Sceptres coach Ryan ‘unhappy’ but not discouraged after another early PWHL playoff exit [Video]

Toronto Sceptres head coach Troy Ryan says his team has learned just how tough it is to win.

The Sceptres fell 4-3 in overtime on Wednesday to lose their best-of-five semifinal against the defending Walter Cup champion Minnesota Frost in four games. It’s the second consecutive year Toronto lost to Minnesota in the semifinals despite being the higher seed entering the playoffs.

“Winning is not easy,” Ryan said at the team’s end-of-season press conference on Friday. “If I’ve learned anything through some of my time at the national team level, sometimes it’s taken for granted. It’s never easy.

“And I think this group, probably through some hard lessons, are learning that it’s not easy to win, and you’ve got to invest your time in well before it’s ever a playoff time to be, you know, putting yourself in a situation where you can have success.”

Toronto finished second in the …