With just two games left ahead of the PWHL break for the Winter Olympics, the Minnesota Frost were looking to get the right energy going to set themselves up for a surge in the second half of the season.
Kelly Pannek said the Frost had been missing their best energy the past two games, where they lost in overtime to New York and Montreal. Fortunately for them, that energetic jolt came early in their 6-2 victory over the Sirens on Sunday afternoon at Grand Casino Arena.
The scoring party started for the Frost when both they and the Sirens had a player in the penalty box, making it a four-on-four match-up. Taylor Heise scored on an open shot to make it 1-0.
Then 12 seconds later, Kendall Coyne Schofield lined the puck up just right on the Sirens’ goal to score her league-leading 10th goal.
That set the tone for the rest of the game. After allowing one to slide past the goal post with 1:32 left in the first period, Frost goalie Maddie Rooney put on a show in the second period, keeping every Siren shot from getting past her, while Grace Zumwinkle and Katy Knoll added goals of their own to extend the Frost’s lead to 4-1.
Zumwinkle’s goal was a pretty straightforward shot, but Knoll’s came with a bit of flair as she slid into the net right after her shot, giving Frost fans something to both cheer and laugh at.
The Sirens got their second goal from forward Anna Bergman with six minutes left in the third period to make it 4-2. Then then sent goalie Kayle Osborne to the bench for a sixth attacker.
However, the Frost were able to take advantage of this opportunity as Knoll took the puck from the neutral zone and scored her second goal of the game to make it 5-2.
Pannek added a final goal with one minute and 19 seconds left to make it 6-2.
The Frost will play Vancouver on Wednesday for their final game before the Winter Olympics, with puck drop scheduled for 8 p.m. CST.
Minnesota’s Natalie Buchbinder (22) looks to pass up ice during Sunday’s PWHL game at Grand Casino Arena. (Photo courtesy of PWHL)
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