Rink Rule: Charge vs. Frost

ST. PAUL — The Minnesota Frost celebrated Goalie Appreciation Night on a frigid evening at Xcel Energy Center hoping to break a modest losing skid. Instead, the Ottawa Charge (5-0-2-5) scored a goal early and held on for a 1-0 victory in front of 4,165 fans Tuesday night.

Here are five rules from the Frost’s (4-3-2-4) second shutout loss of the season:

1. Ottawa Charge rookie goaltender Gwyneth Philips earns a shutout for her first PWHL win in her third career game.

Gwyneth Philips worked so hard in her first career professional victory – a shutout, too – that her hand started cramping up in the middle of the postgame press conference, prompting coach Carla MacLeod to say: “we’ve got to get this kid some water. Some electrolytes maybe.”

But in all seriousness, the coach offered high praise for the 24-year-old goaltender out of Northeastern University.

“What’s been so impressive, from our perspective, how she’s just stepped in with confidence,” MacLeod said. “And this is a tough league. It doesn’t matter who you are.”

Philips made 22 saves and kept Minnesota off the scoresheet completely, helping her team hold onto a 1-0 lead for nearly the entire game after Brianne Jenner scored her first of the season less than five minutes into the contest.

Philips is the first rookie goalie in PWHL history to earn a shutout in her first professional season.

Philips said she’s still “feeling things out” in the league.”

“Little taps from my teammates telling me, ‘hey, I’m playing the puck well,’ and just that little reassurance goes a long way to build my confidence,” Philips said. “I let my teammates know how important that is to me.”

2. Minnesota celebrates Goalie Appreciation Night.

Perhaps the biggest showing of appreciation Frost starting goaltender Maddie Rooney could have gotten in the game was her teammates picking her up and scoring a goal so she didn’t get saddled with her second loss of the season.

Still, Frost players showed love for their goalies before the game, too, sporting various Nicole Hensley and Rooney hockey jerseys during their walk-ins to the arena. The team shared content of the walk-ins via social media. For example, Taylor Heise sported a red-white-and-blue Rooney jersey – wearing it backward so Rooney’s name appeared in the front – posing for a photo while making the shape of a heart with her hands.

Britta Curl-Salemme went a step further, wearing No. 29 Hensley goalie helmet – “bold of her to put on a goalie helmet,” said forward Kelly Pannek – while sporting a USA Hockey Rooney jersey, also worn backward.

Despite taking the loss after giving up an early tally, Rooney made 18 saves and still lowered her goals-against average this season to 1.85, which leads the PWHL.

“Hopefully they feel appreciated every night,” Pannek said. “Today, our goaltender played well, we just couldn’t get one or two in there to be on the other side of this game.

“I think in general our goalies have been great. … Definitely the backbone of our team.”

The Frost also welcomed U.S. Blind Hockey goaltender Evie Jones to announce the team’s starting lineup.

All three goaltenders – Hensley, Rooney and Lucy Morgan – signed autographs for fans postgame.

3. The Frost have lost a season-high three games in a row, two consecutive defeats in regulation.

After the Frost won the Takeover Tour game in Denver – a 4-2 decision over Montreal on Jan. 12 – the Frost have gone on a three-game skid with a shootout loss and now back-to-back regulation losses. Minnesota lost a seven-round shootout 3-2 in New York on Jan. 15 to earn a point in the standings.

The Frost have since fallen out of first place after losing 4-2 at Montreal on Jan. 17 and then the 1-0 loss to Ottawa, the second shutout loss for the Frost this month on home ice. Minnesota is three points back of Montreal (23 points), and Montreal has two games in hand.

While the Frost are still doing good things, getting pucks to the net and generating scoring chances, they’re having some “bad puck luck right now,” said coach Ken Klee.

“It’s hard to say exactly what it is,” Klee said. “We’re trying. It’s not like we’re not putting shots to the net. It’s not like we’re not battling and getting to the front of the net. We just need to continue to do that.

“And that’s hockey sometimes. It’s tough, and it’s not fair. But that’s the way it goes.”

Pannek said the team did a nice job in the second and third periods Tuesday getting to the front of the net, something they discussed in the locker room.

“Every team has great goaltending in this league,” Pannek said. “So, you have to make it really hard for them. Sometimes it comes down to a bounce.

4. Top Frost forwards Grace Zumwinkle and Dominique Petrie are still out with upper-body injuries.

Forward Grace Zumwinkle missed her sixth game after an upper-body injury knocked her out of the Jan. 2 game. She’s been considered day-to-day ever since. Dominique Petrie, who got off to a fast start with three goals in four games, was placed on LTIR with an upper-body injury and last played on Dec. 19.

Though the Frost still have a deep roster of players, any time top forwards out of the lineup for a significant amount of time, it’s likely to be an absence that’s felt on the ice and on the scoresheet. Klee said “it’s hard to tell” if they’re close to returning to the lineup.

“They still haven’t really fully practiced yet,” Klee said. “So, I think this next little bit here, I think we’ve got three straight practices. So, I’m hopeful that at least one of them will get back into a regular color [jersey] for practice and be able to practice. And then we can start talking about them coming back.”

The Frost’s next game is 2 p.m. Sunday at home against the Boston Fleet.

5. Taylor Heise had a game-high 5 shots on goal.

Heise centered the top line Tuesday with Kendall Coyne Schofield and Curl-Salemme. Though Heise didn’t add to her points total this season (two goals, 10 points in 12 games), she tied her season-high mark of five shots on goal. Klee said it was one of the better games Heise’s played.

“She was on pucks and working and creating plays,” Klee said.