Boston Pride raises 3rd championship banner as team prepares for new season

The commissioner of the Premier Hockey Federation will be in Brighton on Saturday evening to watch the Boston Pride raise its third championship banner ahead of starting its 2022-2023 season.

"Boston has a winning championship organization within the league," said Reagan Carey, commissioner of the league. "It'll be an opportunity to see as many people within our [Premier Hockey Federation] community and do it in a strong hockey market."

The Pride won the league title, known as the Isobel Cup, in March. They defeated the Connecticut Whale 4-2. In the league's eight seasons, the Pride have won the championship three times.

The Pride is led by team captain Jillian Dempsey, who grew up in Winthrop and is a Harvard alumna. She has been with the Pride for all three of its championship runs.

"It doesn't matter how many we've won in the past," Dempsey said. "It's a fresh start, a new season, and we want the same ultimate goal in the end."

Before the start of the season, the Pride announced Dempsey signed a contract to stay in Boston for two more years.

The Premier Hockey Federation began in 2015, then called the National Women's Hockey League. It changed its name in 2021, saying at the time that the new name "was inspired by empowerment, gender equity, and inclusivity with respect to differences in the gender identity of current athletes, prospective players, and league stakeholders."