Surely the Swedes weren’t going to fully surrender that lead, even when Czechia scored a pair of extra-attacker goals?

“We all knew we were going to end up on top,” said defenseman Sascha Boumedienne. “We just had that feeling together. We just stuck together.”

The Swedes indeed stuck together, surviving that last-minute push from its opponent and defeated Czechia 4-2 to win the gold medal at the 2026 World Junior Championship in front of a crowd of 9,753 Monday night at Grand Casino Arena. Earlier in the evening, Canada won the bronze medal with a 6-3 win over Finland.

Sascha Boumedienne and Jack Berglund embrace in the postgame celebration on the ice at Grand Casino Arena. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Sweden and Czechia also met for a medal in the 2025 World Junior Championship, with Czechia earning the bronze in a shootout.

In 50 years of the World Junior Championship, it’s the third time Sweden has won the gold medal, also winning in 1981 and 2012. Many players on the current Sweden roster were probably too young to remember that last gold medal for the country. Sweden also took silver in 2024, losing to the United States when the tournament was held in Gothenburg, Sweden.

“It’s special,” Boumedienne said. “This is the tournament everyone’s been watching since they were really, really small. It’s the third time we’ve done it, and being part of this group who did it is unreal.”

Though the result wasn’t the ultimate prize for Czechia, the program has shown consistent success in recent WJCs. Czechia won a medal for the fourth year in a row, bookended with two silvers and adding two bronze medals in between.

“It just says that even as a small country, we have great hockey players, and they are progressing,” said Czechia coach Patrik Augusta. “When we choose them to national teams, they represent the country and they do it very [well] the last four years.”

Their last gold medal in the tournament came back in 2001. Augusta told his players after Monday’s game to be proud and that they had a great tournament, even though they finished a little short of the ultimate prize.

“But before the tournament, if somebody would have told us that we would win the silver medal, we would take it,” Augusta said. “Our dreams were higher… hopefully if we work hard, we’ll get another chance.”

In Monday’s gold-medal game, Sweden, as the team had been throughout the tournament, was just too good for Czechia. Sweden went a perfect 7-0 in preliminary play and the medal round combined.

“They’re just so skilled with the puck,” said Czechia forward Adam Benak. “They skate good.

“Congrats to them, they played very well today.”  

Sweden was in control throughout the game, eventually doubling up Czechia in shots on goal at one point as it built a lead that eventually went to 3-0 before Czechia’s late rally.

Sweden’s Casper Juustovaara and Jack Berglund celebrate a shorthanded goal to give Sweden a 1-0 lead. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

The first period was scoreless for about 15 minutes until Sweden capitalized with a shorthanded goal that also came on a delayed penalty. Sweden’s Casper Juustovaara had his stick slashed out of his hands at the Czechia blue line, drawing the call. But he picked up his lumber, then went to the front of the net while his team possessed the puck. Jack Berglund had the puck behind the net and fed Juustovaara, who had a wide-open net to bury the puck after Czechia goaltender Michal Orsulak was out of position after making an earlier save.

Sweden seemed to get better as the game went on, with a stifling forecheck and defense, not allowing much time or space for Czechia. Sweden doubled its lead about halfway through the second period on a power-play goal from Victor Eklund as he buried the puck on a backdoor rebound.

“I think Sweden played better from the beginning,” Augusta said. “Our legs weren’t going. It took a lot of energy out of us, the game against Canada. Not even physique but mentally, too, and emotions.”

Through two periods, Czechia trailed 2-0 and was getting outshot 28-11.

Sweden made it 3-0 less than four minutes into the third period with what turned out to be the only five-on-five goal of the game and the eventual game-winner. Boumedienne didn’t miss on his shot from the circle on a feed from Ivar Stenberg along the blue line.

Time continued to tick away without a Czechia goal. But with 3:20 left in regulation and an offensive-zone faceoff looming, Czechia pulled the goalie for an extra attacker. They cycled the puck and got on the board 56 seconds later with a goal from Adam Jiricek.

Then it became a one-goal game with 23.3 seconds remaining as Matej Kubiesa’s fluttering shot up high hit the back of the net to make it 3-2. Czechia took a timeout with tying the game suddenly very much in play.

But Stenberg, who already had two assists, scored an empty-netter with exactly eight seconds on the clock to figuratively put the gold medals around the necks of Sweden players. The Sweden bench was a mob of yellow jerseys jumping up and down together before Stenberg also joined the pile.

“That was nice. Really nice,” Stenberg said. “That’s something you dream about… I’m so happy. That goal was really nice.”

Czechia forward Adam Benak finished the tournament with eight points. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Minnesota Wild prospect Benak wins silver medal with Czechia
Benak, an 18-year-old forward, had one shot on goal and drew an interference penalty after taking a hit along the boards in the second period of Monday’s game. He was one of two Minnesota Wild prospects in the tournament, having been selected in the fourth round (102nd overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft.

Benak scored a goal and seven assists and was a plus-4 in six games during the tournament.

One of his best games was in the semifinal 6-4 victory over Canada. He put Czechia ahead 3-2 in the final minute of the second period with his goal, plus he added a pair of assists in the game. Without hesitation, Benak said that victory over Canada was amazing and his stand-out memory from the tournament.

“I’ve never been that happy like ever,” Benak said. “It was such a good feeling. Sadly, it didn’t happen tonight, but I’m super proud.”

Gallery: WJC Gold-Medal Game Czechia vs. Sweden

The post Skilled Sweden Wins Gold appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

It started with a complete one-goal game between Sweden and Finland. Offense, great goaltending and a close contest throughout that didn’t get a result until a shootout.

“Two outstanding teams playing there,” said Finland captain Aron Kiviharju. “I am 100% sure that everybody watching this game today, whether you were here or from the television or whatever it was, I think this was one of the craziest hockey games I’ve ever witnessed.”

The afternoon semifinal between Sweden and Finland needed a shootout to decide which team would move on to the gold-medal game on Monday. Sweden’s Anton Frondell scored in the eighth round of the shootout for the 4-3 victory over Finland.

Sweden returns to the gold-medal game for the first time since 2024 when it lost to the United States. They’ll face Czechia, which defeated Canada 6-4 in the second semifinal. Meanwhile, Finland will play for a bronze medal Monday.

Kiviharju recorded an assist in the semifinal loss to Sweden. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

“It’s unfinished business, that’s it,” Kiviharju said. “We’re going to take care that we get the bronze medal. Just try to figure out a way.”

Kiviharju, a 19-year-old defenseman, is captain of the Finland team, and he’s a fourth-round draft pick of the Minnesota Wild. The NHL club selected him 122nd overall in the fourth round of the 2024 NHL Draft. He was also on the Finland squad that lost the gold-medal game to the United States in the 2025 World Junior Championship; Kiviharju had three assists in seven games in that tournament.

Sunday’s game against Sweden was a rematch of last year’s semifinals, which also went beyond regulation and finished with a 4-3 result. In 2025, Finland prevailed with 38 seconds left in overtime.

This year, Kiviharju spoke after the semifinal loss about what a privilege and honor it is to wear the Finland jersey, represent his country and wear the “C” as the captain.

“That’s the thing you dream of when you’re a kid watching these games,” Kiviharju said. “To get to represent the country you’ve grown up in, the country you love…

“Plus that, wearing a “C” letter on your chest, it’s a huge honor. I try to do everything, every day to make it worth it.”

This year’s semifinal at Grand Casino Arena was filled with exciting hockey and remained a one-goal game until the end. Sweden took a 1-0 lead only 36 seconds into the game when Linus Eriksson’s shot popped off the Finland goaltender Petteri Rimpinen’s glove and into the net.

But later in the period, Finland tied the game on a long shot by Atte Joki. Kiviharju assisted on the play.

Sweden regained the lead early in the second period, just 1 minute, 20 seconds in, on a delayed Finland penalty when a shot from the slot made it through traffic. Don’t blink, because Finland responded only 50 seconds later with a favorable-bounce goal when a puck came down from high in the air, settling behind Sweden’s goaltender Love Harenstam and ending up in the net.

Sweden grabbed its third one-goal lead by the second intermission later in the period when Eddie Genborg scored. This one came on a play with a favorable bounce for Sweden. But Finland tied the game 3-3 with about six minutes left in regulation when Joona Saarelainen pounced on a rebound in front and settled the bouncing puck into the net.

Kiviharju gets tangled with a Sweden player in Sunday’s semifinal game at Grand Casino Arena. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Finland forced overtime, which almost seemed fitting for such an exciting game. The format is three-on-three for 10 minutes, followed by a five-round, and then sudden-death, shootout.

Sweden looked like the more aggressive team in the overtime period. Viggo Bjorck alone had four grade-A scoring chances, usually on breakaways. But he was also called for a slashing minor penalty with 2:03 left in overtime. The four-on-three power play for Finland took over in the offensive zone for nearly the entire man advantage. But they put on a passing clinic rather than attempt to pepper the net with shots.

The two notable chances for Finland both came from Kiviharju. With 1:18 left, his shot found the glove of Harenstam. Then with 35.2 remaining in the overtime, Kiviharju clinked a shot off the crossbar, looking toward the rafters knowing what might have been.

Finland had its opportunity to end the game, but instead it went to a shootout. One player from each team scored in the five rounds. Then after two unsuccessful rounds, Frondell scored the winning goal for Sweden.

“Not the result we wanted, not the ending we wanted, but at the end of the day, it was, it was a hell of a hockey game,” Kiviharju said. “You got to give credit to Sweden. They did their job really well. Obviously they, I think, deserved to win.

“At the end of the day, you get a respected team that comes out with the win and they figure out a way to do it tonight.”

Gallery: WJC Semifinal Finland vs. Sweden

The post Swede Shootout Win appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Zellers has four goals and two assists in the first three games of round-robin play at the 50th annual World Junior Championship, playing in his home state at Grand Casino Arena.

“It’s so cool to be in this position now and know that I’ve always dreamed of playing in this tournament,” Zellers said, following USA’s 6-5 win over Slovakia in the preliminary round Monday. “Growing up, I wanted to play in the World Juniors before I wanted to play in the Olympics.

“That’s how big this tournament, how much it means to us. It’s just so special to be on this team, especially, it’s so much fun having it in Minnesota, too.”

Zellers, a Maple Grove native, takes a little extra pride in the prestigious tournament not only being held in the United States but also only minutes from where he grew up. Zellers is one of a few USA players with Minnesota connections, whether it be their home state or where they’re playing college hockey. He added that they’re feeding off the atmosphere and hometown support.

He noticed a kid during warm-ups who was wearing a Maple Grove sweatshirt, and of course he also has plenty of family and friends around supporting him.

“It’s so special to know you’re backed by kids that you were in their shoes not too long ago,” Zellers said. “It for sure motivates us and adds fuel to the fire and gives us for sure an extra step having 20,000 people have our backs.”

USA opened the tournament with a 6-3 win over Germany, followed by a 2-1 win over Switzerland the next night.

Against Slovakia, USA found itself in a 2-0 hole after the first period after an even-strength and power-play goal 2:22 apart. USA had no choice but to climb out of it in the final two periods, and they started with a four-goal second period.

Brendan McMorrow celebrates his goal against Slovakia to make it a one-goal game on Dec. 29, 2025 at Grand Casino Arena. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Zellers’ linemate Brendan McMorrow slid a perfect pass over to AJ Spellacy off a two-on-one rush. Spellacy’s tap-in goal came shorthanded to get USA on the board just 1 minute, 50 seconds into the second period. McMorrow added his own goal to cut into the deficit again, for a 3-2 game.

McMorrow is from Lakeville, Minn., noting that he grew up “30 minutes down the road.” He has a lot of family attending the tournament, and it’s been fun to play in front of them, he added. USA coach Bob Motzko noted the Minnesota support from over the weekend, saying “the whole city of Lakeville was here.”

“I think in that first game, we came out and we were all just looking around just smiling, how cool it was. Towels waving and stuff,” McMorrow said. “With the crowd behind us, it definitely boosts us a little bit. And it’s been really fun so far to have this tournament in Minnesota, in our country.”

With the game tied 4-4 through two periods, USA got off to a fast start in the third which proved to be the difference. James Hagens put them up 5-4 only 18 seconds into the period. Then Zellers scored a power-play goal within the first five minutes for insurance that turned out to be a very important tally.

He got a pass from Brodie Ziemer, USA’s captain from Chaska, Minn. who plays college hockey for the Minnesota Gophers, on the backdoor. Zellers was left alone, and he didn’t miss his shot.

“Zellers gets another one,” Motzko said. “I heard it was his third game-winner already. Those greasy goals, he finds a way to get them.”

Will Zellers winds up to shoot the puck past Slovakia defenders on Dec. 29, 2025 at Grand Casino Arena. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Zellers is just the latest Maple Grove product to shine at the WJC. He watched Brock Faber, current Minnesota defenseman, play in the 2021 and 2022 tournaments, winning gold in 2021. Last year, Zellers saw his friend and Maple Grove native and defenseman Colin Ralph win the gold medal at the WJC. Zellers and Ralph grew up together, and both played at Shattuck-St. Mary’s.

Contributing to his team on this level, on the big stage of the WJC is something Zellers said his 10-year-old self probably wouldn’t think is real and would be “freaking out a little bit.”

“You never know at that age how far you’re going to go in hockey,” Zellers said.

He added that he wasn’t the best in hockey at that age, wasn’t on the top teams, making the position he’s in now even more special.

His scoring spree started this fall at the University of North Dakota, where he’s tallied 10 goals and 15 points in 18 games so far as a freshman. Not much has changed with his game, Zellers said, but he feels like the biggest thing is he has more confidence. More production on the ice certainly helps confidence rise, too.

“Every player in this tournament is so good,” Zellers said. “I feel like one of the biggest things that separates a good player form a great player is just the confidence that you get from playing and the confidence that you get from coaches.

“I feel like once you start questioning yourself, that’s when things go south, so just making sure I know that I can pay here and I belong here.”

Gallery: WJC Preliminary Round Slovakia vs. USA

The post Home-Ice Production appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

But the reality of winning last year’s championship hasn’t fully set in, let alone the idea of two titles.

“The fact that we went back-to-back definitely hasn’t hit me yet,” said Rooney, amid the Walter Cup Championship celebration on May 28 on the floor of Xcel Energy Center. “But how cool that years from now, we’ll be able to look back and see our name in the history books as the only team to ever win it within the original six. It’s just so special to be a part of history like this.”

Rooney was one hero of the Minnesota Frost’s Walter Cup Finals series against the Ottawa Charge, making 33 saves in Game 4 on Monday at Xcel Energy Center to earn her fifth consecutive postseason win. All four games were identical in two ways: Each finished in overtime with 2-1 scores. The Frost dropped Game 1 in Ottawa before winning the next three to take the best-of-five series 3-1.

Kelly Pannek hands the Walter Cup to goaltender Maddie Rooney during the on-ice celebration after Game 4. Rooney made 30+ saves in three consecutive starts and finished the postseason with a 1.75 goals-against average and .932 save percentage. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

The win brings the total number of professional women’s hockey championships to three in Minnesota. The Whitecaps won the Isobel Cup in the 2018-19 season during Minnesota’s first year in the then-NWHL, the women’s professional hockey league at the time.

Liz Schepers, for the second year in a row, scored the championship-winning goal for Minnesota. She scored 12 minutes into overtime, getting a couple of whacks at the puck to put it past Ottawa goaltender, and Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP winner, Gwyneth Philips.

“That series was a grind. It took everything we had, and then some,” said Schepers, at the Walter Cup Celebration two days after winning the Cup. “Mentally, physically, it was really difficult, and that’s a tip of our cap to Ottawa because they played a great series.”

The Frost trailed for most of the series, needing to tie the game to force overtime and then getting the wins. After dropping Game 1 (Minnesota is 0-4 all-time to open playoff series) early in overtime, the Frost were in danger of staring at a 0-2 series deficit before Britta Curl-Salemme tied Game 2 with 15.4 seconds left and then also getting the overtime winner at 16:24.

Minnesota brought the series home tied at a game apiece, with a chance to clinch on home ice. Game 3 turned into a marathon and the third-longest game in PWHL history at 109:57. Katy Knoll was the hero in that game, scoring at 9:57 in the third overtime to give the Frost a 2-1 series lead.

A year ago, Minnesota thought they’d won the Cup in Game 4 before the goal was called off for goaltender interference. So, Minnesota settled for winning on the road in Boston. This time, the only team to reach both PWHL Finals finished the job at home so it could celebrate on home ice with festive fanfare and confetti in front of family, friends and a season-high attendance mark of 11,024 fans.

Liz Schepers (No. 21) scored the game-winning goals in both of Minnesota’s championship-clinching games in 2024 and 2025. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

“There was a different hero every single night,” Schepers said. “I think that’s just the difference. We had the confidence, and we’d been there before. We trusted our room a lot. Trusted our depth, obviously. And it paid off.”

Similar story to a year ago
Beyond the obvious similarities – like Schepers netting the game-winning goals and Minnesota winning the championship again as the fourth-place team – Minnesota also kept a similar mindset as it squeaked into the playoffs on the final day of the regular season.

The common refrain from Minnesota players and coach Ken Klee going back to last spring was that the belief they had in each other, in the team, was always there. No matter the stats, opponent or facing a series deficit. Rooney said it was that confidence, belief and grit that helped the Frost win the tightest series they’ve been in with the four-peat of 2-1 games.

“Never a doubt all season long, even when our backs were up against the wall,” Rooney said. “The culture of this group, it just allowed us to prevail in those tough moments.”  

Last season, Minnesota played out the ultimate underdog script on the way to the inaugural Walter Cup Championship after going 0-5 to end the regular season and backing into the playoffs. They followed that was two shutout losses in the first round before winning three in a row. They upset Boston in a five-game series to win the title.

Liz Schepers skates with the Walter Cup above her head to celebrate being back-to-back champions. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

The Frost didn’t go into a losing skid at the end of the regular season this time, but goal scoring dried up for a time, and they were staring at another scenario of possibly missing the playoffs in the final couple of regular-season games. But they made it, again.

“There’s definitely a lot of parallels you can draw, right?” Schepers said, during the Cup celebration. “Making it at the last minute, being that fourth seed, underdog mentality. Going into the playoffs winning a couple games felt really nice this year compared to last season.

“But our work ethic stayed the same. Our core group knew how hard it was going to be to win. We were able to bring our new girls along with that, and they bought in and there was never a doubt that once we got in that we were really going to make a push. Really happy to do it again.”

Minnesota returned 16 players this season from its championship team last year, including captain Kendall Coyne Schofield, 2024 Playoff MVP Taylor Heise, defender Lee Stecklein (leading scorer in the 2025 playoffs with four goals and four assists in eight games) and Michela Cava, a forward who’s now won five consecutive professional hockey championships with four different teams.

From controversy to a championship defense
The offseason was mired in controversy just days after the celebrating the inaugural championship, as the league in its words “parted ways” with first-year Minnesota general manager and now Hockey Hall of Famer, Natalie Darwitz. The 2024-25 season started with a new general manager in Melissa Caruso and the return of coach Klee. The initial media day in mid-November was the first chance players had to publicly address the controversy that hung over the offseason.

“Those were league decisions,” Coyne Schofield said. “We’re here, and we’re here to play hockey. We’re here to defend our title.”

Minnesota players – with a fresh new nickname and logo this season – looked ahead to the upcoming PWHL season as a chance to defend their championship.

“I just feel like we’ll kind of have a chip on our shoulder knowing teams are going to want to get a little bit of revenge on us from last year,” Cava said, at Frost media day. “I think it’s going to be a lot of fun to go out there and show everybody that we’re back, and we’re hungry for another championship.”

The Minnesota Frost raised a championship banner before their home opener on Dec. 1, 2024. (Photo courtesy of PWHL)

Minnesota’s season started by raising a championship banner to the rafters of Xcel Energy Center, something that hasn’t been done in the 25-year history of the arena. They got off to a fast start and seemed to pick up where they left off, winning four of their first five games to keep them around the top of the standings.

They played six of their nine January games at Xcel Energy Center and went 2-3-1-3 (W-OTW-OTL-L) in January. One of the regulation losses was a 5-0 shutout to the New York Sirens on home ice Jan. 4 with a unique goaltending situation after illness had spread through the Frost locker room around the holiday break. After Nicole Hensley was injured in warmups, then-reserve Lucy Morgan got the nod for her first PWHL start, while Rooney – still feeling ill – had to rush to the rink from her suburban home to serve as the backup.

Checkmark for adversity.

The Frost had other tough stretches, struggling defensively in a lopsided, 8-3 loss at Ottawa on Feb. 13. Though the Frost led the league in goal scoring during the regular season with 85 goals, it also went through some offensive dry spells later in the season in March. The Frost scored only four total goals during a three-game losing skid from March 11-26. There was a period where scoring more than two goals a game was a struggle.

The Sirens, a team that had the Frost’s number, shut out Minnesota 2-0 on April 27, leaving the Frost needing two wins and some help to reach the postseason.

Team effort
Like last year, Minnesota dispatched higher-seed Toronto in the semifinals to give itself a shot at defending its championship.

It took everyone, up and down the lineup, to make that happen. Knoll will remember how well the team came together.

“I think that is very unique, but looking back at it, it’s very common for championship teams,” Knoll said. “The teams that win championships need everyone to participate. You don’t have only five or six players going when you win a championship. You have everyone going.

“The way that the group came together after that Worlds (international) break when we needed to most, it was do-or-die. We were almost not going to make the playoffs. To turn it around and make the playoffs with two must-win games and then to have then run we did, it was exceptional, and I’m just so proud of the group.”

The Frost played five consecutive overtime games to end their season, going 4-1 in those games with overtime winners scored by Heise, Curl-Salemme, Knoll and Schepers.

The reality of winning the championship hadn’t sunk in yet for Knoll either at the Cup celebration, though she figured it might as time marches on, especially knowing it’s officially the offseason.

“I think it’ll start to stink in a little bit more,” Knoll said. “Just kind of trying to be a sponge, enjoy the moment, absorb everything. Nothing’s guaranteed in the future. This is the top level of women’s hockey. We’ve reached the top, and that’s so great.

“Enjoying it while we can, because it’s not guaranteed to happen again.”

The Minnesota Frost poses for a team photo with the Walter Cup. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson).

Gallery: PWHL Finals Game 4, Charge vs. Frost
Gallery: PWHL Finals, Walter Cup Championship Celebration

The post Back-To-Back Champs appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

“Because I didn’t see her come off the ice,” Heise said. “I hopped the bench, and Grace (Zumwinkle) is great with puck possession. She came around, dished it to me up high. I kind of gave a shot fake, was hoping I’d get someone to bite.”

Heise took her shot, with teammate Brooke McQuigge screening the goaltender, and ended up with the winning goal with four minutes left in overtime. She picked a perfect time to score her first goal of the playoffs, helping to secure a 4-3 Frost victory over Toronto in front of 3,107 fans Wednesday night at Xcel Energy Center.

Minnesota won the series and advances to the Walter Cup Finals.

The goal celebration brought Taylor Heise to her knees after scoring her first goal of the playoffs with four minutes left in overtime against Toronto on Wednesday night. Britta Curl-Salemme skates over to greet her. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Heise celebrated her winning goal by throwing her arms in the air, then a quick pound on the glass before dropping to her knees and coasting toward center ice as her Frost teammates poured off the bench for the celebratory mob.

“I don’t really know what I was doing, to be honest with you,” Heise said. “Obviously the relief of how hard we worked. In an elimination game, it’s really hard to end a team’s season, especially one that’s been doing so well.”

Her goal means Minnesota will have a shot to repeat as Walter Cup Champions. After dropping Game 1 in Toronto, the Frost won the next three games in the best-of-five series to give them a 3-1 series victory and reach the Walter Cup Finals in back-to-back seasons. Last year’s runner-up, the Boston Fleet, didn’t make the playoffs this year.

“It’s just a testament to the group,” said Minnesota coach Ken Klee. “We have a young group, but we also have a veteran group.”

The Frost await the winner of the Ottawa/Montreal series. As the lowest seed, Minnesota will start the Finals on the road.

Though this semifinal series didn’t go the distance like last year, Minnesota once again upset higher-seed Toronto in the PWHL semifinals. Last year, No. 4 Minnesota overcame a 0-2 series deficit to beat top-seed Toronto.

Winners on home ice
Wednesday, the Frost capitalized on a chance to clinch a series on home ice for the first time. Minnesota, which is now 3-0 in playoff series with a 9-5 record, won two Game 5s on the road last season. The Frost won Game 4 in overtime, sticking to its pattern; both Game 4s for Minnesota last season needed double overtime to decide a winner.

The Frost also trailed all night until Heise’s series-clinching goal. Toronto took a 2-0 lead about halfway through the second period in a game that started out with very few shots on goal. The Frost weren’t as sharp as they have been, making a few uncharacteristic mistakes, Klee said.

The Minnesota Frost are 2-for-2 in making the Walter Cup Finals. They beat Toronto in the semifinals in 2024 and 2025 to get there. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

“But at the end of the day, found a way to win,” Klee said. “That’s the biggest thing. Playoffs, you’ve got to find ways to win every night. And a big credit to our squad for doing that.”

The Frost squad got contributions from some of their leaders on the top two lines, too. Kendall Coyne Schofield scored a pair of momentum-swinging goals, including the tying goal that helped send the game to overtime.

That 2-0 lead didn’t last long for the Sceptres. Just 14 seconds, in fact. It was a shot from Heise through traffic, one of her game-high six shots on goal in the game, and it was initially announced as her goal before it was later changed to Coyne Schofield’s first tally of the playoffs, as she was parked in front of the net and deflected the puck.

The Frost weren’t done, tying the game with 1 minute, 12 seconds left in the second period as Kelly Pannek tipped down a McQuigge shot in front of the crease for her first goal of the playoffs.

Toronto was back in front by a goal just 58 seconds into the third period on a shot from Emma Maltais. But Coyne Schofield had a great backdoor effort on a rebound to tie the game 3-3 with 8:33 remaining in regulation.

“I don’t think we were quite as happy with our first and second (periods),” Heise said. “Obviously when you get scored on first, it’s hard. But I think for us, we came back with a vengeance and a fire in the second and the third.”

Kendall Coyne Schofield had her first career playoff multi-goal game with a pair of goals for the Frost in Game 4. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

The Frost kept the environment loose in the locker room at intermission following the end of regulation. The mentality was “’someone put the puck in the net; we don’t care who it is,’” Heise said.

“Just keeping it light and realizing we’re here for a reason, and we love the game,” Heise said. “That’s why it’s fun, is when we go out there and have fun, you can tell it’s a better game.”

In overtime, Toronto pressured and had scoring chances as it looked to extend its season. Though they led throughout, Renata Fast said she never felt like the game slipped away.

“I thought it was a tight game that whole way through,” Fast said. “Even when we were up 2-0, it was still a tight game. I thought we competed hard the entire game and had our looks and had our chances.

“It just didn’t go our way.”

Despite recording six shots on goal, one off her season-high, Heise said she also probably missed the net three times leading up to the eventual winner. She was fueled by the belief her teammates had in her when she returned to the bench.

“I had three or four people tapping me on the back saying, ‘you got this, you practice for this, you do all the things that you do, get out there and shoot the puck with pride and focus,’” Heise said. “I think the last one, just waited it out a little bit.”

Goalie swaps and scoring depth
Both teams switched starters in net from Game 3 to Game 4. Nicole Hensley, who made 34 saves in the Game 1 loss, tapped in for Maddie Rooney, who won two games but gave up five goals on 23 shots in Game 3. Though they’ve been a tandem, Toronto also swapped in Carly Jackson (CJ) for Kristen Campbell, who allowed 12 goals on 49 shots over games 2 and 3.

“Putting CJ in goal for that game is, to some extent, potentially putting her in a real tough situation,” said Toronto coach Troy Ryan. “I thought CJ really answered the call and gave us an opportunity to win.”

Nicole Hensley makes a sprawling pad save to keep the game alive. She made 26 saves in the victory Wednesday. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Wednesday, Hensley stopped 26 shots and Jackson made 22 saves in her second career PWHL game. This game also was the first in PWHL history without any penalties called, so the goaltenders didn’t have to face the opponent’s potent power play.

No matter who’s in the net, the Frost continued to show their scoring depth in the series. In four games, Minnesota had 11 players score at least one goal and 15 players with at least one point. Heise leads the Frost with seven points in the playoffs, including a team-high six assists. Michela Cava scored three goals and five points; she also forced a turnover that led to the Frost’s first goal Wednesday. Coyne Schofield recorded four points in the series.

Three of the top-10 Frost scoring leaders are on the blue line, too. Lee Stecklein had her five-game point streak snapped when she didn’t get on the scoresheet in Game 4, but she’s been the hottest player at the end of the regular season and the playoffs, scoring three goals and three assists in the series. Sophie Jaques also hasn’t been shy about sending the puck toward the net or setting up her teammates. She assisted on the last tying and winning goals Wednesday, bringing her scoring numbers to four assists along with her two goals. It was also her third-straight multi-point game, a new career-high.

Jaques’ D partner, Mellissa Channell-Watkins, also had an assist in Game 4, bringing her point streak to three games with a goal and three assists.

Minnesota Frost forward Brooke McQuigge reacts with a smile after seeing Taylor Heise’s shot get past Toronto goaltender Carly Jackson in overtime. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

“I think it took everybody tonight, as it did this entire series,” Coyne Schofield said. “And that’s what it’s going to take moving forward.”

The Frost will enjoy a few extra days of rest at home before hitting the road again for the Finals. Should Toronto have prevailed in Game 4, the Frost were set to head back to Toronto at 7 a.m. Thursday for the winner-take-all Game 5.

There’s certainly relief that it wasn’t necessary.

“We’ve been on the road quite a bit this season,” Coyne Schofield said. “So, I think just that mental reset as much as a physical reset to be here for a couple days is going to help us.

“Our mindset, we can’t relax, we can’t let off the gas. We’re still in playoff mode. But to take advantage of this time that we’ve earned and to reset and refocus and wait to see what’s next.”

What’s next, Minnesota hopes, is winning another Walter Cup Championship.

Gallery: PWHL Semifinals Game 4, Sceptres vs. Frost

The post Winning Frost Warning appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

After dropping Game 1 in the PWHL semifinals to the Toronto Sceptres 3-2, the Frost won Games 2 and 3 behind a barrage of goal scoring, winning 5-3 and then 7-5 in front of an announced crowd of 3,917 fans Sunday evening at Xcel Energy Center.

That Game 3 final score is more common to see in a tennis set rather than a typical low-scoring playoff hockey game.

“I think it’s a fan’s dream and a coach’s nightmare, a 7-5 playoff game,” said Frost coach Ken Klee. “But you know what? We found a way to win, and that’s the most important thing.”

Frost coach Ken Klee said he hadn’t “really been apart of a game like that before,” of Sunday’s Game 3 with a 7-5 final score, in favor of Minnesota. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Indeed, the victory puts the Frost in a good position, up 2-1 in the best-of-five series. The teams will meet for Game 4 at 6 p.m. Wednesday in St. Paul, with the Frost having an opportunity to close out the series by upsetting Toronto for a second consecutive year.

The Frost, which struggled to score goals at times down the stretch, have pumped in 25 goals over their last five games since they were shut out 2-0 by last-place New York in the Frost’s last regular-season home game on April 27. That offensive production has helped Minnesota win four of their last five games, including two must-wins on the road to help make the playoffs, followed by back-to-back wins against Toronto, the second-place team in the six-team PWHL standings.

Highest-scoring PWHL game ever
Their latest offensive outburst turned into a race to the finish as Toronto and Minnesota were part of the highest-scoring game in PWHL history in Game 3. Minnesota got out to a quick 3-0 lead by the 7:48 mark of the first period, before Toronto even had a shot on goal, causing Toronto coach Troy Ryan to call timeout and settle things down.

Frost fourth-line center Liz Schepers got in alone with goaltender Kristen Campbell and didn’t miss, scoring just 2 minutes, 33 seconds into the game. Schepers had just two goals in 27 games in the regular season, but she was also a catalyst for Minnesota’s playoff run last year, scoring a goal and four assists in 10 playoff games. “Playoff Liz,” as teammate Michela Cava called her.

Frost forward Liz Schepers skates in alone toward the Toronto goal before scoring the first goal of the game in Sunday’s first period of Game 3. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Klee praised Schepers’ great habits, adding that she does a lot of things well but “doesn’t always get rewarded for it.”

“I think any time you get to the postseason, you want to turn it up a notch,” Schepers said. “Our whole team has done a really great job of that. Obviously, we came in, it felt like our playoffs started with three games left in the regular season, and we continually got better and dialed it up a little bit more.

“So, it’s great to contribute, and it takes everybody to win at this time of year. Happy to be a part of that.”

After Schepers got the scoring started Sunday, rookie Brooke McQuigge scored the first of her two goals for a 2-0 lead, and then the Frost’s hottest-scoring player lately, defender Lee Stecklein, scored her third goal of the playoffs for her sixth goal in her last five PWHL games. Stecklein scored her three regular-season goals in the last two games of the season.

Depth shows on the scoresheet
Though the Frost led the entire game, Toronto kept pace and got within a goal twice, trailing 3-2 and 5-4. But then Cava, who’s won four consecutive hockey championships in four different leagues, scored back-to-back goals two minutes apart in the third period to help put the lead out of reach. The Sceptres gave Cava plenty of space to walk through the slot and fire a backhander into the net, while her second tally was a power-play goal on the backdoor on a feed from Stecklein.

The Frost went 2-for-4 on the power play Sunday and scored seven goals on 24 shots. Toronto scored its five goals on 23 shots against goalie Maddie Rooney. Not a lot of shots on net, but still a high-scoring game.

“Some broken plays,” Ryan said. “A lot of people directed pucks to the net and getting sticks on them. I think on both sides, I think both goaltenders would probably like a couple of them back.”

Brooke McQuigge fought through Toronto players in front to score one of her two goals in Game 3. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

A total of 21 players had points in the game, with 11 registering multi-point efforts. Defender Sophie Jaques had a goal and assist for the second consecutive game, while blue-liner Mellissa Channell-Watkins had two assists. Kendall Coyne Schofield had a game-high 5 shots on goal along with two assists. Taylor Heise had three assists, including a great drop-pass to Stecklein on her goal. For the Sceptres, Blayre Turnbull, Kali Flanagan and Daryl Watts each had a goal and an assist.

“I think obviously it was a good offensive game for both teams,” Cava said. “I think it’s just about cleaning up little things.

“We all know that five goals against is not the way we wanted the game to go. I think we’ll really clean that up and just continue to score goals.”

Floodgates open for Frost, on similar path to last year
Ever since getting shut out a couple of weeks ago, scoring goals hasn’t been a problem for Minnesota. First, it was a 3-0 victory in Ottawa. Then, the Frost showed up for its highest-scoring game of the season, netting eight goals in Boston for a 8-1 win that helped secure the final playoff spot.

They’ve gotten scoring from multiple forward lines and defensive pairings. It’s that depth that is one of their strengths, Klee said.

“We try to rely on it when we need to,” Klee said. “We’re trying to be the best team. We’re not trying to be the best player or individual. It’s something we kind of preach from day one. And we know it worked for us last year, so we’re trying as best as we can to keep it going.”

Michela Cava scored the last two Frost goals of the game, which turned out to be the game-winners. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

The Frost have followed a similar path to last year’s run to the postseason and playoff series, even though the team acknowledges this is not the way they’d like to draw it up. In 2024, Minnesota lost its final five regulation-season games, got help to make the playoffs as the 4-seed, then were shut out twice in Toronto before getting a reverse sweep. Then they beat Boston in five games to win the Walter Cup.

This season, the Frost returned from the international break in late April needing points and wins to make the playoffs. Goal scoring was tougher to come by. But they’ve come up clutch when it matters most. Minnesota has a belief and confidence within its locker room, no matter how difficult the road to victory may seem. That’s a theme carried over from last season.

“I just think the experience we have in this room from last year, from previous teams we’re all coming from, we’ve had a lot of success and fortunate to lean on that,” Schepers said. “Our leaders do a great job of keeping everybody focused on the main thing, which is playing our brand of hockey. Because we see the success that we have when we do that.”

Added Cava: “We play and we don’t quit. We knew during the season that we were really fast and a really skilled team. Obviously, we lost that a few times throughout the year. But going into the playoffs and those last two games, we knew that we had another level. And you could really see everybody just embrace that and just play with the physicality that other teams don’t want to play with.”

Lee Stecklein (left) and Taylor Heise (middle) skate back toward the Frost bench to celebrate Stecklein’s goal which made it a 3-0 game early in the first period on Sunday. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Turning to Game 4, Klee said he expects Toronto’s best game as the Sceptres try to keep their season alive. Minnesota will attempt to end a playoff series before reaching the winner-take-all Game 5. But even when their backs are against the wall, the Frost find a way. Going back to last season’s playoffs, Minnesota is 6-0 in must-win, elimination games.

It’ll be about keeping the spirits high on the bench, Cava said, with Schepers adding that it’s also important to not get too high with the highs or too low with the lows.

“This league is too good,” Schepers said. “All the teams are too tight to think you’re in the clear in any way. So, keeping our foot on the gas for sure going into this elimination game, we know it’s going to be the toughest one.”

Gallery: PWHL Semifinals Game 3, Sceptres vs. Frost

The post Icy Hot appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

These stats were padded with another chapter when the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Wild 3-2 in Game 6 Thursday night to close out the series, 4-2.

To add salt to the wound, this stat was posted from the @OptaSTATS account on Twitter/X just before midnight after the loss:

“The Wild are the first team in MLB/NBA/NFL/NHL history to make the playoffs 8+ times in a 10-year span but lost in the opening round every time.”

So yes, Minnesota sports and all that.

“We hear the noise of getting by the first round,” said Wild forward Marcus Foligno. “We understand it. We really felt like we could have done it this year, and that’s the disappointing part, right? But we always want to be a team that has commitment and will and sacrifice and comes together as a family, and that’s what our fans deserve.”

Minnesota Wild fans waved their rally towels at Xcel Energy Center during Game 6. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Writing “same old Wild” and ending the piece here wouldn’t be much of a story. Besides, it’s already been typed probably hundreds of times on social media by diehard and casual hockey fans.

While some of those franchise stats are the same when it comes to the playoffs, this season and playoff series was not the “same old Wild.” It’s okay for disappointment with the overall results – the win/loss record – while also enjoying the good chapters written along the way. Sports offer incredible moments, memories and amazing plays, along with frustration, anger and heartbreak.

“It’s tough,” Foligno said. “I mean, especially when you felt like you deserved better, right?

“It’s unfortunate we just couldn’t get our looks and get our bounces and move on like they did.”

Capitalizing on chances, miscues make or break a series
The loss absolutely stings for the Wild and their fans. Mistakes and missed opportunities are heightened during the playoffs, and this year was no exception.

In Game 4, the Wild had a chance to take a 3-1 series lead that’s eluded the franchise forever. Instead, they lost in overtime after a defensive miscue by Jake Middleton in the Wild’s zone led to the winning goal for Vegas. In Game 5, it was a goal getting overturned on a coaches’ challenge late in regulation of a tie game that will haunt the Wild – and Gustav Nyquist, who was offsides before Ryan Hartman put the puck in the net – for years to come.

Back home for a must-win Game 6, the Wild never led after giving up a power-play goal just 3 minutes, 30 seconds into the game. Vegas was also more opportunistic than the Wild and made a couple of great plays as they finally got production from a couple of their best players – Jack Eichel and Mark Stone.

Brock Faber handles the puck while Joel Eriksson Ek battles with Tomas Hertl. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

On the go-ahead goal, Wild defenseman Brock Faber pinched in from the blue line and didn’t get back once Vegas got control of the puck. It created a breakaway for Eichel, a superstar who didn’t miss the net, scoring his first goal of the series for a 2-1 Vegas lead late in the second period.

The Wild were down two goals late in the third but responded 31 seconds later to make it 3-2, the second time in the series the Wild had a quick answer in the third period. Minnesota had a flurry of chances in the final two minutes after pulling Filip Gustavsson for the extra attacker. But the clock ran out on the game and the Wild’s 2024-25 campaign.

The feeling was “raw” after the game for Wild coach John Hynes.

“I thought we worked enough and were playing well enough to be able to continue to push the series,” Hynes said. “Unfortunately, it didn’t go our way. But I commend the guys. This was a really fun group to coach, extremely competitive group, coachable.

“It’s obviously disappointing right now because you feel like you deserve a little bit better, at least in the last few games here, and unfortunately, it didn’t go that way.”

This wasn’t the average Wild playoff series
Vegas won the series with four victories in essentially one-goal games. The Golden Knights won three in a row with a pair of overtime victories and then Thursday’s 3-2 result. Game 1 was 4-2, but that included an empty-net goal just before time expired.

Both Gustavsson and Hartman mentioned the two overtime losses in their postgame comments Thursday. Gustavsson thought a moment before answering that the Wild should have one of those overtime games was a deciding factor. It’s small details in tight games, he added.

“I think years past we had some pretty good teams, but this one, those things we went through, the way we stuck with things,” Hartman said. “This one feels like we could have gone deep.

“We battled. Two overtime losses the last two games, and a close one tonight. Felt like it could have easily gone seven, but we felt like we had what it took to go forward.”

“Credit to them. They found a way to get it done,” said Wild coach John Hynes, following the Game 6 loss. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

The Wild were close. They were right there. For many stretches in the series they outplayed Vegas. Gustavsson looked like the better goaltender than Adin Hill at the other end. That’s what was so different about this playoff series for the Wild, and perhaps what will make the loss sting that much more.

Minnesota wasn’t overmatched. The Wild didn’t run into a brick wall of a hot goaltender. They didn’t struggle to score goals and generate offense. Their top players didn’t figuratively disappear. All problems that have plagued this franchise for years in the playoffs.

The only game that looked similar to years past was Game 6, because of the close-but-no-cigar chances the Wild had to score more than two goals. The Wild outshot Vegas 31-23 in the game, but they left so much on the table when it came to finishing off plays. It wasn’t for lack of trying or offensive zone time.

Wild fans have seen the movie before, where a puck bounces one way, a player’s stick is just in the wrong spot, a gaping net is staring at the Wild while the goalie is out of position, but they can’t cash in, for whatever reason. That’s hockey, and no matter how many chances the Wild generated with their season on the line, the puck wasn’t finding the back of the net when they needed it the most.

“You feel a little bit gut-punched,” Foligno said. “It does feel a little bit like that. You’re feeling ‘what do we have to do in order to get by, what’s next’ type thing, that’s the game of hockey. That’s why it’s frustrating to play it, but it can give you the best thing in the world and what we all dream of, and that’s winning the Stanley Cup and that’s our goal and always will be.

“But it feels like we had something a lot better, a lot different this year.”

Hartman, goal scoring and one last moment for Flower
In Game 6, the Wild got two goals from Hartman, who played excellent – and disciplined – hockey throughout the series. He had four assists coming into Game 6 before finally getting a goal that counted with four seconds left in the first period to tie the game 1-1. Hartman also buried the puck from the side of the cage with 3:27 remaining in regulation. He had another great chance off a feed from Kirill Kaprizov earlier in the third period but couldn’t finish the play with a goal; Hartman banged his stick on the end glass in frustration.

Ryan Hartman scored two goals, both in Game 6, and four assists in the six-game playoff series. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Hartman bounced back well this season from an eight-game suspension for roughing in a game in Ottawa in early February. It left a Wild team riddled with injuries all season even more shorthanded at the time. But he was a catalyst for the Wild in this series. Hynes said Thursday that Hartman “grew a little bit” coming back from the suspension.

“I think just his mental focus really when he came back from that coming down the stretch to end the regular season and into the playoffs,” Hynes said. “Just more focused, channeled his energy the right way, played the game the right way, and he had a great playoffs for us. It was really good to see.”

Hynes added that Hartman has a competitive gene which produces an ability and mindset to play his best during a hard playoff series. But Hartman, who’s played in the last five playoff series losses with the Wild, wasn’t interested in focusing on the personal positives of his game.

“I’d rather have been out of the lineup and we’d move on,” Hartman said. “It really doesn’t (expletive) matter.”

Hartman wasn’t the only bright spot in this series. The Wild’s top line of Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy combined for 10 goals and nine assists, with Kaprizov and Boldy each scoring five goals. Though they were kept off the scoresheet in the final game, the Wild received the kind of play they needed from this trio. As a reminder, two of those players missed a combined 77 games this season due to injury. Eriksson Ek and Kaprizov each returned to the lineup April 9, with Eriksson Ek scoring four goals while Kaprizov notched two.  

Boldy, who played in all 88 games this season, showed the type of skill and hustle expected of a top-line winger. Eriksson Ek’s presence is felt all over the ice, including with the level of physicality and in the faceoff circle, although he wasn’t able to get a goal in these past six games. Kaprizov is one of the best players in the league and was playing like an MVP candidate before his injury around Christmas.

One of the best plays of the series was Kaprizov’s saucer pass to Boldy up the ice for a goal in Game 2 Boldy called it the best pass he’d ever seen. Foligno quipped during that press conference that it was a “rude” thing for Boldy to say, since he assisted on Boldy’s first NHL goal.

Foligno was another player who threw his weight around in the series, both with hits and offensively. He scored three goals in the series and assisted on Hartman’s first goal of the night Thursday. Foligno came into Thursday leading the league with 38 hits in the playoffs; he finished with 42 hits in six games.

The end of the Wild’s season also marks the end of goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury’s NHL career. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Gustavsson had his own highlight reel of important saves when his team needed it. He played all but the third period and overtime of Game 5, exiting because he was sick. That gave Marc-Andre Fleury one more period-plus of NHL hockey before his expected retirement at 40 years old.

As the traditional post-series handshakes ended, the fans who remained at Xcel Energy Center started a “Fleury! Fleury! Fleury!” chant in appreciation. He gave a brief acknowledgement to the crowd before being the first Wild player to skate off the ice and down the tunnel; the rest of the Wild players and the Vegas players stayed on the ice and offered stick taps to acknowledge the future hall of famer. It was a brief moment shortened by the deflating team loss.

Still, it was an emotional scene for Foligno, though it’s safe to say he wasn’t the only one.  

“You feel for him,” Foligno said. “I think we all pushed really hard for him and trying to extend this as long as we can. The big goal was to go out a winner. That would have been the ultimate sacrifice and ultimate dream going out.

“We’re all very fortunate in this room to have played with him.”

Gallery: Wild vs. Golden Knights

The post Early Exit appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

The Frost returned from the multi-week international break for the IIHF Women’s World Championship by falling 2-0 to the New York Sirens on Sunday in front of 6,472 fans for Fan Appreciation Day at Xcel Energy Center. They outshot the Sirens 33-21 but still couldn’t find a way to put the puck in the net.

“We’ve got to score, and we just didn’t do that today,” said Frost forward Taylor Heise.

The result has the Frost in danger of missing the playoffs and not getting a shot to defend its Walter Cup Championship. The way they ended up with the result wasn’t necessarily new for the Frost this season. It’s not the first game where the Frost have generated chances but had trouble finishing plays to score goals.

“It’s tough,” said Frost coach Ken Klee. “We had a great first period, and we had 20 shots. We probably had 30 attempts. You look at our shot attempts today, they were outrageous how many good looks we had.

“We’ve just got to find a way to bank one in, put one in, you know, hit off someone’s shin pad, do something. Today we couldn’t find the back of the net.”

Frost forward Liz Schepers gets sandwiched in between Sirens goaltender Corinne Schroeder and defender Micah Zandee-Hart on Sunday, April 27, 2025. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Credit goes to New York goaltender, Corinne Schroeder, who made 33 saves for back-to-back shutouts riding a 128:33 scoreless streak. Klee noted how Schroeder “gobbled up rebounds when they were lying around.”

“It was tight, but we’ve got to find a way to score a goal. We just have to. We practiced hard the last few days, and we looked sharp and we were scoring goals in practice like crazy.”

Scoring goals in games has been another story for the Frost, at times, and it’s led to a similar late-season stumble.

Late-season, goal-scoring struggles
It was well-documented how Minnesota struggled down the stretch last season, going 0-5 after the international break and backing into a playoff spot at the last minute. The Frost have faltered in the latter part of this season, too. They’re 2-1-1-5 (W-OTW-OTL-L) in their last nine games (since Feb. 23); that’s five regulation losses, including a three-game losing streak sandwiched in the middle while the Frost earned just nine points in the standings over those nine games. It’s three points for a regulation win, two points for overtime/shootout wins and one point for an overtime/shootout loss.

It’s put the Frost into a situation where they need to win their final two regular-season games, plus get a little help, if they’re going to make the playoffs. It’s a similar spot to the inaugural season for the defending Walter Cup Champions.

“We would love to not be in that position,” Heise said. “Maybe next year we’ll find a way to not do that.”

Goal scoring has been a big culprit. The Frost scored only four total goals during the three-game losing skid from March 11-26. They’ve scored 18 total goals in the last nine games, scoring more than two goals in a game just twice with a pair of five-goal efforts.

For the season, the Frost have scored one goal or been shutout in seven games – with five of those seven coming in the last nine games. Not surprisingly when scoring just once, or not at all, the Frost are 0-0-1-6. Klee was asked about his team scoring just one goal after a 4-1 loss to Montreal on March 26.

Frost defender Sophie Jaques winds up for one of her four shots on goal against New York during the April 27, 2025 game. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

“It’s tough,” Klee said. “We’re trying to score more than one, that’s for sure. These guys are playing their hearts out and trying to get pucks to the net. We have to find a way. Just find a way to get it done.

“At the end of the day it’s about points. We’ve got to figure out how to score some points.”

Unfortunately for the Frost, they have not been able to figure it out consistently enough over the final third of its schedule.

Just two regulation wins in the last nine games is quite the contrast to how the Frost started the season, when they rattled off wins and found themselves near the top of the PWHL standings. Minnesota had a good December, going 3-1-1-1 and scoring 22 goals across their first six games. The success continued into early January, pushing their record to 4-3-1-2 with 32 goals scored in the first 10 games, or the first third of the season. The Frost scored four-or-more goals five times in 10 games to start the 2024-25 season.

Finishing their chances was something the Frost were doing more of early on. After a 5-2 win over Ottawa on Dec. 19, Klee said his team was playing the right way and generating chances.

“It’s just about finishing,” Klee said after that game. “I think that’s something we’ve been making an emphasis on in practice, and all summer. How do we figure out ways to score more goals?”

Frost rookie forward Brooke McQuigge saw her six-game point streak come to an end with the 2-0 loss to New York on April 27. Her streak was one shy of the PWHL record. McQuigge scored two goals and five assists during those six games. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

The Frost are again close to thinking about that same concept over a summer that could start sooner rather than later.

Outside looking in
They have two road games remaining in the regular season. They face Ottawa on Wednesday night and then play in Boston on Saturday. All three teams are still competing for the final two playoff spots available; Montreal and Toronto have clinched, while sixth-place New York is out.

Headed into this week with two games left for all six teams, the Frost need to win both of their games, with at least one win in regulation (three points). They also need help from other teams. The Frost have 38 points in fifth place. As of Tuesday afternoon, they’re four points behind the fourth-place Ottawa Charge, which can clinch its spot with at least one point against the Frost on Wednesday. Boston is in third with 44 points and one game remaining, against Minnesota.

Taylor Heise has eight goals and 21 points in 27 games this season compared to four goals and 13 points in 19 games during the 2024 regular season as a PWHL rookie. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

After Sunday’s game, the Frost weren’t looking to make any big adjustments to their game to try make up for the lack of goal scoring. They were happy with their chances and shots-on-goal margin.

“Obviously it didn’t work tonight, but we just have to believe it’s going in,” said defender Lee Stecklein. “And that’s sometimes half the battle.

“We just have to stick to what we’re doing and stick to what we know we can do.”

Anytime his team starts a game by putting close to 20 shots on goal in a period, Klee said he likes their chances. Regardless of the latest outcome against New York, he added that the Frost were still going to need a win in Ottawa, then repeat the same effort in Boston this week.

“Really, our mindset doesn’t change,” Klee said. “It takes it out of our hands a little bit. We need a little help now.

“Still, we’ve got to go in, same thing. We’ve got to win games.”

Gallery: Sirens vs. Frost

The post Frosty Finish appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

The Wild played well in game one, though Vegas took the victory before the Wild split on the road and then won Game 3 with back-to-back, offense-fueled 5-2 victories. Goal scoring, hits, special teams and elite goaltending, plus an energetic Minnesota crowd. All those boxes are checked in this best-of-seven series, which is knotted at two games apiece.

“It was good playoff hockey,” said Wild winger Marcus Foligno. “It was exciting. We had chances there at the end. … It was a good hockey game.

“This is a series. They’re a heck of a team. Not going to be easy. It was a good game both sides. This is what we expect. … We played a hard game, and it’s got to be the same effort in Vegas.”

The only box the Wild didn’t check off was taking a 3-1 series lead for the first time in franchise history. Vegas got the edge with a 4-3 overtime win in Game 4 after Ivan Barbashev capitalized on a failed clearing attempt by the Wild with just 2:34 left in overtime to score the winner. Vegas took a 3-2 lead halfway through the third period before Wild captain Jared Spurgeon answered just 54 seconds later.

Overtime on home ice also hasn’t been kind to the Wild. All-time, they’re 4-8 at Xcel Energy Center in overtime playoff games, including 0-for-5 since their last home OT victory. That was Mikael Granlund’s diving goal back on April 21, 2014 in game three against Colorado.

But even after losing in overtime Saturday, Wild players and coach John Hynes were positive about the status of the series.

Marcus Foligno skates toward the Wild bench after scoring a goal early in the second period Saturday to give the Wild a 2-1 lead in Game 4. Foligno has scored in three consecutive games. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

“Ah man, we’re in a good spot,” Hynes said. “It was a hard-fought battle. We played well again. Game was right in our hands. Both teams competed hard.

“We knew it would be a hard series. Love where we’re at. … We’re here, man. We’ll just keep grinding.”

The Wild will have to grind their way through a familiar script that its fans know all too well when it comes to playoff history, marking the fifth time the Wild have taken a 2-1 series lead only to lose Game 4 and see the series get tied up.

The Wild have never taken a 3-1 series lead in 14 Stanley Cup Playoffs appearances. So far, the Wild are 1-3 in series when they had a 2-1 lead, winning the first round against St. Louis in 2015 but losing series in 2008, 2022 and 2023. They’d like to reverse that trend and make that record a 2-3 mark by winning this series against Vegas.

Can this time be different?
Every series is different, and this one has shown Wild sparks that would indicate the outcome could be a victorious one for Minnesota. The Wild’s playoff history is filled with losses where the team has had trouble scoring goals. Whether it was matching up against a hot goaltender or not, the Wild have struggled to finish plays and ultimately put the puck in the net, despite playing well and generating plenty of scoring chances. The Wild have had their opportunities over the years, failed to capitalize on them, and now it’s been a decade since the franchise has won a playoff series.

Two years ago, the Wild were up 2-1 in the series against the Dallas Stars before losing in six games. After the loss, forward Ryan Hartman offered a common refrain about what was missing to get the win.

Ryan Hartman has one assist in each of the first four games of this series against Vegas. In his last nine career playoff games, Hartman has two goals and seven assists. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

“There’s opportunities throughout this series where we could have not necessarily put the nail in the coffin, but we could have separated ourselves a little bit more,” Hartman said, after the series loss in 2023. “We failed to capitalize on opportunities throughout the series.”

So far, the Wild have capitalized on its opportunities this time around, with the biggest exception being in overtime Saturday. The Wild also had a power play about eight minutes into overtime but failed to end the game.

Now the Wild needs to prove that this year and this team are different. Turning this series into effectively a best-of-three means the Wild, a better road team than home team this season, will have to win at least one game in Vegas if it’s going to advance. Foligno, who’s scored a goal in each of the past three games, likes this Wild team as one to chart a winning course this time.

“I like the experience that we have from those previous playoff runs where we’re right there,” Foligno said, after Game 4. “We worked really hard tonight. The way we answered and came back after their goal is the mental toughness that we’ve been showing all year. 2-2 doesn’t scare us.”

The Boldy-Kaprizov connection
This 2025 playoffs stage hasn’t been too big for the Wild’s top players either. The top line of Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy has been a lightning rod for the team’s offense in the playoffs. Having Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek return near the end of the regular season from their lengthy absences due to injury has been the boost the team needed.

The wild’s top line of Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy (left) and Joel Eriksson Ek (right) have combined for 15 points through the first four games of the playoff series against Vegas. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Boldy’s also exploded with his offensive production. He came into series with just two goals in 12 career playoff games. This time around, he’s scored four goals and two assists in the first three games; he was held off the scoresheet on Saturday. He scored both Wild goals in Game 1 and became the second player in franchise history with three consecutive team goals in the postseason, joining Marian Gaborik who accomplished the feat in the 2003 second round series.

Kaprizov, who’s come back strong after missing most of the Wild games since Christmas with a lower-body injury that required surgery, has kept pace with Boldy. He also has four goals and added an assist Saturday on his 28th birthday to bring his playoff points total to eight in four games so far. His 14 career playoff goals are only two shy of Zach Parise’s 16 for the most in franchise history.

It’s all part of that cliché: Your best players have to be your best players.

“Those guys bring it every night, whether the puck is going in or not,” said Wild defenseman Brock Faber, after Game 3. “Just their work ethic on the ice – they’re the hardest workers and the most skilled players. So, when you got two guys who have both those traits, they’re hard to stop and we’re hard to beat.

“It’s definitely fun to watch those guys.”

In net, the Wild have gotten what they need from Filip Gustavsson, too. He made 42 saves on Saturday despite getting tagged with the loss. He made plenty of spectacular saves to keep Vegas at bay throughout the game.

Filip Gustavsson’s 42 saves in Game 4 are tied for the fifth-highest total in the Wild’s postseason history. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Gustavsson was also upbeat and pleased with the effort from the team, even if the result wasn’t there for them at the end.

“You always hate losing,” Gustavsson said. “But you know, hockey’s a team sport. You can have a great day and you still lose. It’s all about the team. You win and lose together.

“I think the feeling in the locker room is very good. Everyone has a lot of confidence right now.”

They’ll need to make sure they pack that positivity with them.  With this series against Vegas tied 2-2 in the present day, the Wild will head back to Vegas trying to buck the historical trends of the franchise’s results.

Hynes said his players are “dialed in,” and there’s a belief in how they’re playing right now. He added that they’ve been resilient all year. They’ll move on to Game 5 Tuesday in Vegas. They feel confident headed into that game, Foligno said, adding that “the road doesn’t faze this team.”

“We had to win two games to win this series this morning,” Hartman said. “It’s still the same way; we’ve still got to win two hockey games.”

Gallery: Wild vs. Golden Knights

The post Win, Lose, Series Draw appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

But Joel Eriksson Ek tied the game 2-2 officially with 22 seconds remaining in regulation Tuesday night against the Anaheim Ducks at Xcel Energy Center. That goal helped send the Wild to the playoffs; all they needed was one point in the game, which they achieved when they sent the game to overtime.

With the playoff spot clinched at the end of regulation, starting goaltender Filip Gustavsson wanted a word with coach John Hynes at the bench.

“He came to me and just said, ‘We get in, do you think we could put Flower in?’” Hynes said. “I was like, ‘Yeah, great idea.’”

So, as the teams prepared for the reset before 3-on-3 overtime, backup netminder Marc-Andre Fleury got off the bench and started stretching on the ice. Fans noticed, and the cheers grew louder as he took his place in the crease. The 40-year-old goaltender was coming in cold. But the move was heartwarming.

He was thrown right into the fire, too, as the Wild went on the penalty kill just 18 seconds into overtime, the only Wild penalty of the night.

No worries. The Flower squeezed a vintage performance into the overtime period that lasted nearly the full five minutes. Fleury made five saves in his 4:42 of ice time to earn his 575th career victory. Along the way, he also got some help from his friend, the goal post, with a Ducks shot that just missed. He made sure to thank the post in his traditional way, by giving it a quick tap with his glove hand. Fleury also made a sprawling pad save earlier in the sequence.

Marc-Andre Fleury won his 575th career game on Tuesday night, playing only the overtime period. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

“That was just an unbelievable regular season ending to Marc-Andre Fleury’s career,” said winger Marcus Foligno. “To come in and get awarded a penalty, too, to kill a penalty kill, we’re all looking at each other like are you kidding me? I can’t believe the ref called that to just throw Flower under the bus like that. And then to see two poke-check saves and a post and keep playing the puck, too, it was electric and it’s so fitting for the way you can end that guy’s regular-season career.”

His saves helped keep overtime alive, and the Wild eventually won the game 3-2 on a Matt Boldy goal with 18 seconds left. While it’s traditional to mob the player who scored the game winner, Fleury’s teammates mobbed him near center ice.

“I think our fate was winning the game like we did,” said Wild defenseman Jake Middleton. “Maybe it was fate to go to overtime and get Flower in net the way we did, too. What a all-class move by Gus there, too. Very cool.”

A fond memory
Fleury said he was “very surprised,” plus a little shocked and a little worried when he was called upon for overtime.

“I’d been sitting there for a few hours,” Fleury said. “A good talk from Gus, and obviously Hynes let me go in, too. I’m happy I got to go play just a little bit more at home.”

He was a much happier hockey player than six days earlier when he stood in front of his locker stall following another Wild overtime win, but in that topsy-turvy game against San Jose, Fleury allowed seven goals. That game last Wednesday was set up to be his final home start of the regular season in his career. Afterward, he could only take solace in the fact that the team got the important two points, and the emotions of the national anthem, when his three children joined him in the goal crease.

“I think I’ll remember the national anthem and having two points,” Fleury said, after the game against San Jose.

The Wild had a chance to win-and-get-in in Calgary on Friday, but they lost 4-2 and Fleury saw a few minutes in net late in the game when Gustavsson was pulled. That meant Fleury didn’t start in Vancouver the next night either, which was a likely plan, but the Wild still needed the valuable points and went with Gustavsson in net.

It looked like Fleury might not see meaningful minutes or get another shot at a regular-season sendoff. Until overtime, with the relief of the playoff clinch scenario in the bag.

“I feel lucky to have another chance to play in front of them,” Fleury said, of his family in attendance and the Wild fans, who went nuts for his entrance into the game and showered him with “FLEURY! FLEURY!” chants. “Get a win. Not give up seven goals. That was nice, too. Hopefully they remember that time.

Fleury had tears in his eyes by the end of the postgame media session: “It was fun to go one more time out there and play the game I love. That was cool.” 

After the victory, the Wild players and fans saluted Fleury as he stood at center ice with a graphic on the videoboard above thanking him: “Merci Fleury.”

Flower deserves all his flowers. That seems to be the unanimous opinion among Wild players.

“Every compliment, everything that’s been thrown his way, he deserves,” Middleton said. “He’s just one of the best dudes in hockey.

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