PWHL Boston hadn't lost in regulation since the international break. That changed in game two of the PWHL Finals as Minnesota shutout Boston to even the series.
PWHL Boston hadn't lost in regulation since the international break. That changed in game two of the PWHL Finals as Minnesota shutout Boston to even the series.
LOWELL, MA — Just about everything that was going well for Boston came to a halt in Game 2 of the PWHL Finals.
While it hasn’t always been pretty for Boston on their quest for the Walter Cup, they’ve found ways to win. On the backs of a record-breaking heater from netminder Aerin Frankel—stopping 171 of her last 178 shots—Boston had strung together offense when they needed it the most.
But on Tuesday night, with a 2-0 lead up for grabs, Minnesota proved Boston’s recipe for success wasn’t foolproof.
Frankel allowed two goals on 23 shots, as Boston couldn’t formulate a goal for the first time of the postseason in a 3-0 blanking to knot the series at 1-1.
Even their six-game winning streak dating back to February 21 at the Tsongas Center saw its end.
“I don’t think we played a bad game at all,” said Hilary Knight. “I think they were able to capitalize on a couple of our errors there. So it’s unfortunate we couldn’t find the back of the net because Aerin Frankel stands on her head every night for us.”
After Maddie Rooney got the start in Game 1, Minnesota head coach Ken Klee went to Nicole Hensley on Tuesday, posting a 20-save shutout.
“We have two great goalies,” said Klee. “All year, we’ve kind of rotated back and forth. Obviously, Maddie got hot in the first round, so it was tough to take her out. But we knew we could go back to Nicole at any point, and she would be ready to go. She obviously played fantastic for us tonight.”
While shots on goal were tied at seven after the first period, Minnesota made the most of their chances. The visitors put two goals on the board less than two minutes apart to put Boston on their heels from puck drop.
Michela Cava picked up a loose puck in the Boston offensive zone before racing to a two-on-one against Boston’s Megan Keller. Cava brought the puck to the bottom of the right circle, attempting a pass to Kendall Coyne Schofield that was deflected off Keller’s stick and into the mesh with 5:35 remaining in the period.
Less than two minutes later, Minnesota doubled their lead thanks to a slick move from Sophie Jaques on the blue line. The rookie kept the puck in the zone on an attempted breakout, maneuvering around a defender before beating Frankel on the short side.
Jaques—who was dealt from Boston in exchange for Susanna Tapani and Abby Cooke in the PWHL’s first-ever trade—got her revenge against her former team on the big stage.
It looked like Boston cut Minnesota’s lead in half on a Jess Healey goal, but the play was confirmed to be whistled dead before Healey batted home a rebound after an on-ice review. Minnesota’s lead remained intact.
Boston received a pair of power play opportunities in the middle frame that was killed off by an aggressive Minnesota kill before another unsuccessful bid midway through the third. Boston was 0/4 on the power play on Tuesday while their unit continues to skid in the postseason.
“Obviously, something has to change, said Kessel. “We did a few things throughout the year, but at the end of the day, it’s going to be the death of us if we can’t put the puck on the net on the power play.”
Minnesota had a chance to extend their lead in the third when Jessica Digirolamo committed a charging penalty, but Boston stood firm to keep the home team within striking distance.
After another failed player advantage from Boston late in the third, Jaque put the finishing touches on her revenge performance with an empty-netter with 2:29 on the clock.
“Our players have really bought in,” Klee said of Minnesota’s penalty kill. “The first round against Toronto, they were dialed in. We were blocking shots when we needed to, and obviously, that’s great when you have great goaltending. It always makes your PK look better.”
Boston now hits the road for Game 3 of the series slated for Friday in Minnesota.
“I thought we battled until the end, and I think we saw at the end of our season when we were fighting to get into the playoffs and fighting for every second,” said Kessel. “So we’re going to continue to see that out of our group. The hope is that at some point our power play can put a puck in the back of the net.”