The Minnesota Frost hosted the Toronto Sceptres for the first time on Tuesday, Jan. 28, but it was their second meeting overall. The Frost has been rotating goaltenders when they can this season, and it was Maddie Rooney’s turn. They were still without Grace Zumwinkle, Dominique Petrie, and Natalie Buchbinder who were recovering from injuries.
The Frost got out to a quick start with a power play goal, and they kept scoring, but the Sceptres answered each goal with one of their own and forced overtime. It couldn’t be solved in overtime, so a shootout was needed. The Frost stepped up in the shootout and won 4-3.
Birthday Girl Thompson Leads Way
Claire Thompson‘s aggressive defense has been noticeable all season, and against the Sceptres, she shined. She wasn’t afraid to take shots from the point, and that was how she tallied two goals in regulation, set up a goal for an assist, and scored three points throughout the game.
The Frost scored twice in the shootout to beat the Sceptres’ lone goal. Britta Curl-Salemme scored the first, and then Thompson recorded the second, the game-winner. She proved she can truly do everything from defending to scoring. She was able to show off her speed but also her strong puck handling skills.
“I think it was just getting opportunities to shoot the puck, the power play was doing really well tonight, and just the playmaking ability of my teammates set me up really well,” Thompson said about her offensive success after the game.
Frost’s Special Teams Hurdles
The Frost’s power play was on fire against the Sceptres as they scored not just once but twice on the power play, and both were on shots from Thompson. The first goal was redirected but the second one was her strong shot from the point. It seemed the Frost finally found the magic spot to score on the power play, and they kept using it.
While their power play succeeded, their penalty kill was up and down. They did allow not just one but three goals while shorthanded and allowed the Sceptres back into the game. The Frost know what they need to do on the power play to be successful but they need to tighten up the penalty kill going forward. They can’t continue to allow three shorthanded goals a game.
“I think it was just confidence and we were moving pucks, supporting each other well. The bumper plays that we were getting more than one look. I think when the power play struggles, you get one look, and then it’s down the ice, and tonight, I think we were able to recover pucks like we got more than one look on most of our power plays, which, if you can get zone time and make them have to defend for a long stretch then your power play chances are only improved. The flip side of that, their power play was obviously really good too. We’re obviously going to try to do a little better on the kill than that, but they did a good job as well,” said head coach Ken Klee on the power play success.
Rooney Stands Her Ground
Rooney looked sharp right from the start and although she allowed three goals, she made some big saves to keep her team in the lead or tied. She wasn’t afraid to plant herself at the top of the crease and make the save, even if it meant getting run into by the opposing forwards.
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She also jumped into the play by making passes out of the zone when the Sceptres dumped the puck, and Rooney’s teammates were still trying to get back. Her jumping in meant the other team couldn’t beat the defenders back and get control. She plays a very heads-up style of hockey, and while her job is predicting what players will do, she excels at it every night, and she did so against the Sceptres through regulation and a shootout.
Frost Time Off
The Frost will have a significant amount of time off before they head on the road for four straight as the league takes its international break just as it did last season. Their next game will be in two weeks in Toronto against the Sceptres on Tuesday, Feb. 11. Hopefully, they can find a way to keep this winning momentum going.
