Gabel, Brittany Howard headline Canadian group for PHF women's hockey all-star event

Loren Gabel and Brittany Howard lead the Canadian side selected for the Premier Hockey Federation's three-team, all-star event Jan. 29 in Toronto.

The PHF announced Tuesday the 45 players, split between teams representing Canada, the United States and the world, who will play a round-robin tournament at the downtown Mattamy Athletic Centre.

Gabel of Kitchener, Ont., leads the PHF in points this season with nine goals and 10 assists in 11 games for the Boston Pride.

Toronto Six forward Howard tops the league in goals with 12 in a dozen games.

The Toronto Six and expansion Montreal Force are the Canadian clubs in the seven-team PHF.

"This season's all-star event is a true showcase of our player pool depth that includes an influx of new talent from both sides of the border and overseas, national team players, recent U SPORTS and NCAA standouts, and veterans who have helped build the PHF from the very beginning," PHF commissioner Reagan Carey said Tuesday in a statement.

Forward Emma Woods and defenders Kati Tabin and Saroya Tinker join Howard in representing the Six on the Canadian team.

Forwards Ann-Sophie Bettez and Jade Downie-Landy, and defender Catherine Daoust were selected from the Montreal Force.

Boston goaltender Corinne Schroeder and Pride teammate Elizabeth Giguere, Buffalo Beauts forward Mikyla Grant-Mentis, Metropolitan Riveters forwards Kelly Babstock and Sarah Bujold, and Connecticut Whale winger Kennedy Marchment round out of the Canadian contingent.

Six forward Shiann Darkangelo was chosen for the U.S. and her Toronto teammates Dominika Laskova, Leah Lum and Tereza Vanisova were picked for Team World.

Force defender Taylor Baker will also play for the World team.

Canada opens against the U.S. to start the all-star tournament with the winner facing the World team in the second game and the losing team meeting World in the third game.

Tourney format

• Each round-robin game will consist of two seven-minute periods of four-on-four with a one-round shootout between periods for a bonus goal.
• Tied games will be decided by a three-round shootout.
• The championship game features the top two teams from the round robin with goal-differential the tiebreaker if needed.
• The final will be two eight-minute periods played four-on-four, with a four-minute overtime and a three-round shootout if needed to break a tie.

The tournament will be broadcast on TSN and TSN.ca in Canada and on ESPN2 in the United States.

The PHF in its eighth season pays players from a salary cap of $750,000 US per team this season.

The league intends to double the cap to $1.5 million in 2023-24.