1 seed Montréal Victoire, No. 2 Toronto Sceptres, No. 3 Ottawa Charge, and No. 4 Minnesota Frost.

But this isn’t your typical No. 1 vs. No. 4 and No. 2 vs. No. 3 semifinal — the league offers an extra layer of spice by allowing the No. 1 seed to choose the No. 3 or No. 4 team as their first opponent.

• On Sunday, Montréal announced they picked the Charge. The Victoire went 4-2 against Ottawa this season, but the Charge won both of their most recent matchups. Fascinating.

As for the road ahead, the best-of-five semis start tonight — Toronto and Montréal will host their respective Games 1 and 2 before the series shift locations for Games 3 and 4. If a Game 5 is necessary, it’ll be hosted by the higher seed.

• From there, winners advance to the best-of-five final with the coveted Walter Cup on the line.

Postseason rules notably differ slightly from the regular season: Should the game be tied after the three 20-minute periods, the teams will then play 15-minute overtime (OT) periods until someone scores. Similar to the NHL, it’s heart-pumping sudden death, so the team that scores first wins. *bites nails*

🟥 Montréal Victoire: Montréal lived up to their “Victoire” name this season, posting a PWHL–leading 53 points and cruising to the league’s first playoff spot back in March. The biggest difference-maker? Their OT success — they went an impressive 7-3 in OT battles, by far the best mark in the league. So clutch.

🟦 Toronto Sceptres: Toronto’s on a revenge tour: They snagged the No. 1 seed in last year’s playoffs and chose Minnesota as their first-round opponent, only to watch the Frost upset them on their home ice in Game 5. Despite offseason roster shakeups for both squads, that lingering bitter feeling only adds fuel to the fire — just ask captain Blayre Turnbull.

🟨 Ottawa Charge: The Charge clinched their first postseason berth behind forward Kateřina Mrázová’s beauty in front of a sold-out crowd on Saturday. Ottawa, Minnesota, and the Boston Fleet all finished with 44 points, but the Charge snagged the No. 3 seed because they had the most regulation wins (12). Anything can happen now that they’ve made the big dance.

🟪 Minnesota Frost: The reigning champs sure know how to win when it counts: They took last year’s semifinals and finals in do-or-die Game 5s, and this year, they clinched their playoff spot at the last possible moment with Saturday’s massive dub over the Fleet. TL;DR: Never count out the Land of 10,000 Rinks.

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Marie-Philip Poulin, Forward, Montréal: The aforementioned Captain Clutch was at it again this season, lighting the lamp a league-best 19 times, while also adding an impressive seven assists. One of the most legendary names in the game, MPP’s a hometown hero bent on bringing a ’ship to la belle province.

Renata Fast, Defender, Toronto: Fast is the ultimate teammate, tying NY Sirens forward Sarah Filler for most assists on the season with 16. She’s also one half of a dynamic duo with Toronto’s leading scorer, forward Daryl Watts, and, well, very fast. Don’t blink, or you’ll miss her.

Tereza Vanišová, Forward, Ottawa: The Czech star did the bulk of the scoring for Ottawa, netting 15 goals on the year. She’s an offensive powerhouse who set the PHWL record for two fastest goals when she scored twice in 32 seconds against the Fleet last month. Holy moly.

Kendall Coyne Schofield, Forward, Minnesota: A 2019 NHL Skills competitor and Inside Out 2 star, Schofield was instrumental in Minny’s championship run last year — and this season was no different. She leads the Frost in goals and points, just like she leads them in the locker room.

Ann-Renée Desbiens, Goaltender, Montréal: When it comes to performance between the pipes, she puts the “bien” in Desbiens — the Victoire tendy leads the league in every goalie-related category despite missing three games due to injury. If defense wins championships, she could be the one that lifts Montréal all the way to the Walter Cup.

It all begins tonight with Toronto hosting Minnesota at 7 p.m. ET, followed by Ottawa at Montréal tomorrow at the same time.

• You can find information on broadcast coverage (and the majority-female broadcast team) here. Put on your favorite hockey jersey and let’s go, girls.

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