The season is wrapping up, but the hunt for the final playoff spot is heating up.
In this episode of The IX Sports Podcast, host Maya Smith and guest Geremy kick off the show by talking about the record-breaking attendance for the New York Sirens game at Madison Square Garden over the weekend and the importance of recognizing the people who came before, like the Calgary Inferno of the CWHL.
“As someone that was around for the CWHL era, where if you got 1,000 fans to the game, it was a huge deal,” Geremy said. “Seeing 18,000 is as it’s something special for the longtime fans, it feels really good for the people who have been here for decades, saying, ‘No, no, people want to watch this! This can work.’ And here’s the proof: it’s working, the numbers are there. It can’t be denied. Sell out at Madison Square Garden. What a headline!”
Then, they discuss the final playoff spot up for grabs in the league. Does it come down to just Toronto, New York, and Ottawa, or are Vancouver and Seattle still in it? And, even if they aren’t mathematically eliminated, where is the line between going for a high draft pick and still focusing on the playoff race?
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Lastly, they dive into the battle for Goaltender of the Year between Aerin Frankel and Ann-Reneé Desbiens. Spoiler alert: No one else is even close to unseating these two.
“it’s very hard to not be talking about her when the narrative is that she had a three game shutout streak,” Smith said. “Her team is miles ahead of where they were last season. She has a US Olympic gold medal. She’s fantastic. But is it really the Frankel show, or does Ann-Reneé Desbiens have a fight a little like banging on the door, like, hey, I’m also here.“
With a laugh, Geremy added: “I don’t know how you differentiate between the two, like neither one of them have separated from the other one. Yet this is tough!”
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