Having the option of choosing their playoff opponent wasn’t taken lightly by the staff and players of the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s Toronto franchise for clinching first-place in the standings. So sensitive and in-depth were the discussions, coach Troy Ryan knew better on Monday night than to disclose the reasons behind Toronto’s decision to face fourth-place Minnesota over third-place Boston — two teams who finished with identical 12-9-3 records (including four OT/SO wins apiece), with Boston having the tiebreaking edge. “To be honest, from a hockey perspective, I think it would be somewhat irresponsible to tip my hat to the exact details,” Ryan said. “So at this point, we’ll keep that within house.” Of all the aspects taken into consideration, ranging from analytics, head-to-head records, travel and injuries, among the most important, perhaps, was the fear of providing their opponent any additional motivation entering the best-of-five semifinal series, which opens in Toronto on Wednesday. Montreal, which finished second, will face Boston in the other semifinal starting on Thursday. |
Multiple glass materials discovered in Chang'ePic story of dancing couple in China's XinjiangMomofuku backs down from 'chile crunch' trademark warTourism boom promotes revitalization of intangible cultural heritageChina's Mars rover detects irregular wedges beneath red planetChina launches construction of biomedical platform for disease researchScientists develop new artificial leafChina's polar studies contribute to tackling climate change: researcherDay 4 of the Masters at a glanceChase Elliott ends 42