The final three games of the Canada-USA Rivalry Series will feature entirely PWHL rosters. PWHL Minnesota will be well represented by veterans and rookies alike.
The final three games of the Canada-USA Rivalry Series will feature entirely PWHL rosters. PWHL Minnesota will be well represented by veterans and rookies alike.
The final leg of the 2023-24 Canada-USA Rivalry Series is here, featuring three stops in three different cities. Games one and two hit Saskatoon and Regina, with Saint Paul, MN, hosting the seventh and final contest.
A prevailing sense of excitement runs throughout the PWHL Minnesota players on Team USA's roster.
"I think we're all super excited," Grace Zumwinkle said. "I mean, here on Minnesota, we have a lot of girls on the US team. We're quite familiar with each other, but it's interesting to see the league, and have players that you played with and against every single night, and to bring it to the national team level. I know everyone's excited when you can represent your country."
Of those on the American national team for the last leg of the rivalry series, nine players hail from PWHL Minnesota. Each of those nine will don their country's colors of red, white, and blue.
Maggie Flaherty, Minnesota's fourth-round pick in the PWHL draft, echoes Zumwinkle's excitement.
"It's very exciting, and [it's] an honor to represent my country for the first time," Flaherty said.
As she makes her Team USA debut in Saskatoon, Flaherty finds comfort in knowing how many familiar faces are joining her.
"I would definitely say it's comforting, going and playing with these girls I've been playing with these last couple of months," she said. "Honestly, some of them I've been playing with much longer than that, so it's definitely comforting knowing that they're going to be with me."
Along with Zumwinkle, the long list of Minnesota players joining her features the likes of Kelly Pannek, Kendall Coyne Schofield, Brittyn Fleming, Clair DeGeorge, and Taylor Heise.
The Golden Gopher duo of Zumwinkle and Heise are leading Minnesota's offensive charge this season, and they aren't too shabby on the national level either. Heise scored the game-winning goal in the opening match of the 2023-24 rivalry series back in November, lifting America to a 3-1 win.
Like her two teammates, Heise understands what it means to represent your country and the excitement that comes with it.
"It's special every single time; you can't explain it in a different way," Heise said. "For me, it's an honor every time I put on the jersey, but in that sense, it's the rivalry—it just brings out the best in people, and you want to be on top."
Heise and the Americans are inches from the top, leading the best-of-seven series 3-1. However, Team USA jumped out to a 3-0 lead last year before losing four straight as Canada clawed their way back.
Similarly, America jumped out to a 3-0 lead in this year's rendition of the Rivalry before Canada won in a shootout in game four to come within two of tying the series.
The Rivalry Series is heading to Heise and Zumwinkle's home state of Minnesota for game seven. If the series comes down to a seventh contest, there might not be a more poetic ending to this edition of the hockey classic than a Team USA win on home soil.
"To have it be in Minnesota at the end to cap it off—I'm pumped," Heise said. "I have a lot of family coming, so It's gonna be a really fun time. And to get back with the USA girls is going to be awesome, too."
PWHL Minnesota's strong attendance numbers are one of many positive storylines stemming from their inaugural season, including their record-breaking home opener. With an in-state Canada-USA showdown on the horizon, it's understandable why many Minnesota-born players are excited for 2023-24's final leg.
"Hopefully, Minnesota shows up," Zumwinkle said. "They showed up for our first [PWHL home] game. I think Minnesota's a special place for a lot of us, being born and raised there, playing college hockey there, so it's gonna be super exciting to bring the national team stage to [Minnesota]."