Founding 4 Podcast

Black Rosie Media founder and reporter Erica L. Ayala spoke to multiple players from the Toronto Six and the Minnesota Whitecaps ahead of the 2023 Isobel Cup Final on March 26th.

Hear from the following PHF players and coaches:
The Toronto Six
0:00 - Saroya Tinker on what makes Toronto special
0:26 - Daryl Watts on the Whitecaps
0:36 - Head coach Geraldine Heaney on playing a full 60
1:02 - Shiann Darkangelo reflecting on being the first expansion franchise
1:22 - Watts on her motivation to win the Isobel Cup
1:49 - Tinker on who she is playing for
1:57 - Carly Jackson "I want to win a championship."
The Minnesota Whitecaps
2:09 - Natalie Snodgrass on the doubters
2:28 - Denisa Křížová on being an underdog
2:42 - Amanda Boulier on sweeping the Boston Pride in the semifinals
3:14 - Head coach Ronda Engelhardt on the challenge 
3:45 - Snodgrass on playing for the Richfield community
3:55 - Boulier on winning a second Isobel Cup for the Whitecaps

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ABOUT THE FOUNDING 4 PODCAST:
The Founding 4 Podcast is an NWHL-centric women's ice hockey podcast hosted by Erica L. Ayala and Angelica Rodriguez. The podcast lives on Transistor.fm and is part of the Black Rosie Media podcast network. Please like, share, subscribe, comment, and rate our show. That is how we get more eyes/ears on women in sports.

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Creators & Guests

Host
Erica L. Ayala (Eye-Yah-La) 💪🏽
Almost Famous | Founder, @BlackRosieMedia #HBRIC | 1st & only Black or Latine @PHF broadcaster | Broadcaster @NWSL | #PBWA #NAHJ 📧:hello@BlackRosieMedia.com

What is Founding 4 Podcast?

The Founding 4 Podcast is a women's hockey podcast hosted by Erica L. Ayala and Angelica Rodriguez. Listen to players chat about the latest news, biggest games, and history of the women's pro league.

In 2015, the National Women’s Hockey League brought the first professional women’s hockey league to the United States. The NWHL started with four founding teams: Boston Pride, Connecticut Whale, Buffalo Beauts, and the New York Riveters.

ICF_Promo_BRM
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[00:00:00]
Playing for Toronto for the past two years now. Um, very close-knit group. We're very well deserving of these titles. So in that sense, we work hard enough for it. And I think as long as we believe in each other, we're with each other all along. I think that we just know that we got a strong, full team, four lines.

Um, all of our defense, we're all strong players and we all have proven ourselves throughout the season. So, um, in terms of putting pucks in the net, we know our fourth line can do it. We know our first line can do it, so I don't think we're worried about which line is out there.

They played really similar to us. Lots of odd man rushes, quick counter attacks. Um, so I think we just need to capitalize on our opportunities.

We can't take any time off, and that's what we talked about before. And our team's used to not getting started or having a very good start, but we felt that last game we played a full, you know, 60 minutes.

So we just need to continue from there. And they know that. I mean, you don't have to tell them it's one game. Like, guys, you gotta leave everything out there. Both teams are gonna do it. Who's gonna minimize the mistakes and who's gonna capitalize on on the other team's mistakes? And so it's anybody's game.

It's just gonna be very exciting. I think it's [00:01:00] gonna be a great hockey game to watch and it'll be very entertaining.

We have a lot of support staff even and people that have been here since the beginning. So it's not just us as players, and that's kind of what makes us go around and allows us to be in the position we are.

Um, so it's awesome. I get chills talking about it right now that we're here from where we started. And even going through that weird year in the bubble, like each season's had its own obstacles, right? And we're here. So it's, it's very exciting.

Like my, um, motivation is, you know, to contribute and help this team win a title really for those girls because you know, it will mean so much to me, but it'll mean even more to them because they've been here for longer. So, you know, there's such great people off the ice. They're obviously great players on the ice, so you know, what more could you want than to you know, help win a title for such good people.

And I mean, for me, I really just wanna win. I wanna win for Bernice (Carnegie), I wanna win for Angela (James). Um, I wanna win for Ger(aldine Heaney). I wanna win for all my teammates. So in that sense, we're, we're doing it together.

You know, I came here to win a championship and I hope that we do that this year. [00:02:00] And it's just, man, it's sick to be, I just feel really grateful for the journey that I've had so far.

And, I just, I'm having a good time. I was having such a good time.

We had so many doubters coming into the game, obviously, how can you not with the eight game losing streak. So fresh mindset, reset button, and we're like, we got it. Whatever. Let's, let's go play. It's important for us to kind of band together and just be in the now be where our feet are and just play for the person next to us.

So I think that's what kind of gets us going. Like sometimes it's fun to be that little underdog, you know, you pretty much have like nothing to lose. Uh, that was, uh, that was also like a fun, you know, we know that we were the underdogs And, um, all we could do is just like work hard and play our game and stick to it for 60 minutes

To beat, you know, the number one team in, in two games and, um, you know, pretty decisively was, was really, really fun.

Um, we just, we had a ton of fun from Puck Drop to that final buzzer. And you could just. You could see it every time we scored, our celebrations were the most electric. They had been all season. And we just, you know, when the pressure rose, we did too. First game against Boston, [00:03:00] we came out flying.

And, uh, you know, I think we'll do the same here on Sunday and for whatever reason, when, um, you know, our backs are against the wall, we seem to really, um, you know, kick it into high gear. And so, you know, that's the best, or the teams that win championships are the ones that can do that. They know it's gonna be a grind.

They know it's not gonna be easy. Uh, Toronto has. Um, talented players. So we've gotta be disciplined and value some of those little things that we've been stressing all year long. Cause we can't, we can't, uh, let up at all because we'll take advantage though. They're a team that will take advantage of your mistake.

So it's just trying to, um, clean it up as much as you can, play as discipline hockey as much as you can, and then realize it's gonna be a fight every shift. It's not gonna be easy. Uh, no, we're, we're definitely excited to be back. We always want to be in this position with the opportunity to win the cup, but we're happy to be here.

I'm happy to compete, but we wanna win. So that's why we're here.

First and foremost, I think it'd be super special to share with, obviously the Minnesota as a state, but it's more specifically the Richfield community, just because they've been super loyal to us.

Um, you know, to be able to bring the cup back to the state of hockey would be, um, really meaningful and, and just, [00:04:00] just a really awesome experience. So, um, gonna hone in on that visualization.