Latest news with #LizSchepers
National Post
27-05-2025
- Business
- National Post
Ottawa Charge braces for more losses after heartbreaking defeat to Frost in PWHL final
Article content The Ottawa Charge lost much more than just a dream with Liz Schepers' second Walter Cup-clinching goal in the PWHL's two years of existence on Monday night. Article content Article content At some point, the team will have another shot at the title. Article content This particular tight-knit collection of players will not. Article content 'That's the toughest part,' captain Brianne Jenner said moments after the Charge was on the short end of yet another 2-1 overtime battle with the Minnesota Frost, giving the defending champs the best-of-five championship series in four games. 'The last few minutes in the dressing room … this was a special group. We went through a lot this season. Showed a lot of resiliency, and I think these last couple of weeks did something really special. Article content Article content 'The effort, just the buy-in, that was a special run, and it's going to sting for a while, for sure. But I'm really, really proud of this group.' Article content From the emotional moments on the ice and behind closed doors at Xcel Energy Center, to the tears in their beers at a gathering spot in the Twin Cities, the Charge will fly back to Ottawa on Tuesday night for exit meetings and post-season media interviews later in the week. Article content The players will then sit back and watch that special group of theirs slowly torn apart by the expansion draft and free agency. Article content Management decisions will be very difficult and the latter could very well be affected by the former. Article content Ottawa, as well as the other original six PWHL teams, will lose four players to Seattle and Vancouver on June 9. Article content If Jenner, for instance, is left off the unprotected list submitted next Tuesday, there will be a greater need and salary cap room to re-sign Tereza Vanisova. Article content The Charge was tied with the last-place New York Sirens for fewest goals scored in the regular season and, in the playoffs, that trend was its ultimate undoing. Article content The offence produced in a 3-2 win over the Montreal Victoire to open Round 1 never was matched as Ottawa scored just 10 times in its remaining seven post-season games. Article content Article content In its eight playoff dates, the Charge totalled 13 goals, one less than the Toronto Sceptres scored in four. Article content Losing both Vanisova — one of the league's top goal-getters with 15 during the season and the only Charge markswoman on Monday — as well as Jenner, who has scored 18 goals in 60 total games combined for Ottawa, would be a tremendous hit. Article content But it's quite conceivable both will be gone, which is why it seems imperative that Danielle Serdachny is among the three of the 15 available players the Charge protects in the first phase of the expansion draft, even though she was, by all accounts, a disappointment in her rookie season.
NBC Sports
27-05-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Liz Schepers' OT goal gives Frost their second straight PWHL Walter Cup with 2-1 win over Charge
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Walter Cup is staying in Minnesota and the defending champion Frost once again have Liz Schepers to credit for scoring the championship-clinching goal for a second straight year. Schepers converted a scramble in front to score 12 minutes into overtime and seal a 2-1 victory over the Ottawa Charge to clinch the title in Game 4 of the best-of-five championship series and close the PWHL's second season. 'Hats off to Ottawa. That was a helluva series,' Schepers said. 'I could not be more proud of our team. It's unbelievable.' All four games of the series were decided by 2-1 scores, and each of them in overtime, including the Frost's triple-OT victory in Game 3 on Saturday. After losing Game 1 in Ottawa, the Frost responded with three straight wins. Kelly Pannek scored at the 10:10 mark of the second period, giving Minnesota its first lead in regulation of the series. Maddie Rooney stopped 33 shots and finished the playoffs with a 5-0 record. Katy Knoll, whose overtime goal sealed Game 3, set up the winner by collecting the puck along the end boards and driving behind the net to feed Schepers in the slot. Goaltender Gwyneth Philips parried the first shot, but Schepers poked home the rebound. 'It was just the start of my shift. I knew Katy and Hymla (Klara Hymlarova) were working really hard behind the goal line and just tried to get lost,' Schepers said. 'They made a great play to the front of the net and I was able to get a couple whacks at it and saw the puck go in. And then I was on my back and the celebration was on.' Schepers, who is from Mound, Minnesota, and played collegiately at Ohio State, was one of 16 Frost players who retuned from last year's championship team, and this time got the opportunity to celebrate before their home crowd. Minnesota won the inaugural Walter Cup last year with Schepers scoring the opening goal of a 3-0 win at Boston in Game 5. 'I'll win anywhere. It's always fun,' said Frost defenseman Lee Stecklein in a game played in front of an announced crowd of 11,024. 'But to get to do it at home is extra special.' And just like last year, the Frost won the title as the fourth and final-seeded playoff team, and both times advanced to the finals after knocking off Toronto in the semis. Minnesota sneaked into the playoffs this year with an 8-1 win over Boston on the final day of the regular season. The win led to Ottawa, Minnesota and Boston finishing with 44 points each with the Fleet eliminated based on having fewer regulation wins. 'It's the belief we have in the room,' Frost captain Kendall Coyne Schofield said of the team's resilience. 'It's hard to put into words,' she added. 'I think when you look at the way we won, it takes everybody. That was last year, and this year was no different. ... It took every single player stepping up in some way, shape, or form.' The Charge, Canada's first team to reach the finals, forced overtime on Tereza Vanisova's goal with 9:51 left in the third period. It was her first goal of the playoffs and ended an 11-game goal drought. Philips finished with 36 saves and was won the Ilana Kloss Trophy as playoff MVP. The rookie finished the playoffs with a 4-4 record, with all four losses coming in overtime. She finished with 148 saves in overtime alone, while allowing just 13 goals on 270 shots for a .952 save percentage and 1.23 goals-against average. 'Right now the individual award is superseded by the team loss,' Philips said. 'We were so close and we really wanted that, but my accomplishments are attributed to the players in front of me. So maybe tomorrow will be nicer, but I really wanted to win.' The rookie from Ohio took over the starting duties after Emerance Maschmeyer was sidelined by a lower body injury in mid-March. Both teams had their chances in the extra period. Ottawa's Aneta Tejralova, on a rush, hit the left post with a shot about five minutes into overtime and the Frost's Taylor Heise hit the right post about four minutes later. Both teams face major changes entering the offseason as each of the PWHL's six teams will lose four players in the expansion process — a signing period followed by an expansion draft — in early June when Vancouver and Seattle begin building their initial rosters. 'I think that's the toughest part,' Charge captain Brianne Jenner said, referring to the upcoming losses. 'That was a special run. And it's going to sting for a while, for sure. But really, really proud of this group.'
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
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. Advertisement '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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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. Ottawa Senators, Minnesota Wild, NHL, Women's Hockey 2025 The Athletic Media Company
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Liz Schepers scores OT winner, lifting Frost to second straight Walter Cup title
Two seasons. Two championships. The Minnesota Frost won the PWHL's inaugural title, and now they've officially defended their crown. Liz Schepers scored 12 minutes into yet another overtime session, lifting the Frost to a 2-1 win over the Ottawa Charge on Monday in Game 4 of the PWHL Finals at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., and a 3-1 series victory. Katy Knoll, who scored the game-winner in Game 3, and Klara Hymlarova assisted on Schepers' game-winner. They found Schepers in front of the Ottawa net, and Schepers took two cracks at it, getting a rebound past Charge goalie Gwyneth Philips. Winning two consecutive Walter Cups didn't come easy. The Frost dropped an overtime heartbreaker in Game 1 and fell into a 1-0 series deficit. They barely came away with a Game 2 victory, only tying the game with 16 seconds remaining before coming away victorious in overtime. They won a triple-overtime marathon in Game 3. It once again took overtime on Monday, and once again the Frost came away with the victory. Minnesota is 2 for 2 in championships in two seasons of PWHL existence. The Frost struck first Monday night, taking a 1-0 lead when Kelly Pannek scored 10 minutes, 10 seconds into the second period. The Charge knotted it up when Tereza Vanisova scored 10 minutes, 9 seconds into the third period. But there wasn't much scoring to be had amid a goalie battle between Maddie Rooney and Philips. Rooney stopped 33 of 34 shots, while Philips stopped 36 of 38 for the Charge.
Economic Times
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Economic Times
Minnesota Frost beats Ottawa Charge in OT for second consecutive PWHL title, Liz Schepers nets historic game-winner
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel The Minnesota Frost clinched their second consecutive Professional Women's Hockey League ( PWHL ) championship with a 2–1 overtime victory over the Ottawa Charge in Game 4 of the finals on Monday night(May 26). This win secured the best-of-five series 3–1, making the Frost the only team to have won the Walter Cup since the league's Professional Women's Hockey League's Walter Cup belongs to the Minnesota Frost for the second straight decisive goal came 12 minutes into overtime, when Minnesota forward Liz Schepers , a native of Mound, Minnesota, scored from close range. This marked the third consecutive game in the series that extended into in the game, Kelly Pannek broke the scoreless tie midway through the second period, redirecting a pass from defender Claire Thompson into the net. Ottawa equalized late in the same period with a power-play goal from Emily on both sides delivered strong performances. Minnesota's Maddie Rooney made 35 saves, while Ottawa's Gwyneth Philips stopped 36 shots. Despite the loss, Philips was named the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP , boasting a 1.15 goals-against average and a .954 save percentage over eight playoff Frost's path to the championship was marked by resilience. They entered the playoffs as the fourth seed, edging out the Boston Fleet based on regulation wins. Minnesota defeated the Toronto Sceptres three games to one in the semifinals, while Ottawa overcame the Montreal Victoire by the same this victory, the Minnesota Frost have solidified their status as a dominant force in the PWHL, capturing back-to-back titles in the league's first two seasons.
