Game 1 of the Walter Cup Finals in the inaugural PWHL season between Minnesota and Boston started at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, MA at 5:15 PM. Both starting goalies were phenomenal in the first round, as Minnesota’s Maddie Rooney posted a .979 SV% and a 0.45 GAA while Boston’s netminder Aerin “The Green Monster” Frankel a .972 SV% against a GAA of 0.90. Within the first ten seconds, the refs would call an interference call on a Megan Keller check on Kendall Coyne-Schofield. Boston was successful in killing the power play and the home crowd roared when Frankel made a glove and a blocker save shorthanded. However, Minnesota rode the momentum and 4:38 in, Michela Cava scored on a wraparound from a backhand feed from Taylor Heise. A few minutes later, Boston would counter attack. Lee Stecklein blocked a shot from Alina Muller on a 2-on-1, but Boston kept possession of the puck and Susanna Tapani ripped a wrist shot crossing the front of the slot to tie the game at one. Minnesota immediately attacked, but Frankel made two consecutive pad saves. Minnesota had a quality chance off the rush but Tapani broke up the play. Boston’s top line created another scoring chance with a feed from Tapani to Muller but the one-timer missed the net. At 12:32, Maddie Rooney made a great blocker save on Sidney Morin’s bomb from the point. Within the last minute of the period, the puck took a crazy bounce and led to a quality scoring chance in front of the net but Frankel slammed the door closed.

Minnesota came out hot in the start of the second period led by Heise that led to some good looks and offensive zone time. At 3:20, Rooney silenced a front net scoring chance from Gigi Marvin. Rooney followed it up with a save on a Morin point shot and Stecklein made a great defensive play by tying up Jamie Lee Rattray’s stick so she didn’t bury the rebound. Minnesota’s forecheck was relentless and created a turnover on the wall by a Coyne-Schofield pinch. Heise found the soft spot in the ice and beat Frankel with an absolute nip glove side at 8:05. Minnesota manufactured another scoring chance on the following shift, but Frankel squeezed her pads on a Denisa Krizova wrist shot from the net front. A few minutes later, Coyne redirected a Heise shot but was denied.  Boston’s fourth line continued to be impactful with their forecheck. Gigi Marvin carried the puck below the red line and passed it into the slot where Taylor Wenczkowski buried the loose Puck to tie the game at two. Boston’s forecheck created another takeaway, as Hilary Knight took the puck from Stecklein and attempted a wraparound and it led to sustained offensive zone time where Minnesota was chasing the puck. Hannah Brandt was wide open at the left dot and beat Rooney five-hole with a wrist shot through a screen at 15:11Minnesota struck back two minutes later with Heise burying a feed from Cava back door to tie the game at three. However, the scoring wasn’t done, as fifteen seconds later, Jess Healey shot the puck on net from the blue line and the puck bounced off a defender and fluttered into the net giving Boston a 4-3 lead. 

At the start of the third period, Minnesota’s top line was back at it. Coyne-Schofield handed off the puck to Cava behind the Boston net and she wrapped it around and was stonewalled but it led to offensive zone possession. Frankel made several more clutch saves including a glove save on a crashing Zumwinkle and a timely save on Sophia Kunin front net. Hilary Knight led a 2-on-1 off the rush. Her shot was blocked, but she recovered it and wrapped it around the front of the goal. Rooney made several more key saves over the next few minutes to keep her team in it, first on an open to Tapani in front and subsequently a shot from Theresa Schafzahl off of a Tapani feed. Minnesota had two powerplays in the third, but Boston’s penalty kill unit was able to pressure the puck, win the board battles, and make several significant zone clears. In the last five minutes, Frankel and Boston’s defense shut down Minnesota’s offense including saves on Zumwinkle and a quasi breakaway on Jacques. At 18:25, Minnesota pulled Rooney but was unable to score. Minnesota outshot Boston 33-22 but couldn’t score the equalizer.  

This was a great first game of the series, with everything a hockey fan could ask for. High skilled plays, physicality, plenty of goals, and marquee matchups. Taylor Heise scored another two goals and tallied an assist and her linemates Coyne and Cava were all over the game all night. Minnesota blueliners Stecklein and Jacques were dominant in blocking shots, winning battles, leading the rush, and creating scoring chances with their skating and hands. Boston’s depth shined through yet again, four different players scored. Boston was able to control pace of play by winning 27 of 48 faceoffs and they were able to set the tone with the body out hitting Minnesota 35-15. Their special teams on the penalty killing side were phenomenal. After going 2 of 3 on the power play against Toronto in game 5, Boston killed all three power plays. Boston didn’t go on the powerplay once in this game, so credit must be given to Minnesota for their discipline. Hilary Knight led by example yet again, she registered three shots on goal, led the forwards in ice time, had several big hits, and created multiple takeaways and scoring chances. Tapani was another forward for Boston who had her fingerprints all over this game in every facet of the game. Her goal set the tone for the game, answering back within a few minutes from Cava’s first period goal kept Boston in it and gave them momentum. Boston’s top defensive pair of Megan Keller and Emily Brown were impactful and dominant, as each registered two assists and played significant roles as usual in both the offensive and defensive zones. Game 2 will be Tuesday night and I’m looking to see if both teams can tighten up defensively and take away more space. If it is anything like Game 1, we are in for another treat.