“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.

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.

The post Rink Rule: Charge vs. Frost appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

The Frost have 10 points and a .833 winning percentage through four games this season. Here are five rules from the team’s first home victory – in its second opportunity – of the season:

The Minnesota Frost players celebrate one of their five goals scored against Ottawa on Dec. 19 at Xcel Energy Center. (MHM Photo / Jeff Wegge)

1. Kelly Pannek scores a pair of goals, just misses the ‘Grace Zumwinkle hat trick.’
Ottawa (1-0-1-3) had a 1-0 lead after scoring about eight minutes into the game. Anna Meixner tipped a Jincy Roese shot while Shiann Darkangelo provided the screen in front of Frost goaltender Maddie Rooney. But about three minutes later, Kelly Pannek tied the game and made sure the Frost never trailed again.

Pannek took the puck behind the Ottawa net, came out front and flicked a backhand shot that fluttered into the net to get the Frost on the board in the game and Pannek into the goal column for the season.

“It found one of the defender’s sticks, and I think ramped up and over,” Pannek said. “I think any time that happens, it’s hard for a goaltender to adjust to it.”

Early in the second period, Pannek doubled the total with a power-play goal. She took a pass from Kendall Coyne Schofield and then skated through neutral ice. She didn’t stop until she popped a laser of a shot past goaltender Gwyneth Philips for the 2-1 lead. Pannek scored four goals all of last season but now has two in the fourth game of 2024-25.

This season, Pannek said she’s trying to put herself in good positions and tried to get better at putting the puck on net.

“I tend to look for a pass first,” Pannek said. “Just trying to get myself in good spots to be a threat at the net.”
Ottawa went with an empty net with about three-and-a-half minutes to play in regulation. A little more than a minute later, Pannek tried to complete the hat trick with a shot the length of the ice, from Minnesota’s goal line. But the puck hit the outside of the post along the ice and slid just wide.

“Yeah, I was going for the Grace Zumwinkle hat trick,” Pannek said. “6-on-5 empty netter.”

Pannek was referring to when Zumwinkle scored all three goals – including an empty-netter – in Minnesota’s opener last season, a 3-0 victory over Montreal. Thursday night, it was Zumwinkle who later sealed the game with an empty-net goal with 1 minute, 41 seconds left in regulation.

“She said she was going to wait for me, but I was not coming anywhere close to catching up with her,” Pannek said. “I’m glad she finished that one.”

Claire Thompson winds up for a shot. She scored a goal and had three assists in the game against Ottawa. (MHM Photo / Jeff Wegge)

2. Claire Thompson scores her first PWHL goal and recorded a 4-point night.
Minnesota’s first-round pick in the 2024 PWHL Draft (third overall), defender Claire Thompson, not only scored her first PWHL goal Thursday, but she factored into four of the five Frost tallies. Thompson assisted on Pannek’s first goal and Zumwinkle’s second-period goal before scoring with about five minutes to play in regulation. Taylor Heise fed Thompson the puck off the rush, and Thompson fired a shot from the slot.

She credited the great players around her for the successful night.

“People are making good plays with the puck,” Thompson said. “So, anytime you can look to transition the puck to other people, and there’s good people on the team, good things happen.

“I think we had a lot of great net-front presence on a lot of our goals, and that’s a point of emphasis for our team.”
Thompson also made the feed up to Zumwinkle on the empty-net tally.

3. Minnesota’s power play strikes twice, marking the first time the franchise has scored multiple power-play goals in a regular-season game.
Part of the offense for the Frost – which outshot the Charge 40-24 – was a power play that went 2-for-3. It’s the first time the Frost have scored multiple power-play goals during a regular-season game. They also went 2-for-3 in Game 5 of the playoff series against Toronto, in a 4-1 victory.

Minnesota’s special teams struggled last season, going 5-for-61 (8.2%) in the regular season. It also went 2-for-26 (7.7%) in 10 playoff games, but all was seemingly forgiven when they hoisted the Walter Cup.

Through the first three games, the Frost were 1-for-7 on the power play, increasing those numbers to 3-for-10 (30%) by the end of Thursday’s game. Coach Ken Klee credited assistant coach Chris “Critter” Johnson for taking ownership of the power play and helping it to find some early success.

“Critter’s doing a good job working with them, talking to them, where they’re going to be on the ice, what situations they can be in,” Klee said. “But also, make hockey plays. He’s a big believer.”

Maddie Rooney makes the save of the game, reaching her right pad out to stop a shot from Natalie Snodgrass that would have tied the game 3-3 in the third period. (MHM Photo / Jeff Wegge)

4. Despite being outshot by a significant margin all night, Ottawa nearly tied the game 3-3 in the third period.
The Charge kept charging in the third period after being down 3-1 at the second intermission. At 5:28 of the third period, Tereza Vanišová got in alone and went forehand-to-backhand to slip a shot past Rooney and make it a one-goal game.

About 30 seconds later, Ottawa nearly tied it. Natalie Snodgrass, an Eastview grad, also was one-on-one with Rooney. But the goaltender reached her right pad out just enough to make the sprawling save. So instead of a tie game, the Frost maintained the lead and outscored Ottawa 2-0 the rest of the game.

“Massive save by a really good goalie,” said Ottawa coach Carla MacLeod. “So good on her. She fought to get her toe on it and managed to do so.

“I don’t think I was worried that that was going to sway us to the direction that it did. You would’ve thought, ‘well man, we just about scored two goals in a minute, let’s keep going here.’ Just didn’t have the pushback that we needed. We just didn’t have our game.”

5. Sophie Jaques was injured after an illegal hit.
About halfway through the third period on a Frost penalty kill, Sophie Jaques took a hip check behind the Minnesota net from Maple Grove native Mannon McMahon. Jaques went down to the ice and appeared to be in pain. She was helped off the ice by the training staff.

Officials reviewed the play for a major penalty but called a minor penalty for illegal body checking.

Klee did not have an update on her condition postgame, other than to say she’d been taken to the hospital.

“So, we’ll see how she’s doing,” Klee said. “She’ll be obviously evaluated tonight and tomorrow. And we’ll see where she’s at.”

The post Rink Rule: Charge vs. Frost appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

The Frost roster skated onto the ice wearing new purple sweaters with the frosty “F” on the front. Player introductions were first, followed by about a 10-minute ceremony to recognize the inaugural season, 2024 Walter Cup Champion Minnesota team ahead of their season-opening game – an eventual 4-3 overtime loss – against the New York Sirens.

Along with Jayna Hefford, PWHL senior vice president of hockey operations, and Amy Scheer, PWHL senior vice president of business operations, joining the ceremony on the purple carpet, past championship team members were introduced for the celebration, too. Amanda Leveille, Lauren Bench, Nikki Nightengale and Brittyn Fleming touched the Walter Cup as captain Kendall Coyne Schofield skated the trophy to a table where the banner would be raised. Sixteen current Frost players were already on the ice and part of that championship team.

“I think we kind of had a unique run at the championship,” said forward Grace Zumwinkle, Minnesota’s leading scorer last season, with 11 goals and 19 points in 24 games. “And losing the last five games of the season and then coming through. I think, a huge testament to the group of us just flipping the script and turning it around.

“I think that’s something our group is so proud of.”

The championship banner was unveiled and raised during a pregame ceremony before the Minnesota Frost home opener on Dec. 1 at Xcel Energy Center (MHM Photo / Jeff Wegge)

After a highlight video showcased the historic 2024 season, the championship banner was unveiled. Players greeted each other and posed for a photo with the Walter Cup trophy and Walter Cup Champions 2024 banner (white with the team’s color purple trim and lettering). Then the banner was raised toward the rafters above the Minnesota goal, while the announced crowd of 8,022 cheered and waved commemorative rally towels.

“It was really exciting to see some of our teammates be able to come back,” Coyne Schofield said. “Wish everyone could’ve been there for it, of course. But I hope those that weren’t were able to watch from wherever they were.

“But yeah, just a reflection of so many people who made that possible. That’ll always be woven within that banner that’s up in the rafters forever.”

Frost focused on the season ahead, not offseason moves
One of the people instrumental in putting together last year’s championship roster who was not there was former Minnesota general manager Natalie Darwitz. Just days after Minnesota celebrated its Cup-clinching Game 5 victory in Boston, the PWHL announced it had “parted ways” with Darwitz. The league hired Melissa Caruso as Minnesota’s new general manager this summer.

After Darwitz was let go in June, she released a statement to reporters addressing her time with the organization last season: “As the General Manager of PWHL Minnesota, I gave my heart and soul to provide a first-class experience to the players, staff and fans.

“I am very proud of the team and organization that was built and the championship we brought home to this great State of Hockey.”

Training camp last month was the first time many Frost players met with the media in person since the offseason drama surrounding the team. That included Coyne Schofield, the player multiple media outlets reported was one of the drivers behind removing Darwitz.  

“I think the decisions that are made are not the decisions that are made by us players,” Coyne Schofield told the media on the first day of training camp Nov. 14.  “Those were league decisions. We’re here, and we’re here to play hockey. And we’re here to defend our title.

“It’s never fun to see people writing false narratives about you, false statements, and tearing you down when they don’t know the truth. But, you know, I can’t control that. I can control who I am, the way I do things, the way I carry myself, the way I lead this team. And that’s what I can control.”

A new season means a fresh start, and Minnesota’s second-year coach Ken Klee made it clear from day one of camp that his team is focused on moving forward.

“We’re focusing on the future,” Klee said on Nov. 14. “Pro hockey, things happen. It’s some unfortunate things. And some things out of our control. We’re looking forward. Excited to get the season going.”

Lee Stecklein handles the puck during the season opener for the Minnesota Frost. (MHM Photo / Jeff Wegge)

Quick goals bookend the season-opener scoring
Once the puck dropped Sunday, Minnesota didn’t waste much time picking up where it left off. Zumwinkle scored the fastest goal in PWHL history, netting a shot from the slot on a feed from Kelly Pannek only 21 seconds into the game. Zumwinkle was also the first Minnesota player to score in last year’s home opener, scoring a hat trick in a 3-0 victory over Montreal.

The Frost dominated play against the Sirens in the first period Sunday, taking a 2-0 lead and outshooting New York by a five-to-one margin. Coyne Schofield scored the second goal for the Frost, pouncing on a rebound at the goalmouth with two minutes, 14 seconds to play in the first period.

But the Sirens tied the game in the second period. First, it was a power-play goal from Jessie Eldridge about halfway through the period. Two minutes, 58 seconds later, Blaine native Gabby Rosenthal fired a sharp-angle shot top-shelf to tie the score, 2-2.

The Sirens made it three straight goals for a 3-2 lead early in the third period. Sarah Fillier, the 2024 No. 1 overall draft pick, got the puck at neutral ice and tossed a beauty of a cross-ice pass to Alex Carpenter for a goal off the rush.

“When we can get up ice quick and take advantage of odd-man rushes, I think we both want to bury them,” Fillier said.

Minnesota responded to tie the game and force overtime with rookie Dominique Petrie’s first professional goal with 4:13 left in regulation.

Blaine native Gabby Rosenthal (No. 15 in white) celebrates her first goal of the season with the New York Sirens. (MHM Photo / Jeff Wegge)

But as quickly as Zumwinkle scored to start the game, the Sirens finished off overtime by an even quicker margin. With forwards Coyne Schofield and Taylor Heise, plus defenseman Lee Stecklein, on the ice to start the 3-on-3 overtime, Fillier and Carpenter connected again, with Carpenter scoring the winner only 19 seconds into the extra session.

“I saw Filly get the puck, so I was like ‘get going. Get to the net,’” Carpenter said. “Just trying to find a nice seam. She was able to find it, and then get anything on net.”

The Frost earned a point but lost despite outshooting the Sirens 38-20. The Frost also went 0-for-2 on the power play, while the penalty kill went 0-for-1.

“I thought we did a lot of good things,” Klee said. “It was just finishing our chances. That’s kind of the message after that: We played hard, we got a point. And now, we just need to continue to get better.”

The post Hang The Banner appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Heather Rule writes about the Minnesota Frost, the PWHL team that’s back this season with an official team name and logo.

This story was originally published in the MHM 2024-25 High School Preview issue.

The post It’s Frost Season appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

PWHL Minnesota put a bow on its remarkable playoff run by defeating PWHL Boston 3-0 on Wednesday in the deciding game five of the PWHL Finals. Minnesota became the inaugural Walter Cup Champion, with captain Coyne Schofield hoisting the Cup first after the postgame celebration.

The brand-new league officially got going with training camp starting in mid-November last fall. When Coyne Schofield was asked at that time about what she hoped to accomplish this season, she was very clear.

“Win a championship,” Coyne Schofield said. “That’s the goal of any professional athlete, is to bring home a championship trophy to the city.”

Kendall Coyne Schofield is the first champion to lift the Walter Cup. (Photo courtesy of PWHL)

Accomplishment achieved.

Minnesota dominated Boston in the winner-take-all game five in Boston, outshooting them 44-17 in the game, including 19-3 in the third period. Minnesota’s play was suffocating, with no better example than just before Michela Cava’s goal in the third period for a 2-0 lead. Before she buried the wraparound tally, Minnesota skated around the offensive zone with ease, cycling the puck, passing it around and even changing out players on the fly.

Liz Schepers, who had a solid playoff run with four assists, scored her only goal of the season for a 1-0 lead in the second period. Melissa Channell also recorded three assists in the game. The final Minnesota goal of the game? That was all Coyne Schofield, using her speed to get to a loose puck and bury an empty netter with 2:06 to play in regulation. Talk about a storybook ending.

In goal, Nicole Hensley earned her second shutout of the Finals with 17 saves. In four starts in the final series, she made 87 saves on 89 shots. The goaltending tandem with Hensley and Maddie Rooney shined throughout the season but especially in the playoffs. Rooney was a big reason for their success against Toronto in the semifinals, when she put up similar stats with 92 saves on 94 shots across four starts and two shutout victories.

Minnesota coach Ken Klee rotated between the two netminders all season.

“Maddie was an absolute rock star in the first round, and Nicole got in and she started pitching shutouts,” Klee said.

A long, winding road to the championship
What’s perhaps the most intriguing about Minnesota’s championship season are all of the obstacles it overcame to reach the pinnacle. Starting from the beginning, there were rumors that this new women’s hockey league wouldn’t even place a team in Minnesota.

Even before the historic puck drop on PWHL Minnesota’s season – which was bookended with victories at Tsongas Center on Boston’s home ice – the team made a coaching change on Dec. 27. Charlie Burgraff stepped away from the position, and Klee stepped in about a week before games started. Klee had familiarity with some players, like Coyne Schofield, blue liner Lee Stecklein and Hensley, from his work on the national team, but he still had to find a quick learning curve with his new team.

Lee Stecklein added another championship to her extensive hockey resume. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Minnesota started and ended this season well, winning their first three games in early January. They broke an attendance record (at the time) with more than 13,000 fans at Xcel Energy Center for the home opener, a 3-0 victory over Montreal which included a Grace Zumwinkle hat trick and the first of multiple shutouts this season for Rooney.

They rolled along near the top of the league, going 5-0 in March before the international break. But Minnesota could not buy a victory in the final five regular-season games. As Klee put it, they were “finding ways to lose hockey games,” even though he said they played well. But they weren’t necessarily at their best, with normally crisp passes finding skate blades instead, the offense drying up and special teams stats continuing to spiral.

Minnesota had multiple chances to clinch a playoff spot and didn’t. They needed help on the final day of the regular season to get in as the No. 4 seed. Yes, this championship team almost missed the playoffs in what would have been considered a huge collapse down the stretch.

Top-seeded Toronto waited nearly a full day to choose Minnesota as its opponent in the semifinals. So, Minnesota stayed on the road and played the first two games of the best-of-five series in Toronto, getting shut out 4-0 and 2-0 and facing a must-win game at home for game three. Their losing streak reached seven games.

From the brink of elimination to jubliation
Forget a victory; would Minnesota even score a playoff goal? But the turnaround was about to get started. It took an entire team effort from start to finish, Coyne Schofield said.

“You look at the way that we won,” Coyne Schofield said, after winning the championship. “We were almost out. And as soon as we knew we weren’t out, there were times we got down, but we were never out. And that group in there believed that we could be champions.

“We never lost sight of that.”

Minnesota evened the series with two shutouts behind Rooney, including one in double overtime. Then in game five back in Toronto, Minnesota found their offensive game again, and a 4-1 win sent them to the PWHL Finals to face 3-seed Boston.

“There were moments this year, unfortunately, especially at the end, where we were pretty down,” Stecklein said. “But we were able to pull it together. Just really proud of this group.

“Again, it wouldn’t be possible without Kendall Coyne and her leadership.”

Minnesota grabbed a series lead and thought they won the Cup in game four during double overtime. Sophie Jaques put the puck in the net late in the second OT session, sending the Minnesota team and its fans into a celebratory frenzy. But the celebration was short-lived after a review of the play determined goaltender interference as Taylor Heise slid into the crease and made contact with goalie Aerin Frankel.

A little more than a minute later, Alina Muller scored the winner for Boston, leaving Minnesota and fans stunned.

Taylor Heise was the first overall pick at the PWHL Draft last fall. She added PWHL Playoffs MVP and Walter Cup Champion to her list of accolades in her rookie season. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

“I think they robbed us in game four,” Heise said. “And we all felt that very much. So I think to have the feeling of being a champion taken from you is one of the worst things ever. I can’t say that it’s happened to me before.”

So, once Minnesota actually won the Walter Cup on Wednesday, Hensley shared the team’s celebration graphic on X with her comment: “So nice we won it twice.”

Oh, and about those special teams? Minnesota had a league-worst penalty kill (67.2%), allowing 20 goals against. But their PK was a perfect 19-for-19 in the playoffs. Quite the reversal, indeed.

Minnesota wins the Cup
Once the final buzzer sounded in game five, Minnesota players in their white jerseys with purple lettering rushed on the ice for hugs, smiles and maybe even some happy tears. The Walter Cup was presented in a similar fashion that hockey fans see with the Stanley Cup in the NHL, with music and a walk out to the ice.

Coyne Schofield hoisted the Walter Cup first, pumping it into the air with a giant smile as she skated over to her crowd of teammates. A few minutes later, she choked up during an on-ice broadcast interview, emotions that seemed to spill over to her 10-month-old son, Drew, who burst into tears as he was placed in the Cup during the team photo.

Alternate captain Stecklein was the first to get the Cup hand-off from Coyne Schofield, followed by Pannek, the other alternate captain and a Minnesota native. From there, players took turns skating with the Walter Cup: Hensley, Rooney, Sophia Kunin, Cava, Emma Greco, Channell, Denisa Krizova, Clair DeGeoge, Schepers, Natalie Buchbinder and Sydney Brodt, among others.

The other piece of business was honoring Heise, who was voted the recipient of the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP award. Heise scored five goals in 10 playoff games after scoring four in 19 regular season games. Heise said “it’s awesome” that the PWHL is the only professional women’s hockey league she knows, coming right out of college.

“Not quite sure where I was going to go,” Heise said. “But this league came at an amazing time. … and I’m very honored to be a part of it.”

This championship marks the second time in five years that a Minnesota women’s professional hockey team won it all in their first season in a league. In 2018-19, the Minnesota Whitecaps won the Isobel Cup in their first year in the National Women’s Hockey League (later renamed PHF). That Whitecaps team included Coyne Schofield, Stecklein and Amanda Leveille.

Minnesota players celebrated a championship twice, this one on home ice after what turned out to be an overturned goal for goaltender interference in game four. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

That championship celebration happened after an overtime goal from Stecklein for a victory against the Buffalo Beauts in front of a sold-out crowd at TRIA Rink in St. Paul. Coyne Schofield, Stecklein and Leveille had another chance to celebrate a first in women’s hockey this week, too.

“There’s something very special about being the first to do something in life,” Coyne Schofield said, following game five. “And for us to be the first Walter Cup champions is something that is extremely special that will be part of this league’s legacy forever.

“I’ve been a part of a lot of teams that have won and that haven’t won. For whatever reason, you remember the teams that win.”

Klee shared a perfect example of that with his players before the final game. Klee received a text message from an old teammate, “not somebody that I talk to very often,” Klee said, with a reminder that 30 years ago to the day, Klee won the Calder Cup in the American Hockey League.

Klee told his Minnesota team ‘this is what you want.’

“It’s not about the trophy or a ring or anything like that,” Klee said. “It’s about having the connection with the people that you’re going to have 30 years from now.”

Photo galleries from the PWHL Playoffs: 

Gallery: PWHL Semifinals Game 3, Toronto vs. Minnesota
Gallery: PWHL Finals Game 3, Boston vs. Minnesota
Gallery: PWHL Finals Game 4, Boston vs. Minnesota

The post Cup Champions appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

But Rooney never heard her name called among the 90 players, including eight goaltenders, selected. Nicole Hensley was the first goalie selected in the draft, taken by Minnesota as the 12th-overall pick. Hensley was surprised her friend, and U.S. women’s national team partner, Rooney wasn’t chosen.

“It was stupid,” Hensley said. “Like, absolutely insane. I might be biased because I train with her day in and day out, but I think now, especially after that Toronto series, if the world didn’t know what she was capable of before, they do now.

“I’m sure there are teams that are regretting not being able to pick her up when they could.”

Fortunately for Rooney, PWHL Minnesota invited her to training camp and later signed her as a free agent. Throughout the inaugural season for Minnesota, Hensley and Rooney rotated as a goaltending tandem. Coach Ken Klee refers to them as “1A and 1B.”

Either goalie is a good option for Minnesota as they head into Friday’s game three against Boston in the PWHL Finals at Xcel Energy Center. The best-of-five series is tied 1-1.

The goaltending duo’s dominating efforts in the cage have been key for Minnesota in these PWHL playoffs. Three of the team’s four victories across the semifinals and finals have been shutouts. First, Rooney heard fans chanting her last name at Xcel Energy Center during games three and four against top-seed Toronto in 2-0 and 1-0 (double overtime) shutout wins.  

Rooney made 92 saves on 94 shots (.979 save percentage) and had a shutout streak of 173:19 across four games in the semifinals. During the regular season, she went 5-3-2-2 with a 2.08 goals-against average and .915 save percentage. Her save percentage in five playoff games is .948 with a 1.12 goals-against average.

Before the Finals, Minnesota defenseman Lee Stecklein talked about how exciting it was to see Rooney “take these last games and just play her heart out.”

“She’s been absolutely what we’ve needed back there,” Stecklein said, on May 18. “When we’ve given up chances, we know she’s there to keep us in it. And it’s been astounding to see how she’s been playing and just the confidence she has.”

Nicole Hensley started game two in the PWHL Finals against Boston, earning a shutout victory. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Hensley, meanwhile, went 7-6-1-1 with a 2.19 goals-against average and .919 save percentage in the regular season. She’s 1-1 so far in the playoffs with 36 total saves and four goals allowed in game one against Toronto.

After Rooney and Minnesota completed the upset of Toronto with a 4-1 win in game five, Hensley got the nod in game two in Boston for the Finals, earning a 20-save shutout in the 3-0 victory to even the series. Rooney took the loss in game one, a 4-3 result.

“We have two great goalies,” said Klee after game two in Boston. “All year, we’ve kind of rotated back and forth. Obviously, Maddie got hot in the first round, it was tough to take her out. But we knew we could go back to Nicole at any point and she would be ready to go.

“That was the benefit for me all year, was that I had two goalies who were always ready and able to go.”

On-ice rivals? Hardly.
While the goalies are competitors at heart, their relationship on the team is anything but bitter rivals fighting for the net each game. They’re friends and teammates who support each other in that unique way that only goaltenders can, with each knowing the exact demands of the position. They push each other to get better, Rooney said.

Klee and other Minnesota players have reiterated what a strength it is to have two amazing goaltenders.

“I always say being a goalie is a hard, strange thing,” said forward Kelly Pannek. “Because only one gets to play and then you’re a backup. But then they’re also the only one that knows what the other one is going through at the same time.”

They’ve been close for the past six or seven years, since the first time they played together and were roommates “almost immediately” on the U.S. national team, said Hensley, who added that she finds it easy to get along with Rooney, whether it’s joking around or competing with each other on the ice and helping to improve each other’s games. They are also comfortable comparing notes on the opposition.

Maddie Rooney played for the Andover girls’ team before moving to the Andover boys’ team her senior year in 2014-15. (MHM file photo)

“I think it’s definitely easier… goalies are kind of out on an island back there,” Rooney said. “And to be able to confide and have a good relationship with someone who’s in the same position as you definitely makes the job easier knowing that you look over on the bench and you have that support versus a rivalry.”

While Rooney is a 2015 Andover graduate who played hockey at the University of Minnesota Duluth, Hensley, a Lindenwood grad, is from Lakewood, Colo. Hensley trained with teammates Stecklein, Pannek and Rooney for years, too. Being in Minnesota and skating with her peers helped her development on the ice, Hensley said.

Hensley turned into an honorary #OneOfUs in 2020 when she moved to Minnesota and later bought a house here.

“A lot of my friends are here,” Hensley said. “We have plenty to do. It’s a lot like Colorado in that way. Very outdoorsy. Felt right at home.”

Competitors making each other better
Rooney has always felt at home in Minnesota, too, having played her whole hockey career in her home state. But not hearing her name called at the PWHL Draft was tough, she said, calling it “one of the definite low points” of her career.

But, she tried to take advantage of the opportunity Minnesota gave her when general manager Natalie Darwitz invited her to training camp and signed her.

“It definitely made me stronger in the long run,” Rooney said. “And I wouldn’t try to write my story any different.”

Part of that story is solid goaltending on the ice and a friendship with her fellow goaltender that extends beyond arena walls. Hensley and Rooney have plans to vacation to Mexico after the playoffs. They also enjoy spending time together as friends with their dogs, getting ice cream and spending time at Rooney’s cabin in Wisconsin.

On the ice, Hensley said nothing bothers Rooney, who lets things roll off her shoulders. That’s a good quality to have in a goaltender, a short memory, Hensley said. Rooney also gave Hensley her props for being “solid” and “consistent” in the net, plus seeing her prevail over the ups and downs of Hensley’s career.

Nicole Hensley was the first goaltender chosen in the PWHL Draft last fall. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

“I’m grateful to have a goalie partner like her to be there every day pushing me, and pushing the team to get better,” Rooney said.

Both of them want to get the call to be in the net each game, but they also have the support of each other when their name isn’t called for the start, Rooney said. Being on the national team together – including winning gold and silver medals at the 2018 and 2022 Olympics – helped them prepare for this tandem as well, according to Rooney.

The longevity they have playing together is a benefit and something Hensley said she hasn’t experienced with another goaltender.

“I think we figured going into this year, we would kind of finally be split up,” Hensley said. “And fate had it that we would not be.

“At the end of the day, couldn’t have asked for a better setup.”

The post Better Together appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Who believed PWHL Minnesota would make it to the PWHL finals in the inaugural season?

Everyone in the PWHL Minnesota locker room.

“I think our group never lost faith,” said Minnesota captain Kendall Coyne Schofield. “I think it’s easy to lose faith when things aren’t going well. But I think, the energy in the room, the energy at practice, was never lost based on the results we had toward the end of the season.”

In a complete turn of events, PWHL Minnesota advanced to the league’s championship round with a 4-1 victory over PWHL Toronto in the deciding game five in front of a sold-out crowd at Coca-Cola Coliseum Friday night in Toronto. No. 4 seed Minnesota erased a two-games-to-none series deficit after losing the first two games on the road before rattling off three-straight wins to complete the upset of top-seeded Toronto.

Minnesota blue liner Lee Stecklein recorded two of her three PWHL Playoffs assists in the series-deciding game in Toronto. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

“Definitely proud of our group and the way we battled back,” said Minnesota defenseman Lee Stecklein. “Not just in this series but in each game with the ebbs and flows. The group didn’t quit. We knew what we needed to do, and we were committed to sticking to that.”

Minnesota moves on to face No. 3 seed Boston, which swept No. 2 seed Montreal behind three overtime victories. The best-of-five PWHL Finals start at 4 p.m. CT Sunday. While Minnesota has won three in a row, Boston has a five-game winning streak overall. Their momentum started on April 27 when Minnesota native Hannah Brandt scored the game-winning goal with 2.7 seconds left in regulation to keep Boston’s playoff hopes alive.

Friday’s Game 5 victory was Minnesota’s first on the road since March 3, snapping a six-game skid away from St. Paul. They also handed Toronto its first loss on home ice since Jan. 17; Toronto was riding an 11-0 streak at home. Minnesota used a pair of power-play goals to help seal the victory.

Special teams have plagued Minnesota all season. They finished the regular season with an 8.2% power play (5-for-61 in 24 games). Their penalty kill was the worst in the league at 67.2%, allowing opponents to score 20 times on the power play. Nine of those 20 goals allowed on the penalty kill came in those last five games of the regular season; twice they allowed an opponent to go 3-for-4 on the power play.

But in Game 5, and in the series, special teams came through for Minnesota. As often happens in the playoffs, they were the difference when it mattered the most. Denisa Krizova’s power-play goal for the 1-0 lead Friday snapped a 0-for-25 stretch with the advantage for Minnesota, dating back to April 18. Minnesota also scored two power-play goals in a game for the first time this season.

Sometimes, it’s just a bounce that goes your way, which happened on that first goal, said forward Kelly Pannek. She said she joked after the game that the team nearly doubled its power-play goal output from the season in one game.

“We got half as many in one game at the right time,” Pannek said. “I think our groups on the power play are very committed to… playing the right way and doing the right things. Keep trusting that the looks are going to produce.

“When you have that positive energy, I think the special teams were a big point of emphasis for us, after the last five games of the regular season.”

Minnesota’s penalty kill kept Toronto off the board in the series, going a perfect 10-for-10.

Taylor Heise scored a power-play goal and empty-netter to help send PWHL Minnesota to the Finals. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Taylor Heise made it 2-for-2 on the power play for Minnesota, giving her team a 2-1 lead at 8:30 of the third period in Game 5 for her first goal since March 13. She added an empty netter for her sixth goal of the season. The offensive production came one game after Minnesota coach Ken Klee praised Heise for her “best game by far” in the playoffs during Game 4.

Now, the rookie and her teammates will play for a championship.

“I think it’s fun to see that we had the belief in ourselves, and I don’t think anyone else did, especially considering the way we ended [our season] and then getting the reverse sweep,” Heise said.

The road to the Finals
So, how did Minnesota get here? It’s been an up-and-down past two months, for starters.

At the end of March, PWHL Minnesota was riding high and about to finish the month on a five-game winning streak. They spent most of the season in first or second place in the league, though standings were usually tight. Year one as a league, and the parity among the six teams was already evident.

Minnesota general manager Natalie Darwitz met with the media before that March 24 game at Xcel Energy Center, ahead of the IIHF World Championship Break. She kept her fingers crossed that all her players would come back from the break healthy.

“Because I think what happens that last month of the season is going to be the most crucial time,” Darwitz said.

Crucial, indeed. Unfortunately for Minnesota, the five-game winning streak was replaced with a five-game skid to end the regular season, culminating in the team barely squeezing into the PWHL playoffs after getting help from other teams on the final day of the regular season. Minnesota had five opportunities to gain a point in the standings during those five games, which would have clinched a playoff berth. They failed to do so.

The PWHL is a league filled with one-goal games and outstanding goaltenders. But there are also some amazing skaters on the ice, too. Minnesota built up a trend where scoring goals became a tough task. They were outscored 19-7 during the five-game losing skid in April, which included four road games.

When Minnesota returned from the international break – a break that all PWHL teams dealt with, sending some players to national teams while other players stayed back and practiced – with a 4-3 loss at Montreal on April 18. Minnesota had a one-goal lead before giving up the tying and winning goals in the final three minutes of regulation. Minnesota wouldn’t score three goals in a game until Game 5 in Toronto.

Minnesota followed in April with a 4-0 loss at Ottawa, the 2-1 loss that Klee called “gut-wrenching” against Boston at home, and then a 4-1 loss at Toronto and 5-2 loss at New York. Minnesota was outscored 9-3 in those final two games, including allowing a season-high five goals to the league’s worst team, New York.

“We didn’t end the season the way we wanted to,” said Minnesota forward and PWHL Rookie of the Year finalist, Grace Zumwinkle, after Game 5. “It’s just a huge testament to our team from first line to fourth line and everyone that’s on our roster.

“I think anyone can contribute on any given night.”

Just get in, then win
No matter how it happened, Minnesota reached the playoffs. Per the league rules, the top seed in the playoffs got to choose its opponent, either No. 3 seed Boston or No. 4 seed Minnesota. Toronto chose Minnesota for the best-of-five semifinals.

PWHL Minnesota bounced back from a rough stretch at the end of the regular season to win three consecutive playoff games. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Toronto grabbed the series lead with back-to-back shutouts by 4-0 and 2-0 margins. Minnesota goaltender Maddie Rooney started all series games except the first, with Nicole Hensley getting that game. Rooney made 92 saves on 94 shots in those four games for a .979 save percentage and only two goals allowed. She also recorded a shutout streak that lasted 173:19 spanning from late in Game 2 to the second period of Game 5.

“I thought Game 2 was the big change for us,” Klee said. “We played the right way, stayed on top of pucks and battled. We had more compete than we’ve had.”

Then, Minnesota returned the favor to Toronto with 2-0 and 1-0 shutout victories at Xcel Energy Center. The second game was a win in double overtime as Minnesota shut out a Toronto team that hadn’t been held off the board since its season opener.

“Obviously, that gives us a lot of confidence,” said Minnesota forward Claire Butorac, who scored the overtime winner with a rebound shot in front on Wednesday. “Coach has been in our ears about just sticking together the whole time.

“And I think we’ve done a really good job of that. Not getting down on each other but just lifting each other up on the ice, off the ice. I think that builds a pretty confident team.”

The post Special Team(s) appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

It was a solid sports week in the land of 10,000 lakes. The slow-starting Minnesota Twins took advantage of the worst team in baseball and rattled off five wins in a row. The Minnesota Vikings, by many accounts, had an exciting and successful NFL Draft, taking quarterback J.J. McCarthy in the first round. And the Minnesota Timberwolves? They’re in totally new territory with a 3-0 series lead over the Phoenix Suns in the best-of-seven first-round playoff series.

But the vibes shifted backward when Minnesota native Hannah Brandt scored a buzzer-beating, breakaway goal with 2.7 seconds left in regulation for a 2-1 PWHL Boston victory over PWHL Minnesota.

“In my head, we needed to win that game outright,” Brandt said. “So, I think I saw the puck going up, so I just started going. And Hil (Hilary Knight) had it along the wall. I think she just gave me a no-look pass, put it right in the middle, and then I guess it went in the net.”

PWHL Boston forward, and Minnesota native/Hill-Murray graduate, Hannah Brandt celebrates after scoring the game-winning goal with only seconds left in regulation. (Photo courtesy of PWHL)

Boston needed the win to keep its playoff hopes alive, while Minnesota failed for the third game in a row to clinch a playoff spot. Scoring the game-winner when her team needed it so badly hadn’t “sunk in yet” for Brandt only minutes after the game.

“But we needed that win so bad for our team,” Brandt said. “It just felt good to come out on top.”

With four of the six PWHL teams making the playoffs, and New York already eliminated, it leaves Minnesota, Ottawa and Boston fighting to get in. Two of those three teams will join Toronto and Montreal, who’ve already clinched their playoff spots. Minnesota (8-4-3-7) is in third place with 35 points, three ahead of Boston and Ottawa with 32 points each. Minnesota and Ottawa each have two games remaining, while Boston has one left.

Boston got the victory Saturday with a couple of unlikely goals. Minnesota took a 1-0 lead last in the second period when Kelly Pannek pounced on one of the many juicy rebounds Boston goaltender Emma Soderberg left throughout the game.

But instead of pouring on the goals, Minnesota clung to a 1-0 lead in the third period and took an early penalty. Minnesota and Boston have the two worst power plays by percentage this season (9.3% for MIN, 7.7% for BOS), but this time, Boston’s Alina Müller scored to tie the game less than two minutes into the third. It was only the fourth power-play tally for Boston this season.

Boston had what Brandt called one of their best periods so far this season in the third. With 18 shots on goal, she was right; that’s the most for Boston in any period this season. Saturday, they recorded 12 shots on goal in the first two periods combined. Minnesota also had a late power play with about three minutes remaining in the tie game, but they spent about the first half of that in their zone and still couldn’t find the back of the net at the other end to break the tie.

“We’re just finding ways to lose hockey games right now,” Minnesota coach Ken Klee said. “Which is unfortunate because we’re playing well. We had lots of chances to win the game, extend the lead, get the lead… and we were the better team for two periods. And again, we found a way to lose it in the last two seconds there.

“It’s gut-wrenching.”

A month ago, Minnesota took a five-game winning streak into the three-week break for the World Championships. Since coming back, they’re 0-3 with three failed chances at securing a playoff spot, including a 4-0 loss at Ottawa in the last game.

PWHL Minnesota had a lot to celebrate during their season a month ago, winning five games in a row before the three-week break. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Klee was still pleased with how his team played Saturday and the scoring chances they generated. If they keep getting as many chances as they have been, they’re going to score, he said. 

“They’re trying to score goals and make plays at the same time,” Klee said. “Like I said, first two periods, I loved our game. I loved our intensity and everything.”

On paper, it certainly looks like the momentum was demolished once they hit the lengthy break, going from a winning streak to three consecutive losses. But Klee looked at the positive of that 0-3 mark, noting that they had the lead with three minutes to go in one game (a 4-3 loss at Montreal on April 18) and then had a chance to get a point if Saturday’s game reached overtime. Minnesota was 2.7 seconds away from taking a 1-1 game to overtime that would have sent it to the playoffs.

The first week back from the break was tougher, with only one practice back together – Minnesota had six international players on the Worlds rosters – and then coming into PWHL games right away. But that’s not any excuse, because other teams were faced with the same thing and pulled out wins, said Minnesota goaltender Nicole Hensley.

“I think we’ve seen a couple times this year, we got a little bit cold in the offensive zone, then all of a sudden it breaks open,” Hensley said. “I think at this point, we’ve just got to stick with it, keep doing the things that have made us really good over the course of the season.”

The loss made for a pretty quiet Minnesota locker room after the game, said Hensley, who made 30 saves in the game.

“I think you get that close to getting the point you need and don’t get it, that’s pretty frustrating,” Hensley said. “But I think we need to take away from the game that we played really well and it was a bad 10 seconds there at the end. I think we have to stop being in the mindset in the third period that we just need to hold it if we go into it with a lead. We need to keep pushing to get the next one.”

Hensley added that the team’s mindset is still fine, following a good week of practice and playing well against Boston. It’s about finishing the plays, she said. Hensley is also confident in their team because of the leadership they have in the room, with players who’ve played in gold medal games, World Championships, the Olympics etc.

“We have a lot of people that have played in a lot of very important games over the course of their careers and coming out on top,” Hensley said. “So, people know how to do that. Again, it’s just believing in our group and sticking with what’s made us good over the course of the year.”

Tidbits:

2024 PWHL Draft comes to Minnesota
During one of the television timeouts, the PWHL announced via the videoboard that the 2024 PWHL Draft will be held in June in Minnesota. The six teams will make 42 draft picks over seven rounds. The announcement came with a Minnesota-inspired logo.

A new banner in honor of the PWHL Minnesota inaugural season was unveiled prior to the April 27, 2024 game. (MHM Photo / Heather Rule)

Inaugural-season banner
Before the game, Minnesota captains Kendall Coyne Schofield, Kelly Pannek and Lee Stecklein addressed the crowd from center ice, thanking the fans before unveiling a special banner to commemorate the PWHL inaugural season. Coyne Schofield said: “We couldn’t have done it without you… You have proved Minnesota is the state of hockey.” The first 5,000 fans in attendance Saturday received a replica version of the banner, which hangs from the rafters near the lighthouse at Xcel Energy Center.

Fan Appreciation
On Fan Appreciation Day, attendance nearly cracked 10,000 at Xcel Energy Center for Minnesota’s final home game of the regular season. Paid attendance was announced at 9,977, the third-largest crowd for Minnesota this season. Minnesota went 5-2-2-3 on home ice this season.

The post ‘Gut-Wrenching’ Loss For PWHL MIN appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

But a Minnesota native stole his thunder once the puck dropped.

Arizona center – and another former Wild player – Nick Bjugstad, who grew up playing hockey in Blaine, Minn., scored his second career hat trick in a 6-0 shutout of the Wild.

“It felt good,” Bjugstad said. “It had been a while since I scored. That first one, it felt pretty good.

“Sometimes it just goes in for you. It was one of those nights.”

Nick Bjugstad scored 13 goals in a Wild sweater a couple of seasons ago. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

For the Wild, it was “one of those nights” in a completely different way as Minnesota was shut out on home ice for the second time in less than a week, dropping their fourth consecutive game to make it eight losses in the past nine games. The loss led to a players-only meeting following the game.

As of Saturday’s game, Bjugstad skated in 659 career NHL games. He has one four-point game to his name, plus five other three-point games. His one other hat trick came with the Florida Panthers on March 6, 2018, against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Bjugstad played in 101 games with the Wild in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons. He scored 13 goals and 30 points wearing his home-state sweater.

He came into Saturday’s game with only six goals this season, his last tally coming Dec. 4 against Washington. But maybe the dam was just about to burst; he recorded eight shots on goal in the Jan. 11 game against Calgary but came up empty other than a single assist.

“You want to create volume,” Bjugstad said. “I’ve been in situations where I’ve been in some droughts. I just tried to stay even-keeled through all that. You just know eventually it’s going to go in.”

When Bjugstad completed his hat trick in the second period (with an assist from another former Wild player, Jason Zucker), hockey fans tossed a few hats onto the ice for the hometown player. There wasn’t much else to cheer about for the Wild faithful, other than the “t-shirt guy” pumping up the crowd with his hype moves.

As one would expect, the hat trick was all the more special for Bjugstad because it came in a building that he referred to as “the mecca” for him as a kid.

“I don’t really know how to put it in words,” Bjugstad said. “Yeah, it’s a fun one to have, and it’s a fun one to have with this team.”

PWHL Minnesota wraps up its first homestand, gets goals from alternate captains
One Minnesota professional hockey team still sits atop the league standings. That’s despite PWHL Minnesota (3-0-0-1) suffering its first loss of the season with a 3-2 overtime defeat at the hands of PWHL New York (2-1-2-0) on Sunday.

Roseville native and alternate captain Lee Stecklein scored her first goal of the season with a point shot that made it through traffic for a 1-0 lead in the first period. Another Twin Cities native, Kelly Pannek, of Plymouth, added to the lead with her first PWHL goal. Pannek’s tally started with her taking the puck into the zone, sliding it past two colliding New York players to get her all alone with the goaltender before firing her shot for a 2-0 lead in the first intermission.

PWHL Minnesota played its first overtime game on Sunday afternoon, against PWHL New York. (MHM Photo / Heather Rule)

“That was the best first period as a whole that we’ve had in the first, now four games,” Pannek, the other alternate captain, told Bally Sports North during the first intermission.

New York pressured more in the next two periods and eventually tied the game with a pair of power-play goals from Alex Carpenter and Jessie Eldridge, who scored with 10:49 remaining in regulation.

Special teams were a huge factor in the game. Minnesota had an early 5-on-3 advantage for nearly a full two minutes. They also had another power play in the third period with the chance to regain their two-goal lead. The puck possession and offensive zone time were there, but the conversion was not.

“It’s just a little lack of finish,” said Minnesota coach Ken Klee. “We’re getting good looks.

“You get enough good looks, you’re going to score goals.”

Minnesota is 0-for-8 on the power play so far this season, standing as the only team that hasn’t cashed in on the power play.

Minnesota had a couple of prime chances to win the game in the 3-on-3 overtime, too. Taylor Heise just missed popping the puck over the goal line right in front. Then Grace Zumwinkle was hauled down on a scoring chance and was awarded a penalty shot. She couldn’t convert with 1:40 left in OT. Then 41 seconds later, the game was over when New York’s Emma Woods fired a shot that deflected high on the blocker side to beat Minnesota goaltender Maddie Rooney.

New York celebrated handing Minnesota its first loss of the season.

“They obviously came out hot,” Woods said. “But I think we just stayed in the game and battled. They’re a fast team and very skilled. We matched that tonight. It felt good to take them out of the win column for a bit.”

There’s still plenty to be excited about with PWHL Minnesota as the season is now a couple of weeks old. Minnesota has also scored first in all four of its games and has yet to allow a first-period goal this season while scoring six goals of their own in the first frame.

Minnesota still remains the only PWHL to win on home ice thus far. Minnesota leads the PWHL in points with 10; it’s three points for a regulation victory, two points for an overtime victory and one point for an overtime loss.

Minnesota opened the season in Boston before playing their last three at Xcel Energy Center. After a record-breaking crowd for a professional women’s hockey game of 13,316 for the home opener, Minnesota drew 4,707 fans for Wednesday night’s game before another solid 7,951 on Sunday afternoon, closely filling up the lower bowl.

“Every game we’ve played here, we’ve had a fantastic crowd,” said Minnesota captain Kendall Coyne Schofield. “Definitely have the best crowd in the league, that’s for sure. They showed up.”

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