Boston Pride Happy To Resume Quest For An Isobel Cup
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Boston Pride are once again trying to win the NWHL Championship. It looks like they'll actually get their shot at an Isobel Cup this time around.
The Pride's dreams of winning a title were halted twice by the coronavirus in the last year. Last March, COVID canceled their Isobel Cup Final against Minnesota. Then this February in Lake Placid, this season's semifinal game against Toronto was postponed due to an outbreak.
Luckily the semis and the title game have been rescheduled for this weekend, and all the action will take place in at Warrior Arena in Brighton. Pride captain Jillian Dempsey is grateful to finally get another shot at a title.
"Any time you get a chance to compete for a championship opportunity -- and to win the Cup -- it's something you're going to enjoy and appreciate having," Dempsey told WBZ-TV's Dan Roche.
As tough as these stops and starts have been on Dempsey, it's nothing compared to her job as a fifth grade teacher in Winthop.
"This year has really challenged all of us to adjust and adapt accordingly," she said. "I never could have imagined teaching this way, having a remote classroom for the first four months of the year."
For those of you who may question if team sports and teaching can go hand in hand, just listen to Dempsey talk about the challenges her kids face remotely -- or is she talking about her hockey battles this past year?
"It's so easy to find excuses in this time. It's challenging for everybody," she said. "It's definitely not ideal but we kept focusing on showing up every day and controlling what we can control, and continuing to work hard and make growth."
Meanwhile, the Pride captain has enjoyed support from her students for her after-school activities.
"The kids would tune in and watch games on Twitch and they'd be messaging me on the chat on Zoom first thing the next morning," she recalls. "Some of them have shirtsies, like the T-Shirts with Pride on the front and my name on the back."
Boston resumes its quest for an Isobel Cup Friday night at 5 p.m. with a semifinal matchup against Toronto, with Connecticut and Minnesota squaring off at 8 p.m. The winners will play for the Isobel Cup on Saturday, with the puck dropping in the title game at 7 p.m.