NWHL suspends rest of season due to COVID-19 concerns
The NWHL has stopped its 2021 season on the eve of the playoffs.
"The NWHL and the Olympic Regional Development Authority have agreed, due to new positive COVID-19 tests and the resulting safety concerns for the players, their respective staff, and the community, that the remainder of the 2021 NWHL season in Lake Placid (will be) suspended," the league announced Wednesday.
The semifinal round of the Isobel Cup Playoffs was set to take place Feb. 4, with the Toronto Six facing the Buffalo Beauts and the Boston Pride taking on the Minnesota Whitecaps. The single-elimination Isobel Cup Final would've been played Feb. 5.
This is the second straight season the Isobel Cup Final has been disrupted due to COVID-19. Last year's championship game was scheduled for March 13, 2020 - less than 48 hours after most active professional sports associations went on hiatus due to due to the North American outbreak of the virus. After initially postponing the game, the NWHL canceled it outright in May.
The 2021 NWHL campaign faced significant challenges days after the regular season opened Jan. 23. Citing a number of positive test results, the Metropolitan Riveters pulled out of the six-team bubble event Jan. 28, forcing alterations to the league's schedule. The Connecticut Whale followed suit by withdrawing Feb. 1 despite having earned a playoff berth.
Here are the final standings for the 2021 campaign, sorted by wins:
| TEAM | GP | W | L | GOAL DIFF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto Six | 6 | 4 | 2 | +7 |
| Minnesota Whitecaps | 4 | 3 | 1 | +2 |
| Boston Pride | 7 | 3 | 4 | +10 |
| Metropolitan Riveters | 3 | 2 | 1 | +3 |
| Connecticut Whale | 4 | 2 | 2 | -3 |
| Buffalo Beauts | 6 | 1 | 5 | -17 |
Pride blue-liner Kaleigh Fratkin and Six forward Mikyla Grant-Mentis led all scorers with nine points each, while Grant-Mentis' five goals paced the league.
Six goaltender Elaine Chuli tallied a league-best four wins between the pipes, while the Riveters' Sonjia Shelly ranked first with just 0.50 goals allowed per game across two appearances.