Latest news with #TroyRyan
CTV News
20-05-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
Toronto Sceptres' Troy Ryan named one of PWHL's Coach of the Year finalists
Toronto Sceptres head coach Troy Ryan directs his team as they play the Minnesota Frost in the first period of a PWHL hockey playoff game Sunday, May 11, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. TORONTO — Montreal Victoire's Kori Cheverie, Ottawa Charge's Carla MacLeod and Toronto Sceptres' Troy Ryan have been named the finalists for the PWHL's coach of the year. Cheverie of New Glasgow, N.S., is a finalist for a second straight year after guiding the Victoire to first place with a 12-7-3-8 record (regulation wins, overtime wins, overtime losses, regulation losses). Montreal held its first-place position since Jan. 29 with an offence that produced the second-most goals (77) and surrendered the fewest (67) in the PWHL. MacLeod of Spruce Grove, Alta., guided Ottawa to its first-ever playoff berth with a 12-4-2-12 record and 44 points. The Charge sealed third place with a 2-1 overtime win over Toronto in the regular-season finale. The Charge's 12 regulation wins tied for the most in the league — four more than their inaugural total — despite having just two players among the PWHL's top 20 scorers. Ryan of Spryfield, N.S., is the reigning coach of the year. The second-place Sceptres (12-3-6-9) tied for the league lead with nine multi-goal wins, matched the longest win streak at six games (Feb. 1-23), and went unbeaten in nine straight (Jan. 25 to Feb. 23) to climb from last place to within two points of first. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 20, 2025.
CBC
20-05-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Bench bosses of 3 Canadian PWHL teams named coach of the year finalists
Montreal Victoire's Kori Cheverie, Ottawa Charge's Carla MacLeod and Toronto Sceptres' Troy Ryan have been named the finalists for Professional Women's Hockey League coach of the year honours. Cheverie of New Glasgow, N.S., is a finalist for a second straight year after guiding the Victoire to first place with a 12-7-3-8 record (regulation wins, overtime wins, overtime losses, regulation losses). Montreal held its first-place position since Jan. 29 with an offence that produced the second-most goals (77) and surrendered the fewest (67) in the PWHL. MacLeod of Spruce Grove, Alta., guided Ottawa to its first-ever playoff berth with a 12-4-2-12 record and 44 points. The Charge sealed third place with a 2-1 overtime win over Toronto in the regular-season finale. The Charge's 12 regulation wins tied for the most in the league - four more than their inaugural total - despite having just two players among the PWHL's top 20 scorers. Ryan of Spryfield, N.S., is the reigning coach of the year. The second-place Sceptres (12-3-6-9) tied for the league lead with nine multi-goal wins, matched the longest win streak at six games (Feb. 1-23), and went unbeaten in nine straight (Jan. 25 to Feb. 23) to climb from last place to within two points of first.
Globe and Mail
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Globe and Mail
‘Winning is not easy': Sceptres reflect on season after early PWHL post-season exit
Toronto Sceptres head coach Troy Ryan says his team has learned just how tough it is to win. The Sceptres fell 4-3 in overtime on Wednesday to lose their best-of-five semi-final against the defending Walter Cup champion Minnesota Frost in four games. It's the second consecutive year Toronto lost to Minnesota in the semi-finals despite being the higher seed entering the playoffs. 'Winning is not easy,' Ryan said at the team's end-of-season news conference on Friday. 'If I've learned anything through some of my time at the national team level, sometimes it's taken for granted. It's never easy. 'And I think this group, probably through some hard lessons, are learning that it's not easy to win, and you've got to invest your time in well before it's ever a playoff time to be, you know, putting yourself in a situation where you can have success.' Toronto finished second in the PWHL standings behind Montreal and clinched a playoff berth a week before its regular-season finale. 'I'm going to be unhappy every time [a loss] happens,' Ryan said. 'You can be unhappy where you are at. It doesn't mean you're not happy with where you're going, right? And I think this group … [has] a pretty good sense of … where we can improve.' Captain Blayre Turnbull said the main takeaway will be the importance of being consistent each day of the season. 'There were certain points throughout the year where I felt like, sometimes our habits weren't where they needed to be or where they should be based on what our standards and our expectations are,' she said. 'Looking ahead into next season I think we have to make sure that those habits and details are being executed the way we want them to be every day so that by the end of the season and come playoff time, it's just natural and we can peak for longer than just a few games in the playoffs. 'It would be great for us to kind of have our on-ice identity completely solidified long before we enter playoffs so that we just hit the ground running and everything feels very natural.' The team entered the season with high expectations after an inaugural season that saw Toronto finish first in the league standings before its postseason loss to Minnesota. However, the Sceptres faced their share of injury troubles throughout the campaign. Last season's MVP Natalie Spooner was out of the lineup until Feb. 11 after knee surgery, while top rookie defender Megan Carter was lost before season's start until Jan. 25, and star forward Sarah Nurse missed almost two months before returning late March. Toronto also dealt star defender Jocelyne Larocque to Ottawa in December. 'We lost some big personalities in our locker room,' star defender Renata Fast said. 'We can't replace what someone like Joce [Larocque] brings on the ice and off the ice. But I really do think our group stepped up big. It didn't take us that long. 'We brought in two players that also have big leadership skills, and they came in and just like, it was seamless really. So once we started getting into games, it didn't take long.' With two new expansion teams set to enter the fold, in Vancouver and Seattle, Toronto anticipates losing some 'competitive' players to the upcoming expansion draft. 'I think we're comfortable with our entire team,' general manager Gina Kingsbury said. 'I think, we'll add pieces here in the draft. We'll obviously be active in the free agency period as well and try to continue to build on what we have, but we love the foundation that we've started here as a group with our team. 'Again, we started with this vision and we've built this team here over the last two years. I think we've built it in a way where we feel that with expansion we've created enough depth that now we can try to add pieces and be on the right track.'
Winnipeg Free Press
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Sceptres look to continue battling for Walter Cup after another early playoff exit
TORONTO – Toronto Sceptres head coach Troy Ryan says being unhappy with the result shouldn't mean being unhappy with where the team is headed. The Sceptres fell 4-3 in overtime on Wednesday to lose its best-of-five semifinal against the defending Walter Cup champion Minnesota Frost in four games. It's the second consecutive year Toronto has fallen to Minnesota in the semifinals despite being the higher seed entering the playoffs. Toronto finished second in the PWHL standings behind Montreal and clinched a playoff berth a week before its regular-season finale. The Sceptres faced their share of injury troubles, especially with last season's MVP Natalie Spooner out of the lineup until Feb. 11 after knee surgery. They also lost top rookie defender Megan Carter before season's start until Jan. 25, and star forward Sarah Nurse missed almost two months before returning late March. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Ryan was content with his team's effort in Game 4 loss after two tough losses and acknowledged the difficulty of winning in the PWHL. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 16, 2025.
National Post
12-05-2025
- Sport
- National Post
Toronto Sceptres goal hasn't changed, but their margin for error has been erased
The goal when the Toronto Sceptres left Toronto on Saturday to down to Minnesota and continue its best-of-five semifinal with the Frost was to go get one win. Article content Article content That goal has not changed. There's just no longer any wiggle room in when they get that win. After Sunday's 7-5 blowout by the Frost, it will have to come Wednesday or the Sceptres off-season will being a little earlier than they had hoped, but little has changed otherwise. Article content Head coach Troy Ryan does not expect to change the game plan much because he has liked the results when the team has executed. Article content Sure, he would like better execution of it for longer periods of time, but when the Sceptres have adhered to it, they have had success. Article content What does need to change is the play he's getting from his goaltender. Kristen (Soupy) Campbell has company in this series in goalies who would like to have a few shots back with Frost netminder Maddie Rooney, but while Rooney has let a few get by her that normally wouldn't, Campbell has had hers come in bunches. Article content Specifically, two in the final six minutes of Game 2 that the Sceptres lost by two goals and then three in the first 7:42 of Game 3 that the Scepters again would go on to lose by two goals. Article content Ryan, like his rival on the Minnesota bench Ken Klee, has not decided yet who he will put between the pipes for a do-or-die contest for Toronto Game 4. But, unlike Klee, he's not going to be picking between two tested netminders. Article content Because of an injury to backup Raygan Kirk suffered in Minneapolis in the fourth-to-last game of the regular season, Ryan — if he chooses to sit Campbell for Game 4 — would be going to Carly Jackson, who has played all of one game in two season for the Sceptres. Article content That, of course, was a win in the second-last game of the season just a couple of weeks ago, but that's still just 60 minutes of actual game experience in the PWHL. Article content Klee could go back to Game 1 starter Nicole Hensley, flipping between the two Minnesota backstops as he has done for most of their first two seasons in the league together. Clearly that's not the kind of gamble Ryan would be considering. Article content Ryan said he purposefully didn't go to Jackson after those quick three goals Campbell let in on Sunday, so if he did choose to use them in Game 4, Jackson would come in fresh without having to start with a deficit. Article content He has given some thought to making a change in the Sceptres net already, but it still sounds like he's leaning towards sticking with Campbell. Article content 'We have trust in Soupy,' Ryan said. 'Soupy has had some up and down games throughout the year, but ultimately we have trust in Soupy and ultimately want her to find ways to battle. Article content 'It might sound a little bit cliché, but I really don't believe it's the coaches job or anybody else's job to provide confidence for an individual athlete,' Ryan said. 'I think the onus is on that athlete to do what she needs to do to be confident so we have shown confidence in Soupy and that's really all we can do in that area. I think the rest is up to her.
