Boston Pride’s Loren Gabel named MVP of Premier Hockey Federation

The Premier Hockey Federation has announced that Boston Pride forward Loren Gabel has been awarded both the Most Valuable Player and Outstanding Player of the Year honors for the 2022-23 season.

The MVP award was voted by the Professional Hockey Writers Association’s 13-member women’s hockey chapter for the very first time in league history. The Outstanding Player of the Year award was voted on by the PHF Players’ Association, with Gabel following up on Kennedy Marchment’s win from a year ago.

Gabel has won four major awards this season, including the PHF’s Newcomer of the Year and top scorer titles. Gabel had 40 points in 22 games, tying a single-season record that was originally set by Boston’s Jillian Dempsey in 2019-20.

“It is an absolute honor to win the 2022-23 MVP and Outstanding Player of the Year awards, and I am proud to be recognized by my fellow players and by the dedicated media who cover this league,” Gabel said in a statement to the PHF. “I couldn’t have done it without every single person who has helped me get to this point. The PHF has a tremendous amount of talent, and I am fortunate that I get to play alongside and against some of the best every day. I am thankful for the opportunity I was given to play in Boston, and I am looking forward to my future in the PHF.”’

Gabel, 25, was initially drafted eighth overall by the Buffalo Beauts in 2018, but elected to stay at Clarkson University. She won the Patty Kazmaier Award in 2019 as the NCAA’s top player and won two titles with Clarkson University. She also won bronze at the 2019 World Championship after scoring six goals and seven points in her only major international tournament showing to date. After leaving college, she spent parts of three years with the PWHPA before joining Boston for 2022-23.

The native of Kitchener, Ont. will play for the Pride again for 2023-24, according to The Hockey News’ Ian Kennedy.