The Frost might have dodged a bullet on Thursday when the PWHL declined to levy supplemental discipline on Britta Curl-Salemme after her hit on Renata Fast in Wednesday’s 3-2 playoff-opening loss at Toronto.
Moments after cutting the Sceptre’s lead to 3-1 in the second period, Curl-Salemme was skating out of her own zone when she raised an elbow and appeared to catch Fast in the jaw.
Fast went down in a heap and, after a video review, Curl-Salemme was assessed a 5-minute major and game misconduct, ending her night.
In a video conference call on Thursday, Toronto coach Troy Ryan said two medical reports cleared Fast to play in Game 2. As for potential additional discipline, Ryan said, “I think it’s best to probably leave it in the hands of the people that make those decisions.”
“I just know we’re trying to get those high hits, or any contact to the head, out of the game,” Ryan added.
In her first season out of Wisconsin — where she scored 86 goals in four seasons — Curl-Salemme has been fined and suspended twice for rough play, once in January and again in March.
Teammate Kelly Pannek said it has been difficult for players in the second-year PWHL to get accustomed to what is allowed in a league that promised to allow more physical play than has been usual in women’s hockey.
“I think everyone’s trying to learn and adjust to the rule book,” she said. “Players, officials, staff, whatever it is.”
The Frost raced into the playoffs on the strength of road victories in their last two regular-season games. They won the PWHL’s inaugural Walter Cup last year after a similar trajectory, earning the last postseason spot, then rallying from a pair of two-game deficits to beat Toronto and Boston in five-game series to win the championship.
Second-year coach Ken Klee defended Curl-Salemme.
“She’s not a malicious person,” Klee said. “It was a quick play, and it’s just one of those things that’s going to happen.”
As of 6:30 p.m. EDT, the league office in Toronto had not released any news on the play, a good sign for the Frost as they try to rally in the playoffs again. Curl-Salemme was tied with Sophie Jaques for second on the team with nine goals in 28 games behind Kendall Coyne-Schofield’s 12.
“I think that’s something we figured out last year, especially in the playoffs, was how to get back to our game and ultimately stick with that,” Pannek said.
Game time was set for 6 p.m. Friday. The game will be televised by Fan Duel Sports North.
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