NWHL to proceed with playoffs after COVID-19 postponement

The National Women's Hockey League postseason is back on.

Four teams will compete in the semifinals on March 26, with the winners meeting in the single-elimination Isobel Cup final the next night, the NWHL announced Monday.

The top-seeded Toronto Six will face the fourth-ranked Boston Pride, and the No. 2-slotted Minnesota Whitecaps will clash with the third-seeded Connecticut Whale.

All three games will take place at Warrior Ice Arena, the Boston Bruins' training facility in Brighton, Massachusetts. All of the matchups will be shown on NBCSN, marking the first time a major U.S. national network will broadcast women's pro hockey league championship games.

The NWHL suspended play due to COVID-19 concerns on Feb. 3 - one day before the Isobel Cup playoffs were slated to begin. The league opened an abbreviated 2021 campaign in an isolated environment on Jan. 23 in Lake Placid, New York, but the Metropolitan Riveters withdrew from the bubble five days later following multiple positive tests. The Whale did the same on Feb. 1 despite having clinched a playoff spot.

The league will employ "enhanced health and safety protocols and enforcement" upon resuming play.

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