The Minnesota Frost took on the New York Sirens on Sunday, Mar. 16, on the road for the Takeover Tour in Detroit, Michigan, at Little Caesars Arena. The Frost had their full lineup and Nicole Hensley in net, and things looked strong when they scored the first goal of the game on the power play.
However, the Sirens answered back and continued throughout the game. The Frost struggled to bounce back and fell 4-1 for their second consecutive loss. They still hold the final playoff spot, but they need to turn their season around if they want to keep it. In this article, we’ll look at what went wrong for the Frost and the one bright spot they should focus on, but we’ll start with the struggles.
Frost Need to Score
Every team in the PWHL and the NHL, for that matter, has trouble scoring at some point throughout the season, but most teams are able to bounce back rather quickly. The Frost has only scored more than two goals in three of the past 10 games, and they used to be known for their lethal scoring ability.
They have players who can score but have been struggling to do so as of late. Grace Zumwinkle got the lone goal against the Sirens, and it was her first goal since her return from an injury she received in January, which caused her to miss eight games. Prior to her injury, she had three goals throughout the month of December. The Frost has missed her scoring skills, and hopefully, this is the first goal of many, as she had 11 last season but was healthy.
The Frost have been getting goals from Taylor Heise, Kendall Coyne-Schofield, and Michela Cava, but they could always use more. If the Frost hope to get back on the winning track and keep their postseason hopes alive, they must start scoring.
Frost Need to Step Up in Front of Net
While the Frost have been having some scoring troubles, they have also been struggling to keep opponents away from their own net. Several of the Sirens’ goals were due to the forwards being right in front of the crease, and the Frost defenders weren’t able to push these players out away from their goaltender.
While the offense has the job of screening the goaltender when they have the chance, the defenders are also responsible for pushing those forwards out so their goaltender has their space and sight. The Frost struggled in this area against the Sirens, and they need to figure out how to be more physical but also be careful not to get any penalties to keep those players out.
Frost’s Special Teams Strong
The one bright spot for the Frost was the success of both their penalty kill and power play. They struggled with their penalty kill for most of the season, but lately, they’ve stepped up and kept the puck out of their net when shorthanded. Their penalty kill is tight and disciplined, and despite going against a potent power play, they kept the Sirens off the scoreboard on the power play.
Regarding their own power play, the Frost scored one goal out of the three chances they had. The game could’ve had a different outcome if they had been successful on the other two, especially since those two were 5-on-3, but at least they know they are capable of scoring on the power play.
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Hopefully, the Frost can keep their penalty kill going strong and find ways to score on their power play. If they can keep their special teams going in the right direction, they could change their games from losses to wins.
Frost Head Home
After being on the road for almost a month, the Frost will be back home on Wednesday, Mar. 26, to host the Montréal Victoire. They’ve had an okay record at home, but it’s been better than on the road. Hopefully, they can use that home ice magic to get out of this scoring slump and get back to winning games.
