It was a wild weekend at Mattamy Athletic Centre, complete with comebacks, viral cellies, and an unexpected standout or two. Ultimately, though, Team Canada was able to pull off the win in the championship game of the 2023 PHF All-Star Showcase, off the stick of Montreal Force forward Jade Downie-Landry in a 3-2 effort.
The come-from-behind win came at the tail end of a four-game tournament where Team World -- comprised of the PHF's best internationally-based players -- stunned everyone with two big wins against both Teams USA and Canada.
Those wins were fueled by an MVP-worthy effort from the Metropolitan Rivetersforward Fanni Gasparics, a Hungarian native and Olympian who tallied four goals and just missed out on the honors to Boston Pride forward Loren Gabel.
The Pride, in fact, swept the All-Star honors, as Gabel won All-Star MVP while rookie netminder for the Pride Corinne Schroeder took the spotlight as Best Goalie for her performance. Schroeder was solid in net for Team Canada, making 25 saves over all three matches played.
Let's take a full look at the three teams' overall finishing order from third to first.
Third Place: Team USA
Try as they might have, the Americans couldn't find the scoring touch they needed. Jillian Dempsey was the biggest standout with a goal and an assist, and Shiann Darkangelo ripped a wicked shot past Schroeder in Game One to force a shootout, but USA spent a good amount of their time in the defensive zone and couldn't quite solve either Schroeder or Evelina Makinen. At least they gave us some of the best gameday fits this season.
Major props to Madison Packer, Team USA's captain, for going all in with a full American flag tracksuit. Might as well go full camp, right?
Runners-Up: Team World
Honestly, Team World were the real winners despite their heartbreaker in the championship -- at last, they were in my opinion. As soon as I saw them in practice, I could tell their aim was to have fun, and have fun they did while still displaying some tremendous talent.
Gasparics was, of course, the star of the show, but Leah Lum of the Toronto Six wasn't far behind with a goal and two assists. The international squad also had the best team celly of the tournament, propping their sticks onto their heads in a "unicorn horn" salute that was so popular the kids in the crowd started getting in on the act.
Even Brittany Howard swiped it after scoring a goal of her own against Team World in the final game. That prompted her Six teammate Lum to quip post-game that "they couldn't come up with something of their own; they had to steal ours."
All chirping aside, Team World goalie Evelina Makinen was happy with how her team showed up and performed.
"We've been here two days, but it just feels like I've known all of these players forever," she said. "Everyone had so much energy, and I feel like we really showcased some good hockey." Good hockey indeed!
Champs: Team Canada
Loren Gabel and Brittany Howard are a combination that would terrorize every single opponent they faced if they were on the same team. The Boston Pride and Toronto Six forwards combined for eight points, earning Gabel MVP honors (3 G, 1A).
"It's definitely possible," Gabel chuckled post-game when asked about the chances of her and Howard getting onto the same team at some point in the future. "We played three years in the PWHPA together, basically on the same line and everything like that, so that's definitely where the chemistry was built."
"It's definitely possible," Gabel chuckled post-game when asked about the chances of her and Howard getting onto the same team at some point in the future. "We played three years in the PWHPA together, basically on the same line and everything like that, so that's definitely where the chemistry was built."
Downie-Landry had had a few key chances in games prior as well, finally breaking through for the heroic game-winner in the final couple of minutes. Team Canada captain Kaleigh Fratkin spoke highly of Downie-Landry's play and said it was "good to see her finally break through" in the clutch.
All of these performances combined for a great event in downtown Toronto, one that not only provided an opportunity for players to get to know each other and have fun but also showcased some elite talent on both ends of the ice.
While many All-Star games in men's leagues run the risk of being too boring and not intense enough, this weekend's showcase provided a great balance of intensity and joy that reminds you of why this league is so much fun in the first place.
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