It took a while, but PWHL Toronto is now a tough team to play against

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The seeds of change in PWHL Toronto were in the player's lone outing before his fourth loss of the season, which dropped to 1-4.

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Maybe not just at that moment, because there was so much in practice before it, but a 3-2 loss at home to Boston was a turning point for Toronto, and then the team's leadership team rallied the women before puck drop and emphasized that night. the need to tighten things up.

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Since that game, Toronto has won three of its last four games, outscored its opponents 11-7 and is now in third place overall.

The team is far from a finished product, and a third-place finish is weak given the games behind them in the standings, but Toronto is no longer just about being a tough team to play against. They are that team.

Canada's No. 1 doubles pair, Renata Fast and Jocelyn Larocque, have been leading the way from the start and are two players that opponents don't like.

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But these two are no longer the only ones making life difficult for opponents.

It's the rest of the defensive corps and the forwards that ensure anything the opponent has about the offense, gains, doesn't give up.

From veterans like Lorianne Rougo to first-year pros like Maude Poulin-Label, Toronto's PWHL members are all ready to be tough on the puck and their opponents.

“The last few games we've been fine-tuning the details,” said the 33-year-old Quebec native, who made the team as a free agent. “I think that's what was missing at the beginning of the season.”

Roujo then went on to give examples of some details that are being followed now that may not have been there in the beginning.

“It can be as simple as turning the puck carrier,” he said. “He's also tough on sticks. Not just chasing the puck carrier with one hand (on the stick), but picking up the stick with both hands and then finishing the body and all those little details that we've been working on.”

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While Rugo is pleased with how Toronto's D corps has gotten its props, he says the reason he's been stingy with both the options and the opportunities is because the entire team has bought into the approach.

“It wasn't just D Corps that played better defense, it was the whole team,” he said. “Looking at our neutral zone forecheck and some small details, we adjusted and I think that makes our job (at the back) easier when the forwards help a lot.”

Head coach Troy Ryan has pushed this agenda since training camp. The players they trained together would become a tough, physical team that was unpleasant to play against.

Unfortunately, it didn't really show up until the leadership team on the team decided enough was enough.

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“We had a meeting before the (Boston) game, just the players, talking about how we want to play, how we want to pay attention to details,” Rougeau said. “The message was up to us. Our leadership team has done a great job explaining, “We know we can do better, and we need to start now.”

“So that's what happened and we're buying it more and more every game,” Roux said.

The most recent victory, a 4-1 home-ice dominance of league leaders Minnesota, saw the visitors unable to withstand intense pressure in Toronto's end, except for the minutes they had on the power play.

Even then, Toronto's penalty kill, perhaps one of the strongest parts of its game, kept Minnesota at bay and allowed it to score a few quality goals.

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“We're a shutdown team now,” Poulin-Label said. “I think we learned from all our games and learned how to play. We always play physical, but I think sometimes we had mistakes in the defensive zone or in the neutral zone and we talked about it and corrected it.

“I think it's very difficult to play against us now, including the forwards and their control work.”

At 24, Poulin-Label is one of the youngest members on the roster. As an offensive lineman who likes to push the pace and rush, he learned a lot about joining this group.

But a little over a month has passed in Poulin-Label's minutes, and her learning curve is starting to flatten out.

“I have to say that the last month of January was the biggest improvement I've had in my entire hockey career,” Poulin-Label said Tuesday.

And the proof of that improvement and defensive improvement is in this team's play over the last five games.

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