After nearly a week off, PWHL Minnesota was back at home to take on PWHL Boston on another almost summer-like day in St. Paul on Wednesday, March 13. Their last meeting went in favor of PWHL Boston, 2-0, despite PWHL Minnesota having 41 shots on goal and a number of power plays. This game started out with a lot of back-and-forth action, but PWHL Minnesota got things started with a goal late in the first to take the 1-0 lead.
They carried the lead into the second period and added another goal early to go up 2-0. The second period ended with PWHL Minnesota keeping the lead and having a power play.
They started the third on the power play but didn’t cash in until their next power play, which was a little later. That put them up 3-0 and gave them momentum to finish out the game strong. They added one more goal on an empty net to make it a 4-0 win. PWHL Minnesota’s top line was a new combination, and that’s where we’ll start.
PWHL Minnesota’s New Top Line Heats Up
The top line is considered the top line for a reason, which surely showed for PWHL Minnesota. Their new line combination of Kendall Coyne Schofield, Taylor Heise, and Michela Cava was buzzing all night. They started the game with a stellar goal by Coyne Schofield that put her team ahead early.
In the second period, the top line was at it again. This time, it was the new addition, Cava, who snuck the puck in on the corner. The top trio gave their team a two-goal lead and the upper hand through the rest of the game. It was a pretty close game until the end, and while the third goal wasn’t courtesy of the top line, the fourth and final goal was. Heise put in the final goal and sealed the win.
Head coach Ken Klee liked what he saw with the top line and said so in the post-game press conference, “Yeah, no it was good, I thought they had good chemistry, I mean obviously the three of them had not really played together. I watched Michela Cava play, she doesn’t have a lot of points but she makes some good plays every night. So, to me, I’m like if I can get Taylor and Kendall with a player that can get them the puck and make plays they’re going to have chances and I thought they did.”
PWHL Minnesota’s Hensley & Defense Up to the Challenge
Nicole Hensley was tested early on in the game and stood up through everything. She faced 20 shots and stopped all of them, including some strong glove saves. It was also her first shutout in 10 games and her sixth win. There were some close calls, but Hensley and PWHL Minnesota’s defense stood tall.
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There would’ve been many more shots that made it to Hensley if it hadn’t been for the defensive efforts of the players in front of her. They combined for 16 blocked shots between the forwards and defense. Kelly Pannek stepped up in the biggest way as she blocked five of those 16 shots, and Hensley gave her credit for those in the post-game interview on the ice, “I think Kelly Pannek blocked as many shots as I did today.”
In her post-game press conference, she went on to say how well they bounced back: “To bounce back from the last time we played this team, and they’re a very good team and they have a lot of good offensive weapons, and I thought we played really well defensively tonight, so I think that’s definitely something we could take away from it going forward.”
PWHL Minnesota Power Play Finds Success
The PWHL Minnesota power play has had plenty of chances to be successful this season, but it’s been a real struggle to find the back of the net. They looked to be following the same path against PWHL Boston but eventually found a way to score. It was Grace Zumwinkle who found the power play magic.
Her initial shot was blocked, but then the second time around, she one-timed a perfect pass right to the back of the net. A two-goal lead is considered the most unsafe one in hockey, but once Zumwinkle got that third goal, it gave her team room to breathe. Hopefully, now that they’ve found a way to score on the power play again, they can replicate it in the future.
PWHL Minnesota’s Next Game
PWHL Minnesota will have two days off before they play again on Saturday, March 16. They’ll face PWHL New York, whom they beat 2-0 the last time they played on March 3. It’ll be their third of a four-game homestand, and they’ll be looking to extend their winning streak to four straight games. Hopefully, they can keep the streak alive and keep fighting for the top spot in the league.
