Minnesota Frost down Ottawa Charge to repeat as Walter Cup champions: Takeaways
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Taylor Heise didn't want to jinx anything.
But speaking to media on Sunday after the Minnesota Frost's triple-overtime victory in Game 3 of the PWHL Finals, she reflected, just for a moment, on what it might feel like to win the Walter Cup on home ice.
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'Doing this at home would be life-altering,' said Heise, who grew up in Lake City, Minn. 'Even those not from Minnesota would know how important that would be. So I think anyone and everyone is going to come out tomorrow — including Ottawa, doing everything they can — and we're going to try to match that and be better.'
On Monday night, the Frost did just that, beating the Ottawa Charge 2-1 in overtime in Game 4 of the PWHL Finals. The game was yet another high-stakes goalie battle between Minnesota's Maddie Rooney and Ottawa rookie Gwyneth Philips, who combined for 64 saves heading into the final frame.
Kelly Pannek scored Minnesota's first goal, the first time the Frost opened the scoring in the Finals. Midway through the third period, Ottawa's Tereza Vanišová tied the game 1-1 to force a fourth straight overtime between the two teams.
Liz Schepers scored the game-winner – her second Walter Cup-winning goal – 12 minutes into overtime in front of 11,024 fans at the Xcel Energy Center, securing the Walter Cup on home ice for the first time after winning on the road in Boston last season.
Rooney made 33 saves for her fifth straight win, becoming the first goalie in league history to go undefeated in the playoffs.
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Here are three takeaways from the game.
Pannek opens the scoring
Despite entering Monday night's game with a 2-1 edge in the series, the Frost had never held a lead in the run of play, with both of the team's victories – in Games 2 and 3 – won in overtime.
That is, until Kelly Pannek scored the opening goal midway through the second period for Minnesota's first advantage of the PWHL Finals.
The goal, Pannek's second of the postseason, was set up by a nice cutback by defender Claire Thompson who activated into the zone and found Pannek right on the doorstep. With Philips dropping down, Pannek perfectly placed the puck in the pocket above Philips' right shoulder.
Pannek has long been a reliable 200-foot player with the ability to chip in on offense and she has shown that throughout the Finals. In Game 3, she played 35 minutes over six periods of hockey and took 45 faceoffs, winning 75 percent of them.
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The details of Pannek's game, including her prowess in the dots, often go unnoticed. But with a massive goal in a deciding game, she was hard to miss.
Vanišová breaks through
In the regular season, only Hilary Knight and Marie-Philip Poulin had more goals than Tereza Vanišová. She entered the postseason on a bit of a cold streak that extended into the playoffs, going 11 games without a goal.
At 10:09 in the third period, she ended that streak with a massive game-tying goal for the Ottawa Charge. Rookie forward Danielle Serdachny started the play with a strong entry into the zone and a perfect pass into the inner slot to an awaiting Vanišová.
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Vanišová had been all around the play leading up to that goal, to the point where it felt like it was only a matter of time for her to find the back of the net. For Serdachny, it was an excellent primary assist after playing a (surprisingly) limited role for the Charge after going second overall in the 2024 draft.
Rooney stands tall (again)
Last year it was Nicole Hensley with a win in the championship game. This year was Rooney's turn.
Monday night's Walter Cup-clinching win was her fifth straight, becoming the first goalie in league history to go undefeated in the playoffs.
It was fair to wonder how Rooney would look in the Finals after allowing five goals on 23 shots in a 7-5 win against Toronto in the semifinals. But she locked in for the remainder of the playoffs with three straight wins, allowing just three goals against on 108 shots.
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Ottawa starter Gwyneth Philips was one of the stars of the postseason, making over 200 saves and keeping games tight against Minnesota, even when the Frost looked to be the better team. But in three starts against the Minnesota veteran, Philips wound up (just barely) on the losing side.
Still, Philips finished with the top goals against average and save percentage of the playoffs.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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