TEMPE, Ariz. — The 2023 Isobel Cup Championship will take place at Mullett Arena on the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ, on Sunday, March 26, the PHF announced Thursday.
The event will be hosted in partnership with the NHL's Arizona Coyotes, who also call Mullett Arena home these days.
“Raising the Isobel Cup and celebrating a championship is what all PHF athletes commit themselves to achieve, and we can’t wait to see the moment unfold at Mullett Arena on March 26,” said Reagan Carey, PHF Commissioner.
“As we continue building momentum for our sport in the new PHF era, it’s important to strengthen relationships in different markets and grow the game by showcasing professional women’s hockey to more fans throughout North America. The support from the Arizona Coyotes and OVG360 is instrumental in helping us achieve these goals and will provide a special experience and environment for both teams to compete for their place in history.”
Robyn Leano, co-host of Locked on Coyotes, calls this a huge win for hockey in Arizona.
"It shows that Arizona is a hockey market that people are actually buying into," according to Leano. "You can look at how the Coyotes are as a franchise are right now and make whatever jokes you want, but hockey here in Arizona is growing and you cannot deny that."
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The Coyotes made noise around the NHL trade deadline by trading star defenseman Jakob Chychrun and acting as third parties in salary cap retention and dump moves, but the NHL remains committed as ever to making it work.
For their part, the Coyotes are "thrilled to host the Premier Hockey Federation’s Isobel Cup Championship at Mullett Arena,” said Coyotes President & CEO Xavier A. Gutierrez.
“The Coyotes are extremely proud of our support for women’s hockey and our Arizona Kachinas (girls hockey) program, and we look forward to watching the league’s top teams compete for the cup! Mullett Arena has proven to be an incredible venue for NHL hockey, and we are confident that the arena will be rocking for the Isobel Cup final.”
The Boston Pride, Toronto Six, Connecticut Whale, and Minnesota Whitecaps will all fight it out once again for the right to be named league champions.
Best-of-three semifinals are slated for March 16-20 and will be hosted by the Pride at The Bentley Arena at Bentley University in Walthamm, MN, and the Six at Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto, ON.