The Minnesota Frost will play for a Walter Cup for the second straight season after Taylor Heise scored the game winner with four minutes remaining in the first overtime period. Heise's 4-3 goal won the PWHL semi-final series 3-1 for the Frost.

Toronto looked like they might have what it takes to force a game five after jumping out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Julia Gosling and Hannah Miller.

Only 14 seconds later however, Minnesota found the back of the net as Kendall Coyne Schofield tipped home a Taylor Heise shot. Kelly Pannek tied the game at 2-2 before the frame was up. 

The third saw the teams again trade goals as Emma Maltais scored for Toronto before Coyne Schofield tallied her second of the game to tie the score at 3-3.

Both teams traded chances late in the third, but overtime was needed. 

With four minutes remaining in overtime Taylor Heise wristed a shot against the grain through traffic that beat Toronto netminder CJ Jackson for the series clinching victory.

“This is a testament to the group," said Minnesota head coach Ken Klee. "You look at the leaders Kendall (Coyne Schofield), Lee (Stecklein), and Kelly (Pannek) first and foremost as our captains and our goaltenders are experienced and veterans, and then we have our young players like Taylor (Heise), Britta (Curl-Salemme), Sophie (Jaques) and adding Claire Thompson to our group. We have a young group and we have a veteran group and they’ve been in these situations a lot. They don’t get rattled by it.” 

Toronto's Season Done, Again

For the second straight season, the favored Toronto Sceptres failed to get out of the opening round of the PWHL playoffs at the hands of the Minnesota Frost. Last year the Frost won their opening round series in five games. This year they only needed four games to dispel the Toronto team.

“I think tonight’s game, the feeling I have as a coach, is I’m incredibly proud of the effort, the attitude, the playing within our team structure, the battle and compete levels that our group showed throughout that game," said Toronto head coach Troy Ryan following the game.

"I think the last couple of games, the way game three ended, we could have taken an easier route in this one [series], but I thought they showed a ton of character in battling this right to the end. Obviously, putting CJ [Jackson] in goal for that game is to some extent, putting CJ in a really tough situation, but I thought CJ really answered the call and gave us an opportunity to win.”

The offseason will bring certain change to Toronto's roster with league expansion to Vancouver and Seattle which will result in player dispersal from each team.

Minnesota now awaits the winner of Ottawa and Montreal to play for their second straight Walter Cup.