KEEPING HER STICK ON THE ICE

CHRISTINA PUTIGNA FORGING A CAREER AS KEY MEMBER OF PHF'S BOSTON PRIDE

She thought her only shot at continuing in competitive hockey was the Olympics.

But despite a journey to an Isobel Cup three-peat that fell just short over the weekend, Grimsby's Christina Putigna is enjoying an entirely new way to showcase her skills on the ice.

"I think for a long time growing up, I knew there wasn't anything for us. And I think the highest point that I had to push myself was to be an Olympian," Putigna, the 25-year-old forward for the Premier Hockey Federation's Boston Pride, said.

As Putigna's time at Providence College was coming to an end, and potentially her competitive hockey career, she learned of a new opportunity.

"I think for me, it was it was great to know that there was another avenue to go ... There was an avenue to continue playing."

The PHF is a professional women's league that was founded in 2015. It's among the highest level of women's hockey available, and currently features seven teams in Canada and the United States. The Isobel Cup is awarded to the champs each year, and wraps up this weekend.

The Minnesota Whitecaps swept the Pride in a best-of-three series, eliminating Boston with a 4-1 win on Saturday. The Pride had won the previous two championships, and three of the six awarded in league history.

Putigna considers herself a playmaker, though she's been working on shooting more when an opening presents itself. In 24 regular season games this year, she scored nine goals and added another nine assists, a nice balance she's happy with.

Boston is an offensive powerhouse, including two of the top three scorers in the regular season this year.

Moving beyond the playoffs, Putigna said she wants to continue to develop several aspects of her game, though she'll be focusing on her speed and skating.

"I think that has always been important for me just because I'm so tall and I got to work a little bit more at

it," Putigna, who stands at five feet eight inches, said.

Her hockey career began in Grimsby, playing with the boys hockey with the Grimsby Minor Peach Kings. She then moved to Stoney Creek to play girls hockey with the Sabres and then moved on to the Oakville Junior Hornets before heading south of the border.

Putigna said her main

role model growing up was her dad, Denny. The two would spend Saturday evenings watching the Leafs and Denny would help mould his daughter into the player she later became.

Minnesota will take on the Toronto Six in the PHF final, which takes place Sunday, March 26 at 9 p.m. It's scheduled to be broadcast on TSN5.