Latest news with #LeeStecklein
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Katy Knoll plays triple-OT hero as Frost take series lead over Charge in PWHL Finals: Takeaways
ST. PAUL, Minn. — For a third-straight game in the PWHL Finals between Minnesota and Ottawa, regulation wasn't enough. On Saturday night, the Minnesota Frost needed triple overtime to beat the Ottawa Charge 2-1. Rookie forward Katy Knoll scored the game-winning goal midway through the third overtime period. With the win and a 35-save night, Frost goaltender Maddie Rooney remains undefeated in the playoffs. Advertisement The Frost, playing on home ice for the first time in the championship series, controlled the run of play for most of the night. The Ottawa Charge registered only two shots through the opening 20 minutes and nine through 40, but still managed to push Minnesota to overtime thanks to rookie goalie Gwyneth Philips, who made 45 saves on 47 shots. The defending Walter Cup champions are now one win away from winning back-to-back league titles. And they'll get a chance to do it on home ice at the Xcel Energy Center on Monday at 4 p.m. (CT). Here are some takeaways from Game 3. Lee Stecklein stays hot Minnesota defender Lee Stecklein tied the score 1-1 less than three minutes into the second period on a sneaky point shot with a double-stack screen taking away Philips' eyes. (Exactly what Minnesota needs to do to beat the goaltender of the year finalist more consistently.) Stecklein, 31, is an irreplaceable shutdown rearguard — with a long reach and expert gap control — who has been on an offensive hot streak over the last several weeks. Advertisement She scored three goals in Minnesota's last two must-win games and now leads the playoffs with four goals and eight points. Minnesota's offensive contributions from the blue line have been one of the team's strong suits all season, with the top four scoring defenders in the playoffs between Stecklein, Sophie Jaques (7), Mellissa Channell-Watkins (5) and Claire Thompson (5) combining for 25 points. In a series where offense has been hard to come by — only nine goals have been scored between Ottawa and Minnesota — having a top-four that can pitch is a luxury not every team has. Clark keeps buzzing Emily Clark had, maybe, the best game I'd ever seen her play in the PWHL on Tuesday night. She killed penalties and made big play after big play. Clark didn't score on her game-high six shots on Thursday night, but she led the way for Ottawa in the 2-1 overtime loss. Advertisement On Saturday night, however, she didn't waste much time getting on the scoresheet, scoring the opening goal at 11:34 on Ottawa's first shot of the game. It was the first goal scored in the opening period and a bit of an odd one, with the puck bouncing around at the net front to get past Rooney. One of Ottawa's initial three signings before the league's inaugural season, Clark has elevated her game in her first playoff appearance with a team-leading three goals and five points. She scored the overtime winner in Game 1 of the finals and had the series-clincher against Montreal in the semifinals. 'She's buzzing,' said Ottawa coach Carla MacLeod after Game 2. 'Our group is buzzing, and she's a good engine within the group to kind of set the bar. You can see she's passionate about playing in the Walter Cup final.' Goalie highlights Philips has made over 200 saves in the postseason so far. None have looked cooler than her first-period poke check to stop Denisa Křížová from even getting a shot off on a two-on-one. A third-round pick at the 2024 draft, Philips started the season as the backup to Emerance Maschmeyer. She became the starter in March when Maschmeyer was put on long-term injured reserve and won five of eight starts to help lead Ottawa to the playoffs. Now that she's here, Philips has been one of the postseason's brightest stars with a league-leading 1.25 goals against average and .949 save percentage. Zumwinkle adds a spark The PWHL Finals have been a much different series than the semis for Minnesota. Against Toronto, the Frost scored seven goals in just one game. Through three games against Ottawa, they've only scored five combined. Advertisement A lot of that has to do with Philips, sure. But Minnesota's top line also barely got pucks on net in Game 2, which prompted a bit of a shakeup by Minnesota head coach Ken Klee, adding Grace Zumwinkle beside Taylor Heise and Kendall Coyne Schofield, and moving Michela Cava to the second line. The new-look trio didn't ultimately beat Philips, but Zumwinkle added a spark, putting six shots on net. At the end of regulation, they combined for exactly half of Minnesota's 24 shots. The special teams battle Ottawa still hasn't managed to score on the power play in the finals, and had four chances to do just that on Saturday night, including one in triple overtime. It's not just that Ottawa couldn't score on the advantage. The team was also outshot on two of its chances by the Minnesota penalty kill, which ranked sixth in the regular season. Advertisement The Charge entered the playoffs with the worst power play in the league (14.9 percent), so it shouldn't be that surprising that it's been flat in the playoffs, too. Their penalty kill, however, has been very strong in the playoffs, which has kept the special teams battle in the finals (just 1-0 for Minnesota with Britta Curl-Salemme's late power play goal in Game 2) more even than it could be. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Ottawa Senators, Minnesota Wild, NHL, Women's Hockey 2025 The Athletic Media Company
New York Times
25-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Katy Knoll plays triple-OT hero as Frost take series lead over Charge in PWHL Finals: Takeaways
ST. PAUL, Minn. — For a third-straight game in the PWHL Finals between Minnesota and Ottawa, regulation wasn't enough. On Saturday night, the Minnesota Frost needed triple overtime to beat the Ottawa Charge 2-1. Rookie forward Katy Knoll scored the game-winning goal midway through the third overtime period. With the win, and a 35-save night, Maddie Rooney remains undefeated in the playoffs. Advertisement The Frost, playing on home ice for the first time in the championship series, controlled the run of play for most of the night. The Ottawa Charge registered only two shots through the opening 20 minutes and nine through 40, but still managed to push Minnesota to overtime thanks to rookie goalie Gwyneth Philips, who made 45 saves on 47 shots. The defending Walter Cup champions are now one win away from winning back-to-back league titles. And they'll get a chance to do it on home ice at the Xcel Energy Center on Monday at 4 p.m. (CT). Here are some takeaways from Game 3. Minnesota defender Lee Stecklein tied the game 1-1 less than three minutes into the second period on a sneaky point shot with a double-stack screen taking away Philips' eyes. (Exactly what Minnesota needs to do to beat the Goaltender of the Year finalist more consistently.) Alllllll the way from the blue line 😮💨 🔁 Fourth of the postseason for Lee Stecklein! — x – Minnesota Frost (@PWHL_Minnesota) May 24, 2025 Stecklein, 31, is an irreplaceable shutdown rearguard — with a long reach and expert gap control — who has been on an offensive hot streak over the last several weeks. She scored three goals in Minnesota's last two must-win games and now leads the playoffs with four goals and eight points. Minnesota's offensive contributions from the blue line have been one of the team's strong suits all season, with the top four scoring defenders in the playoffs between Stecklein, Sophie Jaques (7), Mellissa Channell-Watkins (5) and Thompson (5) combining for 25 points. In a series where offense has been hard to come by — only nine goals have been scored between Ottawa and Minnesota — having a top-four that can pitch is a luxury not every team has. Emily Clark had, maybe, the best game I'd ever seen her play in the PWHL on Tuesday night. She killed penalties and made big play after big play. Clark didn't score on her game-high six shots on Thursday night but she really led the way for Ottawa in the 2-1 overtime loss. On Saturday night, however, she didn't waste much time getting on the scoresheet, scoring the opening goal at 11:34 on Ottawa's first shot of the game. It was the first goal scored in the opening period and a bit of an odd one — with the puck bouncing around at the net front — to get past Rooney. EMILY CLARK STARTS THE SCORING IN GAME THREE 🔥 — Jocks In Jills (@JocksInJills) May 24, 2025 One of Ottawa's initial three signings before the league's inaugural season, Clark has really elevated her game in her first playoff appearance with a team-leading three goals and five points. She scored the overtime winner in Game 1 of the Finals, and had the series-clincher against Montreal in the semifinals. Advertisement 'She's buzzing,' said Ottawa coach Carla MacLeod after Game 2. 'Our group is buzzing and she's a good engine within the group to kind of set the bar. You can see she's passionate about playing in the Walter Cup Final.' Philips has made over 200 saves in the postseason so far. None have looked cooler than her first-period poke check to stop Denisa Křížová from even getting a shot off on a two-on-one. Gwyneth Philips with the poke check to keep Game 2 of the Finals 0-0😮💨 — Hailey Salvian (@hailey_salvian) May 24, 2025 A third-round pick at the 2024 draft, Philips started the season as the backup to Emerance Maschmeyer. She became the starter in March when Maschmeyer was put on long-term injured reserve and won five of eight starts to help lead Ottawa to the playoffs. Now that she's here, Philips has been one of the postseason's brightest stars with a league-leading 1.25 goals against average and .949 save percentage. The PWHL Finals has been a much different series than the semis for Minnesota. Against Toronto, the Frost scored seven goals in just one game. Through three games against Ottawa, they've only scored five combined. A lot of that has to do with Philips, sure. But Minnesota's top line also barely got pucks on net in Game 2, which prompted a bit of a shakeup by Minnesota head coach Ken Klee, adding Grace Zumwinkle beside Taylor Heise and Kendall Coyne Schofield, and moving Michela Cava to the second line. The new-look trio didn't ultimately beat Philips, but Zumwinkle absolutely added a spark, putting six shots on net. At the end of regulation, they combined for exactly half of Minnesota's 24 shots. Ottawa still hasn't managed to score on the power play yet in the Finals, and had four chances to do just that on Saturday night, including one in triple overtime. It's not just that Ottawa couldn't score on the advantage. The team was also outshot on two of its chances by the Minnesota penalty kill, which ranked sixth in the regular season. Advertisement The Charge entered the playoffs with the worst power play in the league (14.9 percent), so it shouldn't be all that surprising that it's been flat in the playoffs, too. Their penalty kill, however, has been very strong in the playoffs, which has kept the special teams battle in the Finals (just 1-0 for Minnesota with Britta Curl-Salemme's late power play goal in Game 2) more even than it could be.
National Post
24-05-2025
- Sport
- National Post
'I want to be a nuisance': Britta Curl-Salemme puts words to her villain status
Article content On Thursday night, two goals and an arena full of boos said enough for Britta Curl-Salemme in Game 2 of the PWHL Finals. Article content Article content After taking Curl-Salemme's spot in the Minnesota Frost's post-game press conference, defender Lee Stecklein said she wouldn't put words into her teammate's mouth about her reception in Ottawa. Article content So the next day, in a Friday afternoon virtual media availability, Curl-Salemme had the opportunity to put words to the massive impression she made in the first two games of the series. Article content Article content Between the relentless jeering, her knee-on-knee collision with Ottawa's Katerina Mrazova and her pair of goals in Game 2 to even the series, the 25-year-old forward has only cemented her status as public enemy No. 1 amongst Charge fans. Article content The fact that she's managed to heighten the already deafening noise around her name is a testament to her physical, hard-nosed game, not simply the controversy swirling around her. She gave the sense that the recent attention to her play has only motivated her more. Article content 'I'd rather play in front of a full crowd that's booing me than an empty one,' she said. 'That type of passion, it's really cool to see. I can't control how they may feel towards me. It's all in good fun I think. I think they enjoy that passion and putting it towards something.' Article content While Curl-Salemme may not have admitted it to the media, a Frost social media post from inside the team's locker room after Game 2 indicated the adversity is being used as ammunition for their championship repeat bid. Article content Article content 'I just have one message,' Curl-Salemme said with a grin on her face, while receiving the team's player of the game belt. 'It's Minnesota Frost versus the world.' The short speech was met with a roar of cheers from her teammates, who swung towels and clapped thunderously. Article content Article content By all accounts, the Wisconsin graduate became the PWHL's very first villain the moment she was selected ninth overall by the Frost in the 2024 PWHL Draft. That was the reality with Curl-Salemme being involved in a controversy in which many fans labelled her social media activity as anti-transgender and politically polarizing. Article content 'I'm sure some people think that (I'm a villain),' she said. 'I try not to get too involved with outside noise or perspectives. I just don't think that's helpful for me, for our team, or what I'm trying to do on the ice.' Article content Article content While the off-ice controversy may not help the team, Curl-Salemme's physical presence on the ice certainly has. Ironically, the main source of the backlash she now faces arguably stems not from her actions off the ice, but from her assertive play on it. And that's exactly how she wants it.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Minnesota Frost win highest-scoring game in PWHL history, take series lead
The Minnesota Frost took down the Toronto Sceptres in a 7-5 thriller on Sunday night, and they're now only one win away from advancing to the Walter Cup Finals. Minnesota took a commanding 3-0 lead less than eight minutes into the game. Lee Stecklein scored the third goal in the flurry, and it was her third of the postseason, but Toronto wasn't going away. The Sceptres added one before the end of the first period, and added one more to open the second. Minnesota regained momentum when Brooke McQuigge found the back of the net for her second goal of the evening. Both teams added one more goal before the end of the second period, and it was 5-3 heading into the final 20 minutes. Toronto opened the scoring in the third period, but Minnesota responded. Michela Cava scored her second goal of the night before Stecklein finished a hat trick in a thrilling 7-5 win. Twelve total goals made it the highest-scoring game in PWHL history. The Frost lead the best-of-five series two games to one, and they'll look to close things out in Minnesota on Wednesday night, with a trip back to the Walter Cup Finals on the line.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Minnesota Frost bounce back with Game 2 win over Toronto
The best-of-seven PWHL semifinal series between the Minnesota Frost and Toronto Sceptres is even at one game apiece after Minnesota won 5-3 Friday night in Toronto. The Frost fell behind 1-0 after the first period before storming back with three unanswered goals in the first 13 minutes of the second period. The goals came from Lee Stecklein, Michela Cava and Stecklein again. Toronto bounced back with goals from Savannah Harmon and Allie Munroe just 27 seconds apart late in the second period, and they went to the third tied. The winning goal was scored by Sophie Jaques at 13:47 of the period, with Mellissa Channell-Watkins adding a power play goal at 18:49 to seal the deal. Game 3 is Sunday at 5 p.m. CT at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
