The Boston Pride continue their dominance through the Premier Hockey Federation and return from a much-needed break atop the league standings.
Boston went into the All-Star break with a 14-2-1 record and a one-point lead over the second-place Toronto Six. The Pride won seven of their last eight games before their 13-day hiatus and scored 35 goals during that stretch.
Everything is just clicking for the three-time Isobel Cup champions-- who already clinched a playoff berth -- as they look to make it four titles and three in a row.
"I feel like we definitely last season on a high," two-time Defender of the Year Kaleigh Fratkin told NESN.com. "So this year, just coming out of the gate hot, kind of the way we have with our record definitely is exciting. ..."
"... A lot of good things to build off of and a lot of positivity around the locker room."
The Pride have proven there is no such thing as an Isobel Cup hangover with them, having won two straight. They did make it to the Cup Final in 2020, but COVID-19 canceled their game against the Minnesota Whitecaps.
So, how does the Pride keep avoiding the hangover?
"The past two regular seasons did not go the way we had envisioned and we kept dealing with adversity and ups and downs and really got us battle tested for playoffs," Pride captain Jillian Dempsey told NESN.com. "I think once you win, that's all you wanna do, nothing else comes close. To keep a core group of what we have season to season and bring in some new talent and skill, you're able to build on what we have we're just as hungry and we just wanna keep it going."
The Pride added some new faces in the offseason including Allie Thunstrom, who was the first player in league history to score 20 goals in a season during the 2019-20 campaign. And even though what Boston has done is historic, Sammy Davis knows her team must continue its tough play year after year.
"Each year is a new year, last year was so amazing that won but we have to continue proving ourselves and proving that we're capable," Davis told NESN.com. "So I think we just take each day as a new day and each weekend as a new weekend, focus on the present, focus on the right now. We're all just competing each day."
After a week off for the PHF All-Star Game, which saw Loren Gabel win the MVP of the tournament with three goals and an assist, the Pride return to action this weekend when they welcome the Montreal Force to Warrior Ice Arena for two games. Boston split its last two games against Montreal on Jan. 21 and 22.
Saturday's puck drop is set for 8 p.m. ET and you can catch the game on NESN+, while the two teams face off Sunday at 3 p.m., with the game airing on NESN.
