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Toronto Star
4 days ago
- Sport
- Toronto Star
Rooney, Schepers, Philips named PWHL's three stars of the week
TORONTO - Ottawa Charge goaltender Gwyneth Philips, Minnesota Frost goaltender Maddie Rooney and forward Liz Schepers have been named the PWHL's three stars of the week. Philips capped her standout rookie campaign with 36 saves in a 2–1 overtime loss in Game 4 of the Walter Cup final on Monday, earning the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP award despite the Charge dropping the best-of-five series.
Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Rooney, Schepers, Philips named PWHL's three stars of the week
TORONTO – Ottawa Charge goaltender Gwyneth Philips, Minnesota Frost goaltender Maddie Rooney and forward Liz Schepers have been named the PWHL's three stars of the week. Philips capped her standout rookie campaign with 36 saves in a 2–1 overtime loss in Game 4 of the Walter Cup final on Monday, earning the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP award despite the Charge dropping the best-of-five series. She led all post-season goaltenders with a 1.23 goals-against average and a .952 save percentage, following a regular season where she posted a 2.11 GAA and .919 save percentage. The 24-year-old started the season as Emerance Maschmeyer's backup before the latter went down with a lower-body injury in mid-March. Rooney was stellar on the other side, making 33 saves in Minnesota's title-clinching win to finish the playoffs undefeated at 5–0. She turned aside 30 or more shots in three straight games for the first time in her career, closing the post-season with a 1.75 GAA and .932 save percentage — both third among playoff goalies. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Schepers scored the overtime winner on Monday to secure a second straight Walter Cup for the Frost. The 26-year-old's goal was her only point of the playoffs and came on her lone shot in Game 4. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2025.
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
Minnesota Frost repeat as Walter Cup champions with OT win vs. Ottawa Charge: ‘Really incredible'
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.' Minnesota became the first team to hoist the Walter Cup last season, but the win came on the road at the Tsongas Center, home of the Boston Fleet, after the Frost thought they'd won it on home ice in Game 4 before Sophie Jaques' double-overtime goal was called back due to goaltender interference. On Monday night, there was no double-overtime – just one extra frame this time – and there was no goal overturned as the Frost beat the Ottawa Charge 2-1 to repeat as Walter Cup Champions, this time in front of 11,024 fans at the Xcel Energy Center. 'Just a little better,' Kelly Pannek said after the game with her goggles, prosecco and beer in tow. Advertisement Game 4 of the PWHL Finals 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. In the end, it was Rooney who won that battle — though Philips took home playoff MVP — making 33 stops for her fifth straight win of the postseason. A Duluth, Minn., native, Rooney confirmed that winning the Walter Cup in 'the State of Hockey' was indeed life-altering. 'This is definitely going to be one of my favorite moments in my hockey career,' said the 2018 Olympic gold medalist. 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 — coming in overtime. Advertisement That is, until Pannek opened the scoring midway through the second period for Minnesota's first advantage of the 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. 'I saw Kelly on the back door, and I just tried to put it in her wheelhouse,' Thompson said of the play. 'She's automatic on those.' 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. 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. Advertisement 'She is an incredible player and definitely someone who does not get the recognition I think she deserves,' Lee Stecklein told . 'She's just in the right spot at every moment. And (I'm) happy to see her get that goal and hopefully some of the attention she definitely deserves.' Ottawa forward Tereza Vanišová tied the game in the third period to ultimately force overtime for a fourth consecutive game – and 2-1 final score – of the series. The goal snapped a lengthy cold streak for one of the top goal scorers in the regular season — only Hilary Knight and Marie-Philip Poulin had more goals than Vanišová — at a massive moment in the game, with just 10 minutes left in regulation. 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. From there, Rooney and Philips traded big save after big save. Grace Zumwinkle and Kendall Coyne Schofield combined for 16 shots on goal in the game and came close to sealing the win in regulation, had it not been for Philips between the pipes. Ultimately it was Liz Schepers who scored the game-winning goal 12 minutes into overtime for her second straight championship-clinching goal. 'That's a gamer right there, if you ask me,' said Coyne Schofield. Advertisement From the outside, or based on the line chart, the Schepers' line might look like Minnesota's fourth. Inside the Minnesota locker room and on the bench they're called the 'blue line,' as head coach Ken Klee opts to color rather than number his lines. In the Finals, Schepers, Katy Knoll and Klára Hymlárová were, according to their captain, 'the best line in the series by far,' with game-winning goals in Game 3 (Knoll) and Game 4. 'They're dogs,' said Thompson. 'They work so hard and they came up huge in the playoffs.' Minnesota entered the playoffs as the fourth and lowest seed. The team was on the brink of elimination in its final three regular-season games, but won back-to-back must-win games to finish the year and clinch the final spot in the PWHL playoffs. The Frost beat Toronto in a high-scoring semifinals and managed to flip a switch to win a low-scoring, hard-fought Finals against Ottawa. Advertisement 'I keep saying I'm shocked, but I'm also not because I do think we just had an awesome team,' said Stecklein. 'But you can have an awesome team and not win at all. So to be able to do that again is really incredible. It's a hard road, so to be able to do it twice is really special.' 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.
