3 Takeaways From the Frost’s 1-0 3OT Loss to the Victoire in Game 2

The Minnesota Frost took on the Montréal Victoire on the road in Game 2 of the Walter Cup Semifinals on Tuesday evening, May 5, the same evening the Minnesota Wild played the Colorado Avalanche in Game 2 of their Round 2 series. Their lineup was the same as Game 1, except they were without Britta Curl-Salemme, who was serving a suspension for an illegal check to the head from Game 1.

Maddie Rooney was back in the net, and the game went back and forth all night without any goals. Both teams tried their hardest, but both goaltenders were up for the challenge, and they went through regulation, one overtime, a second overtime, and then finally in the third overtime someone scored. It was the Victoire who snuck one past Rooney to take the win and tie the series 1-1. In this article, we’ll look at a few takeaways, starting with the goaltending. 

Frost’s Rooney Stands Tall 

In reality, both goaltenders outplayed their teams by a longshot and each one should be considered a hero, even Rooney, who was on the losing side. She played out of her mind from the first drop of the puck to the final shot that got by her. When watching her play over the past three seasons, she tends to be a little weaker at the beginning of the game, but once she gets a few shots on her, she locks down and is solid. 

Against the Victoire, she found a way to be strong from the very beginning and kept going all the way through. She made 51 saves on 52 shots and gave her team every chance to get the win, and they almost did multiple times throughout the night. The goal that got by her was scored by the Victoire’s captain, Marie-Philp Poulin, who has a very hard shot to stop, and it’s no surprise she’s the one who scored. 

Rooney’s had two strong games so far and appears to get better with each game she plays, which is what the Frost have done as a team in postseasons past. Hopefully, this trend continues, and she’ll be the winning goaltender on home ice for Games 3 and 4. 

Frost’s Special Teams Decent 

Although the Frost lost, it wasn’t because of a huge mistake or turnover; it was a strong shot from the Victoire’s captain in a triple overtime game. They could’ve gotten themselves into trouble with the three penalties they took, including one in the first overtime, but their penalty kill was solid and kept the Victoire’s power play off the board, which isn’t an easy feat. 

The same can be said about the Frost’s power play; they had two chances but couldn’t convert on either one. That’s something they’ll have to get moving again, as they scored once on the power play in Game 1, so they know they can. If the Frost can get their power play going again, they have a good chance to come out on top of the Victoire. 

However, they have to be careful and obviously keep themselves out of the penalty box as well. Sometimes the Frost get themselves into penalty trouble, and obviously it’s easier said than done, but they need to convert on their power play, stay out of the box, and if they can’t, keep their penalty kill tight. 

Frost Can Win 

The Frost have proved they are an even match for the Victoire as they took Game 1 and almost took Game 2. Of course, both have been in overtime, but that’s how strong both of these teams and their goaltenders are. It’s interesting to look back at the two games and see how closely yet vastly different they are. The Frost won the first 5-4 in overtime, and the second went to the Victoire 1-0 in triple overtime. 

The first game was a back-and-forth, high-energy, high-scoring game that wasn’t a strong defensive show. Game 2 was almost the exact opposite of that, and it’s interesting how both of these teams respond to each other. They scored a lot of goals in the first game, and then in the second game, they shut it down completely. 

It’ll be fun to see how Game 3 goes as both of these teams seem to match what the other does. They only have one day in between games, and both teams are bound to be pretty exhausted after back-to-back overtime games. Hopefully, the Frost can use the home crowd to their advantage and come out strong with at least one win.