It’s easy to explain why maybe the Frost have lost the first game of all four of their PWHL playoff series. Because Minnesota had to scramble late to make the postseason, they never had a top seed.
“We started all these series on the road,” head coach Ken Klee pointed out Wednesday. “It’s very hard to win on the road.”
Klee’s teams have so far rallied to win three of those series, beating Toronto in four games in the first round this season after winning the PWHL’s inaugural Walter Cup in 2024.
Right now, though, they’re just down 1-0 after a 2-1 overtime loss on Tuesday at TD Center. Game 2 of the five-game series is Thursday night. Puck drop is set for 6 p.m.
“Our group knows we’re a resilient group,” Klee told reporters on a media call Wednesday. “We came here to try to win one game, and that’s what we’re going to focus on.”
On Phire
Ottawa rookie Gwyneth Phillips continued her torrid postseason on Tuesday, stopping 25 of 26 shots from Minnesota to improve to 4-0-1 with a 1.11 goals-against average and .957 save percentage in the playoffs.
The only goal Phillips allowed on Tuesday came in the third period after she played a puck outside the crease. A backhander by Klára Hymlárová hit the back of the net before Phillips could slide back into position.
Phillips was ready for everything else. That has to change, said Klee, and not just by charging the net and pouncing on rebounds.
“To me, it’s not always about how accurate you shoot but how quick,” he said. “Because goalies are so foundationally solid, when you give them a clear look at the puck, it’s hard to score. We need to get pucks a little quicker on net.”
On the other end, the Charge put only 19 shots on Nicole Hensley, who has been splitting time in net with Maddie Rooney. Klee did not commit Wednesday to a goalie for Thursday night.
“We’re just meeting as a staff now,” he said. “We kind of all just watched the game this morning, and this afternoon we’ll get together with the team and we’ll make all those determinations.”
Mrázová questionable
Charge coach Carla MacLeod said forward Kateřina Mrázová is questionable after getting the bad end of a couple of collisions in Game 1, including a knee-on-knee hit from Britta Curl-Salemme.
“She’s just working with our medical team today to assess everything that transpired in those two hits,” MacLeod said. “As always, it’s just day to day at this point. … She’s still in the assessment phase.”
Related Articles
Clark’s OT goal sinks Frost in Walter Cup Final opener
Hughes-Heise battle could determine Frost’s fate in PWHL Finals
Minnesota Frost: In a tight league, details will determine the champion
Taylor Heise plays hero as Frost head back to the Final
With playoff surge, Sophie Jaques makes her case as Frost’s top ‘Patty’
Leave a Reply