Toronto will pick Minnesota as their PWHL semifinal opponent, while Montreal will face Boston

Toronto will select Minnesota as its semifinal opponent in the Women's Professional Hockey League playoffs, which begin on Wednesday.

In its first season, the PWHL introduced the playoff innovation of giving the top team in the league a choice between the third and fourth seeds for its semifinal opponent after the regular season.

Toronto has 24 hours left after Sunday's final game to make a decision. A nod to fourth-seeded Minnesota means No. 2 Montreal will take on third-seeded Boston in the first round.

Toronto opens the best-of-five semifinal against Minnesota with the first two games on Wednesday and Friday at the Coca-Cola Coliseum.

Montreal starts Thursday and Saturday against Boston in Laval at the Bell in Laval.

The top five final will be for the Walter Cup. New York and Ottawa finished just outside the playoffs in the six-team league.

This Canadian Press report was first published on May 6, 2024.

Canadian Press