Latest news with #PWHLWalterCup
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Hilary Knight eager to introduce PWHL and women's hockey to her new team in Seattle
FILE - Boston's Hilary Knight (21) helps goalie Aerin Frankel (31) defend against Minnesota during the first period in Game 4 of the PWHL Walter Cup hockey finals in St. Paul, Minn., on Sunday, May 26, 2024. (Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Star Tribune via AP, File) As Hilary Knight winds down her international career, the four-time Olympian and long-time face of U.S. women's hockey is hardly done making inroads in her sport. Next up for the 35-year-old during a trailblazing career — in which she stood up to USA Hockey in demanding better wages and helped found the PWHL — is introducing the women's game to a new frontier as part of the league's expansion into the Pacific Northwest. Advertisement 'Yeah, I guess it's sort of how my career's gone. I'm more of a builder in many ways,' Knight said with a laugh on Friday, two days after becoming the first player agreeing to sign with the PWHL's new team in Seattle. 'Ecstatic. It's an incredible honor to be part of this group and to have this opportunity. I think it's pivotal, it's important,' added the PWHL MVP finalist. 'And to have a hand in that at the ground level is an extreme honor.' And don't be fooled by Knight agreeing to sign a one-year deal. Though she's already announced the 2026 Winter Games will be her fifth and final Olympics, Knight said she is committed to continuing her pro career in Seattle beyond the PWHL's third season. 'The term doesn't really reflect my commitment or my promise to what we want to build and be a part of in the city of Seattle,' she said. Advertisement The additions of Seattle and Vancouver grow the league to eight teams, and expands the PWHL's reach fully across the continent. In switching coasts, Knight bids farewell to her longtime ties to Boston, which go well beyond the two years she spent serving as captain of the PWHL Fleet. Before her college days at Wisconsin, Knight attended a prep school in New England, and later spent six years playing in Boston for its CWHL and NWHL franchises. Seattle brings Knight much closer to her offseason home in Sun Valley, Idaho, and to where she's enjoyed several fond memories. The foremost came in 2022, when she was wowed by the 14,551 fans inside the NHL Kraken's arena for a U.S.-Canada Rivalry Series game. And she was back in the same arena in January with 12,608 fans on hand to watch Boston play Montreal to open the PWHL's nine-game neutral-site Takeover Tour series. Advertisement 'When the league announced that Seattle was gonna be an expansion franchise, I was like, 'Oh, my gosh, whoever has an opportunity to get out there, it's just going to be an amazing setup and wonderful fan base,'' Knight said. 'I think things aligned for me personally in the right way. And I cannot wait for puck drop.' Knight is coming off a stellar season in which her 29 points (15 goals, 14 assists) were tied for the league lead with New York rookie Sarah Fillier. She also captained the U.S. to win its 11th gold medal and her 10th at the women's world championships in April. Knight will already have some familiar faces joining her in Seattle, following the signings of U.S. national team members Cayla Barnes and Alex Carpenter. The 31-year-old Carpenter became the latest addition in agreeing to a one-year contract on Friday. She spent her first two seasons in New York and ranks third on the PWHL career list with 43 points (19 goals, 24 assists) in 50 games. Advertisement Carpenter fills Seattle's fourth of a maximum five signing spots, rounded out by Ottawa forward Danielle Serdachny. Vancouver, meantime, has already signed five players. The signing period runs through Sunday followed by both teams filling out their rosters to 12 players in the expansion draft on Monday. All eight teams will then take part in the PWHL draft on June 24. Knight reflected on how upon finishing college in 2012 there were few options for women to continue pursing hockey careers outside of their respective national teams. The CWHL didn't pay its players salaries, while the NWHL did but endured several hiccups and was eventually bought out to establish the PWHL in 2023. 'We all wanted this 20, 30, 100 years ago,' Knight said of the PWHL. Advertisement 'I'm just so grateful for all the people that came before us to be able to have this league,' she added. 'I think we're in really good hands with where we started Year 1 and where we're going. And what an amazing hit out of the park to be able to expand in Year 3.' ___ AP women's hockey:
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
PWHL expansion signings: Seattle lands Barnes and Serdachny, Vancouver adds goalie Maschmeyer
FILE - Boston's Hilary Knight (21) helps goalie Aerin Frankel (31) defend against Minnesota during the first period in Game 4 of the PWHL Walter Cup hockey finals in St. Paul, Minn., on Sunday, May 26, 2024. (Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Star Tribune via AP, File) FILE - Minnesota Frost forward Dominique Petrie (14) battles Ottawa Charge forward Danielle Serdachny (92) for control of the puck behind the net during the first period of a PWHL game, Wednesday, April 30, 2025 in Ottawa. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP, File) Ottawa Charge's Shiann Darkangelo (27) tries to deflect a shot on Montreal Victoire goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens (35) as Cayla Barnes (3) defends, during first period PWHL playoff hockey action in Ottawa, on Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP) Ottawa Charge's Shiann Darkangelo (27) tries to deflect a shot on Montreal Victoire goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens (35) as Cayla Barnes (3) defends, during first period PWHL playoff hockey action in Ottawa, on Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP) FILE - Boston's Hilary Knight (21) helps goalie Aerin Frankel (31) defend against Minnesota during the first period in Game 4 of the PWHL Walter Cup hockey finals in St. Paul, Minn., on Sunday, May 26, 2024. (Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Star Tribune via AP, File) FILE - Minnesota Frost forward Dominique Petrie (14) battles Ottawa Charge forward Danielle Serdachny (92) for control of the puck behind the net during the first period of a PWHL game, Wednesday, April 30, 2025 in Ottawa. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP, File) Ottawa Charge's Shiann Darkangelo (27) tries to deflect a shot on Montreal Victoire goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens (35) as Cayla Barnes (3) defends, during first period PWHL playoff hockey action in Ottawa, on Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP) Hilary Knight has company in Seattle, with the new PWHL team adding two 2024 first-round draft picks — Ottawa forward Danielle Serdachny and Montreal defenseman Cayla Barnes — on Thursday during the league's expansion signing period. The league announced Serdachny agreed to sign a two-year contract and Barnes reached a three-year deal to join Knight as the yet-to-be-named franchise's first three players. Advertisement The PWHL's other expansion team, Vancouver, agreed Thursday to a two-year contract with Ottawa Charge goalie Emerance Maschmeyer. A day earlier, Vancouver opened the five-day signing period by reaching agreements with Minnesota defensemen Claire Thompson and Sophie Jaques. Both teams can add up to five players during the signing period, which ends Sunday. The expansion draft is Monday, after which Seattle and Vancouver will have 12-woman rosters. All eight teams will then take part in the PWHL draft on June 24. After losing two players, the Charge added forward Gabbie Hughes to their protected list, which already included forward Emily Clark, goalie Gwyneth Philips and defenseman Ronja Savolainen. The 24-year-old Serdachny was the second pick in last year's draft, while Barnes went fifth overall. Advertisement The 26-year-old Barnes, from Southern California, led PWHL rookie defensemen with 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) last season. She is a two-time U.S. Olympian who won a gold medal in 2018 and ssilver in 2022. Barnes also won an NCAA title with Ohio State last year. "She's a dynamic defender who moves the puck well and consistently contributes offensively,' Seattle general manager Meghan Turner said. 'Even as a rookie last season, she played with the poise and presence of a veteran, and we see her playing a key role on our blue line.' Serdachny finished with two goals and six assists in 30 regular-season games. She had two assists to help the Charge reach the Walter Cup Finals, which they lost in four games to Minnesota. Serdachny is from Edmonton, Alberta, and played collegiately at Colgate. She scored the 2024 world championships gold-medal clinching goal in Canada's 6-5 overtime win over the United States. Advertisement 'She's strong, plays through contact, and she's only beginning to tap into her full potential,' Turner said. Maschmeyer is from Edmonton, and joins Vancouver after two seasons as Ottawa's starter. This year, she became the league's first goalie to register 1,000 career saves. He season was cut short when she suffered a lower-body injury in March. Philips took over as the Charge's starter through the playoffs, and that contributed to the team's decision to make Maschmeyer available in the expansion process. In 2024, Maschmeyer led PWHL goalies in games played (23) and finished second in wins with a 9-9-4 record. Advertisement The 30-year-old has been mostly a backup while representing Canada. She won an Olympic gold medal in 2022 and has medaled in eight world championships. 'Her veteran leadership, relentless compete, and poise under pressure are contagious qualities that our team will feed off of and will give us a chance to win every game,' Vancouver general manager Cara Gardner Morey said of the former Harvard player. ___ AP women's hockey:
Fox Sports
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Liz Schepers' OT goal gives Frost their second straight PWHL Walter Cup with 2-1 win over Charge
Associated Press ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Liz Schepers scored 12 minutes into overtime and the Minnesota Frost won their second straight PWHL Walter Cup with a 2-1 win over the Ottawa Charge on Monday night in Game 4. Each game in the best-of-five series went to at least one overtime and finished 2-1, with Game 3 going to triple overtime, the longest game in PWHL Finals history. The teams played 81 minutes, eight seconds of extra time in the series. The fourth game came exactly a year after Minnesota fell to Boston 1-0 in a Game 4 double overtime before going on the road to win the inaugural Walter Cup. Katy Knoll went along the wall and fed Schepers in front of the net. Goaltender Gwyneth Philips parried the first shot but Schepers poked home the rebound to clinch back-to-back Walter Cup titles for the Frost. Maddie Rooney had 33 saves for Minnesota. Midway through the second period Claire Thompson pinched in from the left point and fed Kelly Pannek alone on the right side of the net. Pannek beat Philips high for her second playoff goal. The goal marked the first time in the finals the Charge trailed in regulation. The Charge trailed until the middle of the third period when Tereza Vanisova was left alone in front of the net and Danielle Serdachny fed her from below the end line. It was the first point of the postseason for Vanisova, who led Ottawa with 15 goals. Philips had 36 saves. The rookie had 148 saves in overtime in the postseason. 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. ___ AP Women's Hockey: recommended in this topic
Winnipeg Free Press
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Minnesota Frost earn their second consecutive PWHL Walter Cup with 2-1 OT win over the Ottawa Charge
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Frost earn their second consecutive PWHL Walter Cup with 2-1 OT win over the Ottawa Charge.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Liz Schepers' OT goal gives Frost their second straight PWHL Walter Cup with 2-1 win over Charge
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Liz Schepers scored 12 minutes into overtime and the Minnesota Frost won their second straight PWHL Walter Cup with a 2-1 win over the Ottawa Charge on Monday night in Game 4. Each game in the best-of-five series went to at least one overtime and finished 2-1, with Game 3 going to triple overtime, the longest game in PWHL Finals history. The teams played 81 minutes, eight seconds of extra time in the series. The fourth game came exactly a year after Minnesota fell to Boston 1-0 in a Game 4 double overtime before going on the road to win the inaugural Walter Cup. ___ AP Women's Hockey: The Associated Press
