The Minnesota Frost hosted the Ottawa Charge for Game 4 of the PWHL Finals on Memorial Day, Monday, May 26. The Frost looked to clinch the Walter Cup for the second straight season and not have to go back to Ottawa for Game 5. They had Dominique Petrie back in the lineup after she missed Game 3 due to injury, and that was the only change. Maddie Rooney was back in net for her third straight start.
The game started out scoreless, and then in the second, the Frost got on the board first and looked to be in control of things. However, the Charge bounced back in the third and forced overtime for the fourth straight game. There were some very close calls for both sides until the Frost knocked it in and won their second straight Walter Cup to make history once again. In this article, we’ll look at how it happened, starting with the goal scorers.
Pannek & Schepers Stepped Up
The Frost had two scoring heroes in this game, starting with Kelly Pannek, who scored the first goal of the game, and for a time, it looked like it would be the game winner. She has elevated her game all postseason, and she was rewarded for her hard work with that goal. She’s been pushing to the net front in nearly every game, and this was no different. She had her head up and was ready for the pass from Claire Thompson that she shot right past the goaltender.
“Yeah it’s really exciting, I think I had some opportunities the game before and weren’t able to put them away. I knew when Claire (Thompson) walked above the goalline that she was looking for me for that pass the entire way, and just try to elevate it and get that shot off quick. Phillips had been playing great for the second half of this season, really, and you know it’s going to take quick shots to beat her,” said Pannek about her goal during the on-ice celebration.
It looked like that was going to be the only goal of the game, and then the Charge answered back, which forced overtime, and Schepers stepped up to be the hero for the second season in a row. Just like Pannek, she crashed the net and was ready to knock it in.
“Yeah, it’s pretty surreal, would’ve been happy with anybody scoring, but we were so happy to be here, to win here in front of our fans. Being from Minnesota, obviously, it’s really special. I always have a ton of friends and family in the stands, and I definitely don’t take that for granted, so really glad we were able to get it done here today,” said Schepers about winning on home ice after the game.
Frost’s Rooney Business as Usual
Rooney is one of the calmest and composed goaltenders in the league, and it showed even more in the postseason. Despite getting run over repeatedly and shoved around after making a save, she would get up and skate away. She wouldn’t get involved in the post-whistle antics. Instead, she would skate to the corner and keep calm, which made it possible for her to make all the big saves and give her team a chance to win.
It can be extremely difficult to stay calm when getting pushed around, but Rooney makes it look easy. It’s clear when she plays, she’s in her own space, and it works. She made save after save, and even if it meant sliding three feet out of the net, she wasn’t letting that puck go, and she made sure to make the smart save. If she felt she could let the puck stay in play to wind the clock down, she did; if not, she made sure to cover. She was always aware of her surroundings and the best move to make at the time.
While the light shone on Rooney in Games 3 and 4, it’s also important to remember her tandem partner, Nicole Hensley was a rockstar in the first series to get them to this point. These two make a great team and always have the others back instead of competing, which is what a team hopes for with their goaltenders. They bring out the best in each other by wanting the spot but also support each other when they aren’t in the net for that game.
“I think it’s a mindset I’ve developed over the years, it’s just staying in the moment, staying in the present, not looking in the future, not looking in the past and just focusing on that next shot mentality,” said Rooney about how she stays calms during games but continued about when teams get in her face, “I think I’m just pretty level-headed, I don’t think I’ve ever really been involved in any scrums but I’m grateful my teammates stand up for me in those moments.”
Frost Anticipated the Plays
Outside of their players stepping up, their penalty kill was strong, but their ability to anticipate what the Charge were going to do was how they got the upper hand. They picked off passes all night and got in the way of shooting lanes. While Rooney stepped up to make the saves that got through, her team blocked a lot of shots in front of her.
When the Frost played more defensively-minded this season, they struggled, but when they played more aggressive, they succeeded. The same can be said about this series win over the Charge. When they sat back and allowed the Charge to move the puck, they struggled, but when they forced their way forward, the Charge made mistakes, and the Frost capitalized.
They figured out this style as the series went on, and they kept it in their game plan, which is how they won the series. Their penalty kill was aggressive, and so was their overall game, and it paid off as they won their second Walter Cup.
Frost Win Back-to-Back
The Frost followed a similar storyline to their previous season; they started hot, hit a rough patch, and barely squeaked into the postseason. It looked like they were going to have a tough time against the Toronto Sceptres in the semi-final, but found a way through and then continued in the PWHL Finals against the Charge.
Related: 3 Takeaways From the Frost’s Triple Overtime Win Over the Charge
It’ll be interesting to see what happens next season, as this will not be the same team; they will lose players and add them because of the upcoming expansion draft. Hopefully, they keep some of that core and can make themselves the first team to have a three-peat in the PWHL next season.
