Becoming the first Canadian team to win an Isobel Cup requires clearing a hurdle that's tripped the Toronto Six in back-to-back years.
The Six open a best-of-three Premier Hockey Federation semifinal Friday against the visiting Connecticut Whale in Toronto's Mattamy Athletic Centre.
The winner advances to a one-game championship March 26 in Tempe, Ariz., to determine which PHF team hoists the Isobel Cup in 2023.
Toronto was the higher seed in its 2021 and 2022 semifinal — one-game affairs — and lost both to eventual champion Boston Pride. "The last two seasons were kind of disappointments for us, so it makes you that much more hungry going into the next season," Six forward Emma Woods said. "All the returners are feeling that big-time this year. "We want to win the Isobel cup.