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.

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.

While the Victoire celebrated a victory, the Frost were left to lament a season-long, three-game losing streak in regulation, with one game left before the multi-week international break in April.

The loss also came in the middle of a stretch in which the Frost goal scoring had dried up. Across a seven-game period ending with the loss to Montreal on March 26, the Frost scored 13 goals, with five of those coming in a 5-0 victory over Ottawa on March 7. The Frost scored only one goal a game in four of the seven contests, and they had a record of 1-1-1-4 (W-OTW-OTL-L).

“It’s tough,” said Frost coach Ken Klee. “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.”

Update: The Frost found a way.

The goal-scoring floodgates opened right from puck drop of the Frost’s game against the Toronto Sceptres on Sunday. First, Kendall Coyne Schofield and Taylor Heise combined for a two-on-one goal off the rush just 1 minute, 1 second into the game for a 1-0 lead. It was Heise’s seventh goal of the season.

Britta Curl-Salemme is left alone in front, and she puts the puck in the net for a 2-0 Frost lead less than two minutes into the game against Toronto. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Before two minutes of game time elapsed, the Frost doubled their lead with a rebound goal from Britta Curl-Salemme. Those first two tallies were record-setting goals as the fastest two goals to open a game by a team in PWHL history, coming in a 1:43 span.

That set the tone for an eventual 5-2 Frost victory. It helped the Frost avoid a four-game skid headed into the break, and it also prevented them from seeing another team celebrate a playoff berth on Minnesota’s home ice for the second time in a week.

Fast-start Sunday
After the game, Heise stated the obvious, that a team will do better if it scores two goals right away. But she added that the Frost came out with a lot of speed.

“Up and down the lineup, I was really impressed with the way that we just continued to hound them,” Heise said. “I think they (Toronto) did a lot of dumping and chasing, which they’re not a team that likes to do that. And then you got Nic (Nicole Hensley) back there who made 57 crazy saves. It was great.”

She exaggerates, of course. Hensley made 16 saves for her fifth win of the season. She got back in net for only the third time in March after Maddie Rooney has taken a bit of an edge in the goalie-tandem set-up this season. Hensley looked sharp early, especially on second-chance plays from Toronto. She took a shutout into the third period before Toronto made it a 4-2 game. Hensley also helped keep the league’s best power play off the board on three chances, including a 6-on-4 Toronto advantage near the end of the game with the goaltender pulled.

Maybe it was the 12 p.m. start that had the Frost so fired up, something both Heise and Hensley mentioned they like early games.

“Our team played really well in front of me and blocked a lot of shots,” Hensley said. “We obviously took some punches from them in the third. But we went right back down and showed what we can do. So, I think that last goal was huge to just make sure we got the job done.”

Taylor Heise skates in to celebrate the 5-2 victory with Frost goaltender Nicole Hensley. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

That last goal, to make it 5-2 with about six minutes left, was Heise’s second of the game. Before that, it was truly a team effort for the Frost. Twelve different players registered a point as the team grabbed a 4-0 lead by the second intermission. Sophie Jaques and Liz Schepers, with her second goal of the season, scored in the second period.

Michela Cava assisted on both of Heise’s goals, plus rookie Brooke McQuigge extended her point streak to a league-best six games with two more assists. McQuigge has two goals and five assists in her last six games.

Seeing this performance from the Frost compared to the goal-starved efforts recently put everyone from the Frost in a better mood after the game. It was the kind of game Klee was hoping to see from his team.

“We had a lot of jump, a lot of jam to our game,” Klee said. “We were fast, we were first on pucks. When we do those things, we’re simple with the puck, we’re a tough team to handle.

“All four lines scored tonight, which is great. All four lines created lots of chances. They were good in their own zone.”

Frost get a much-needed win – and points – before the break
The victory was a sigh of relief and a step back on the right track, but the Frost also know there’s still work to be done. They were briefly in fifth place over the weekend, with an Ottawa win that put the Charge one point ahead of the Frost. Minnesota got back into the playoff picture with its three points against Toronto. They have three games remaining, starting with their regular-season home finale on against New York on April 26, followed by two road games at Ottawa on April 30 and Boston on May 3.

The Frost also don’t want to see some of the history from a year ago repeat itself. Last season, Minnesota had all the momentum in the world with a 5-0 record in March before the international break. They came back and lost five consecutive games in the regular season, barely squeezing into the playoffs.

“We don’t want to put ourselves in a spot like we did last year,” Heise said.

Frost forward Grace Zumwinkle was all smiles as her team led from the drop of the puck against Toronto on Sunday. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Frost forward Grace Zumwinkle said after the loss to Montreal that there’s belief in the Frost locker room, something Minnesota players also preached in the middle of the late-season losing streak last year.

“I think we all understand that the last few games isn’t our best, and it’s not acceptable,” Zumwinkle said on March 26. “I think when you show up to practice, you have to bring that mojo and swagger and act like you are scoring goals. I think even if you aren’t, you still have to act that way.

“I think that’s something that’s going to be a point of emphasis for us, and hopefully we can show that on Sunday.”

The Frost certainly found the mojo, swagger, the good vibes, whatever it may be on Sunday. Klee also acknowledged that he’s going to enjoy the break – for the IIHF Women’s World Championships – a lot better after their win on Sunday.

Regardless of Heise’s personal scoresheet stats, she was most excited for the team to get a win and a mental boost.

“When you go into a three-week break, my dad tells me this all the time: ‘You can either win and not have to think about it, or lose and not have to think about it every single day for three weeks,’” Heise said. “So, I’m glad that we get to not think about it.”

The post Frost Thaws Scoring Drought appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

No, she wasn’t talking about any of her hockey stats as a Minnesota Frost center. She was referring to her connections with the 2025 girls’ high school state hockey tournament champions: Class 2A Hill-Murray and Class 1A Dodge County.

“I did two captain’s practices, and one was with Hill (-Murray) and one was with Dodge County,” Heise said on Sunday afternoon following the Frost’s 2-1 loss to Toronto in St. Paul.

“So, 100% on my part,” Heise quipped.

The Frost returned to Xcel Energy Center on Sunday afternoon for a game against the Toronto Sceptres following a four-game road trip. Crews at the arena had the on-ice and board advertising changed over quickly for the 12:30 p.m. puck drop following the four-day girls’ state hockey tournament. Both Class 1A and Class 2A girls’ championship games were decided in overtime, a first in tourney history.

In Class 1A, top-seeded Dodge County – a co-op of Kasson-Mantorville and Byron in southeastern Minnesota – took a 3-1 lead before three-time defending champ Warroad tied the game with a pair of goals in 21 seconds in the middle of the third period by Vivienne Marcowka. In overtime, it took an official review to determine the puck crossed the goal line to give Dodge County the win. Zoe Heimer scored with 1 minute, 3 seconds left in the first overtime period to secure Dodge County’s first girls’ hockey state championship.

Red Wing’s Taylor Heise’s game-winning shot touches the twine as South St. Paul goalie Sydney Conley helplessly looks on in the Wingers’ 3-2 Class 1A girls’ state third-place game in 2013 at Xcel Energy Center. (MHM Photo / Mackenzie Marinovich)

Heise, a Red Wing graduate from southeastern Minnesota, watched the game online.

“I honestly turned the game off when it was 3-1 with about eight minutes left because I had to go do something,” Heise said. “And I came back and I saw it was 3-3.”

She flipped the game back on and saw the Wildcats earn their title, after getting second place a year ago against the same opponent. The championship was the first for a girls’ hockey program in southern Minnesota.

But Dodge County had to wait a few minutes to celebrate. The teams waited by their benches as officials reviewed the final play. When the official signaled “good goal,” the Wildcats rushed off the bench across the ice toward their ecstatic student section, traditionally tossing their sticks, gloves and helmets along the way.

“I love that for them,” Heise said. “You could see how excited they were. I saw girls crying. I would have cried if I made it there, too. But you could just see the pride in their eyes that they knew they could do it.

“They obviously got stuck in that championship game last year, obviously didn’t make all the way through that they wanted to. But I’m really proud of them. I’m proud of any of the teams that came there. State tournament’s a hard place to play. Playing in a big arena with your whole town watching you, I know the feeling. It’s not easy but really happy for them.”

Close connections to Dodge County hockey
Heise, the 2018 Ms. Hockey winner, played in four state tournaments during her high school career with Red Wing. But she never reached the state championship game. She helped lead the Wingers to three consecutive Class 1A third-place finishes in 2012-14 before finishing as the consolation runner-up in 2018.

Though Heise graduated from Red Wing, she called her connection to Dodge County “southeast Minnesota.” Since basketball was more the sport of choice where she grew up, she remembers playing hockey for Red Wing and going to Dodge County for scrimmages.

She also knows Dodge County coach Jeremy Gunderson and his staff well. Gunderson and her high school coach were friends, so the teams scrimmaged before the regular seasons started. She also gives lessons to Wildcats player Alexa Van Straaten, along with the captain’s practice. During last year’s state tournament, Heise also spoke with the Wildcats before their big game.

“Southern Minnesota pride,” Heise said.

Mercury Bischoff (left), the 2025 Ms. Hockey winner, and the Jori Jones Award recipient, Layla Hemp, watch the Frost game Sunday after receiving their awards at a banquet. (MHM Photo / Heather Rule)

During Sunday’s Frost game, an in-arena announcement and team championship photos shown on the videoboard recognized Dodge County and Hill-Murray. In the Class 2A title game, Hill-Murray upset top-seed and defending champion Edina with a 5-4 win in double overtime.

Next door on Sunday, this year’s Ms. Hockey and Jori Jones Award for goaltender of the year award winners were announced. Mercury Bischoff, a Grand Rapids/Greenway forward who scored 58 goals and 86 points in 28 games this season, won Ms. Hockey, while Minnetonka goaltender Layla Hemp took home the Jori Jones Award. Bischoff is committed to play for Minnesota State next season, while Hemp is off to play for the Minnesota Gophers.

At a TV timeout in the third period, Bischoff and Hemp were acknowledged with an announcement and shown watching the Frost game from a suite. They were wearing their green Minnesota Wild jerseys, traditionally given to the winners of these annual awards. They received a round of applause from the season-high attendance mark of 8,770 fans, and Heise noticed them watching the game, too.

“Even before the game, I thought it would have been a great idea for them to get Frost jerseys,” Heise said. “To be here to see what it could be like for them later in life when they get through college and they get to see what we’re part of. It’s cool.”

The post Heise’s Southern Minnesota Pride 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.

Here are five rules from the Frost’s first regulation loss of the season:

1. Saturday included homecomings and Hill-Murray/Wisconsin reunions for some of the Montreal players.

There were no graphics or lengthy video tributes, but the Frost welcomed back two former players during the game’s first TV timeout Saturday with an announcement in the arena. Montreal forwards Abby Boreen and Clair DeGeorge each had a chance to wave to the crowd via the videoboard and receive a nice round of cheers. Both were part of the Walter Cup Champion Minnesota team last season.

Boreen, a Wisconsin native who played with Hill-Murray and the Gophers, was a reserve with Minnesota who contributed four goals and five points in nine regular-season games before needing to enter the PWHL Draft in June; Montreal selected her in the third round (17th overall). Boreen came into the game as Montreal’s leading scorer with two goals and four points this season, also fresh off being named the PWHL Second Star of the Week on Dec. 23.

She said she’s had a fun season with her new team.

“Moving to a whole new city, meeting literally everyone from scratch,” Boreen said. “I’ve had a blast, honestly. So, I’m really happy to be here.”

Well, Boreen had at least one familiar face on her new team. She and defender Mariah Keopple, another Wisconsin native and a Hill-Murray teammate, have known each other for about a decade. Saturday’s game was a homecoming for Keopple, too, who had about 60 family members at the game.

“They were scattered all around the rink,” Keopple said. “It was incredible to do it in front of them and also fellow Wisconsin people on my team.

2. Three players scored their first goals of the season.

Of the five goals in Saturday’s game, three marked the first of the season for each player. Keopple scored her first goal to tie the game 1-1 in the first period when her point shot made it through traffic. Then Victoire center Alexandra Labelle gave her team the lead with 37.8 seconds left in the opening period as she whacked away at her own rebound in front of the net. Labelle had only one goal in 24 games last season with New York.

Early in the second period, Frost rookie Brooke McQuigge (a fourth-round draft pick) tied the game at two for her first professional goal. The Frost crashed the net creating a flurry of chances before the fourth-line winger McQuigge cashed in. Liz Schepers and Claire Butorac assisted on the play.

“I think my line fed off each other’s energy and we just forechecked well there,” McQuigge said. “Each of us had a swing at the puck. So, it could’ve been either one of my linemates’ goals. Just happy to get the first one.

3. Minnesota makes the right call on a challenge for goaltender interference.

About halfway through the second period, Montreal appeared to take a two-goal lead when winger Laura Stacey crashed the net as Keopple took a shot from far out that ended up in the net. The official on the ice signaled a good goal. But the Frost challenged the play as Stacey skated through the crease and appeared to get tangled with goaltender Maddie Rooney.

Following the video review, the officials, in consultation with the PWHL Central Situation Room, reversed the call to keep it a one-goal game. They determined goaltender interference indeed occurred on the play.

Though challenges aren’t ever easy, it was the right call this time around, said Frost coach Ken Klee.

“The replays are kind of slow for us to get on the bench,” Klee said. “I was watching on the jumbotron like everybody else.”

Klee added that he’s instructed his goaltenders to let him know if they were interfered with on a play, which also helps make his calls easier. Kendall Coyne Schofield was on the ice for the play and noted that Rooney spoke up right away about being interfered with on the play.

“I try to have them take a little bit of ownership of it, too,” Klee said. “Because they’re around the net, and they see what’s happening.

Britta Curl-Salemme celebrates scoring her third goal of the season to give the Frost a 1-0 lead in Saturday’s game against Montreal. (Photo courtesy of PWHL)

4. Britta Curl-Salemme, Claire Thompson and Taylor Heise keep adding to their point totals.

The Frost had a slow start, captain Coyne Schofield acknowledged postgame. But they still got on the board first for the fifth time in six games this season. About nine minutes into the game, a bouncing puck found its way into the net for a 1-0 Frost lead. Defender Claire Thompson’s shot bounced in front of the net and off of Britta Curl-Salemme for her third goal of the season.

She’s the eighth player in the league to reach three goals this season. She has four points in six games.

With the primary assist on the goal, Thompson leads the league in assists with seven and points with eight. She’ll carry a four-game point streak into the team’s next game on Jan. 2 against Boston.

Taylor Heise also earned an assist on the play, tying her for second in PWHL scoring with seven points (one goal, six assists). She has a point in five consecutive games

5. The Frost lost for the first time in regulation but remained in first place in the PWHL standings.

The loss snaps a four-game winning streak for the Frost, but they’re still atop the PWHL standings with 12 points. Montreal has won three in a row and moved into second place with 10 points.

The Frost were the last team to lose a game in regulation. Montreal’s game-winning goal came only a few minutes after McQuigge tied the game in the second period. Veteran forward Marie-Philip Poulin finished off an odd-man rush to score her second goal of the season after a late pass in deep from Stacey.

The post Rink Rule: Victoire 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.”

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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.”

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