The Minnesota Frost and New York Sirens started their season by facing each other in St. Paul on Sunday evening, Dec. 1. Prior to the game the Frost raised their inaugural season Walter Cup banner and got to celebrate with their fans one more time before the new season started.
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The Frost jumped out to an early lead but the Sirens answered back and ended up taking the 4-3 win in overtime. With this being the first game of the season for both teams the Frost’s record moves to 0-0-1 and the Sirens move to 1-0-0.
Game Recap
It took only 21 seconds for the Frost to find the scoreboard as Grace Zumwinkle ripped a shot past the Sirens’ goaltender Corinne Schroeder on a pass from Kelly Pannek to give their team the early lead. The Frost continued to control most of the play with a few chances from the Sirens that Nicole Hensley in the Frost net was ready for. With a few minutes remaining in the period, the Frost’s captain, Kendall Coyne-Schofield, put her team ahead by two goals on a pass by Claire Thompson.
The Frost carried the two-goal lead into the second period, but it wouldn’t last. The Sirens found their game and responded with a goal by Jessie Eldridge on the power play to get her team within one. That goal gave them the confidence they needed to keep up their play, and they answered with another goal by Gabby Rosenthal just a few minutes later to tie it up at two.
It took the third period to decide the winner, and the Sirens took advantage by jumping out to their first lead of the game off a goal by Alex Carpenter, who received a strong sauce pass over the defender from Sarah Fillier to make it 3-2. It took a while but the Frost found a way to answer back as Dominique Petrie found the back of the net to tie things up 3-3.
It took overtime to determine a winner, and like the NHL, it’s a 3-on-3 format that favored both teams’ quick play. However, the Sirens found the shot they were looking for and took it. Carpenter and Fillier worked together for their second goal of the game, which was the overtime winner.
The Frost will be off until Wednesday, Dec. 4, when they head on the road for their first road trip of the season to face the Boston Fleet, a rematch of the 2024 Walter Cup Championship. The Sirens will also have a few days off and continue their road trip as they head north to face the Montréal Victoire on Wednesday.
