Bench bosses of 3 Canadian PWHL teams named coach of the year finalists
Sceptres' Ryan looks for repeat win against Victoire’s Cheverie and Charge's MacLeod
Montreal Victoire's Kori Cheverie, Ottawa Charge's Carla MacLeod and Toronto Sceptres' Troy Ryan have been named the finalists for Professional Women's Hockey League coach of the year honours.
Cheverie of New Glasgow, N.S., is a finalist for a second straight year after guiding the Victoire to first place with a 12-7-3-8 record (regulation wins, overtime wins, overtime losses, regulation losses).
Montreal held its first-place position since Jan. 29 with an offence that produced the second-most goals (77) and surrendered the fewest (67) in the PWHL.
MacLeod of Spruce Grove, Alta., guided Ottawa to its first-ever playoff berth with a 12-4-2-12 record and 44 points. The Charge sealed third place with a 2-1 overtime win over Toronto in the regular-season finale.
The Charge's 12 regulation wins tied for the most in the league - four more than their inaugural total - despite having just two players among the PWHL's top 20 scorers.
Ryan of Spryfield, N.S., is the reigning coach of the year. The second-place Sceptres (12-3-6-9) tied for the league lead with nine multi-goal wins, matched the longest win streak at six games (Feb. 1-23), and went unbeaten in nine straight (Jan. 25 to Feb. 23) to climb from last place to within two points of first.
