The PWHL this week: Finding consistency — and a steady fan base — in New York

PWHL New York GM Pascal Daoust wanted to build a team that consistently plays a hard 60 minutes of hockey.

But Daoust hasn't always seen his team play like that this season. As a result, New York enters the PWHL's international break, which lasts until mid-April, in last place.

"The level and the skills of all the teams is so tight that every time that you stop for five minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, you're gonna pay the price," Daoust told CBC Sports on Thursday.

New York defeated Boston 3-2 in the last game before the break, a crucial regulation win to keep New York's playoff hopes alive.

To Daoust, it felt like the closest his team has come to playing a complete 60-minute game all season.

"We definitely have the right way to practice and to prepare and to train," Daoust said. "Then how we translate that in a game, how we adjust, how we face adversity, how we react after a goal from the opponent, how we react after a penalty, that's probably what we need to work on."

Despite being in last place, Daoust didn't make any moves before the trade deadline, believing in the potential of his roster.

It's a young team, with a lot of players who are in their first year or two of professional hockey. With that in mind, Daoust has the future in mind, not just today's standings.

"I was not surprised necessarily to see some young players, I wouldn't say struggling, but trying to adjust and to find what was the exact way to play against older players, more mature players, experienced players," Daoust said. "We're getting there."

One of those players is Élizabeth Giguère — a goal-scorer who won the Patty Kazmaier Award in 2020.

In her first season with the Boston Pride of the Premier Hockey Federation, which was sold and shut down to make way for the PWHL, Giguère had 22 points in 18 games.

But Giguère didn't record her first PWHL point until March.

"When they come out from college or after a year or two of what used to be their pro league, [the PWHL] is having the best, the very best, players in the world," Daoust said.

"For Giguère and some others, it's the very first time in their life that they're going through a season without scoring many goals per game. So it's tough, it's a new challenge."