Cheverie, Kessel, Ryan named PWHL Coach of the Year finalists
Three of the top bench bosses in the inaugural PWHL season have earned notoriety.
On Wednesday, the league announced that Kori Cheverie (Montreal), Courtney Kessel (Boston) and Troy Ryan (Toronto) have been voted in as finalists for Coach of the Year.
These head coaches' contributions have most impacted their team's on-ice success throughout the regular season. Courtney Kessel, Kori Cheverie, and Troy Ryan are the finalists for the 2024 Coach of the Year award! 🤝
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Cheverie coached a Montreal team loaded with star talent. From Marie-Philip Poulin to Erin Ambrose to Ann-Renée Desbiens, the team was a favorite to make a run to the playoffs. Montreal went 10-3-5-6 during the regular season, finishing six points out of first place. Their 10 regulation wins were also second in the PWHL, with a 15.9% power play that was third-best in the league. Cheverie had to deal with adversity when a load of players went down with LTIR and lost Poulin for three games prior to Women’s Worlds.
Boston had to really scrape their way into the postseason, and the team’s late surge can be credited to Kessel. Prior to the international break, Boston was sitting outside of a playoff spot, but the team rallied, winning four of its final five games to steal the third-seed heading into the postseason. Overall, Boston went 8-4-3-9 overall, and just pulled off a stunning three-game sweep of Montreal in the Walter Cup Semifinals.
Ryan and really talented Toronto team had to navigate some tricky waters early on in the season, with the squad briefly sitting at the bottom of the PWHL standings. However, after the final window of the Rivalry Series, Toronto went on a tear, winning 11 straight games, shooting up to first place. They stayed there, finishing with a 13-4-0-7 record, six points ahead of Montreal.
Winners of the PWHL Awards will be announced in June.