Minnesota Ready To Bring PWHL Finals Home

PWHL Minnesota took away home ice advantage from Boston, and are heading back to Minnesota with a chance to win it all on home ice.

Sophie Jaques scored two against her former team to power Minnesota to a 3-0 victory over Boston on Tuesday night, tying the Walter Cup Final at one game apiece.

Nicole Hensley replaced Maddie Rooney in net for game two and earned a shutout in her return to postseason action, stopping all 20 Boston drives.

"Coming in here, we knew we had to get one win on the road," Jaques told media after the game. "I think we played really well today after coming back from Sunday's game."

Boston opened the first smelling blood. The home side levied hits on the visitors, pelted Hensley with shots and possessed all the momentum, but Minnesota didn't break.

Minnesota turned the tide halfway through the period. The 2023 Isobel Cup Playoffs MVP, Michela Cava, scored her second goal of the PWHL Finals to open the scoring.

Cava streaked into Boston's end on a two-on-one with Kendall Coyne Schofield. Cava attempted a pass, but the feed deflected off Megan Keller's stick into the net.

Two minutes later, a former Boston player would double Minnesota's lead. Sophie Jaques got the puck at the blue line, skated to the right faceoff dot and ripped a shot past Aerin Frankel.

Susanna Tapani, who Boston received for Jaques, took a tripping penalty 30 seconds after Jaques' tally, but Minnesota failed to score on the power play.

Boston thought they scored two minutes into the middle frame, but the goal was disallowed following a video review as the referees blew the play dead before the puck crossed the line.

Natalie Buchbinder and Emma Greco took a pair of penalties minutes apart near the end of the second period, but Minnesota's penalty kill remained perfect.

Minnesota's penalty kill warded off two more power play opportunities, Hensley made timely saves, and Jaques tacked on an empty net goal in the third period en route to a 3-0 victory at the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell.

After catching fire in the first round, it only made sense for Rooney to be the game-one starter versus Boston. After allowing an uncharacteristic four goals and an all-world goalie sitting on the bench, Klee opted to start Hensley for game two.

"We have two great goalies," Minnesota head coach Ken Klee said. "All year, we've rotated back and forth. 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 played fantastic for us tonight."

Minnesota has alternated between Hensley and Rooney all season, meaning the goalie change isn't a slight toward the former but rather a return to the status quo. Hensley played well in her return to postseason action and will likely start game three in St Paul, Minn., on Friday.

"The benefit for me all year is that I had two goalies that were always ready and able to go," Klee said. "I had 1A and 1B. I didn't worry about who was in at the time. Nicole deserved another shot to get in there, and she played great tonight."

Minnesota continues its penalty kill excellence, stifling all four of Boston's opportunities with the player advantage.

The penalty killers limited Boston to two shots, keeping Hensley's workload light.

"We made a couple of structural changes at the end of the year, and I think our players have really bought in," Klee said. "It's great when you have great goaltending. That always makes the PK look better, but I think our system and structure and the players really buying in and blocking shots [and] we're trying to work together on clears."

Minnesota remains perfect on the penalty kill, reaching seven consecutive playoff games without conceding a tally on the player disadvantage.

"Obviously, tonight they were great," Klee said. "They were a big part for us."

Unlike their opening-round series against Toronto, PWHL Minnesota managed to steal a game on the road, splitting games one and two.

Now, Minnesota will head back to the State of Hockey with a chance to win the Walter Cup on home ice should it win the next two games.

"We came in knowing we wanted to get a split, and we got that," Klee said. "It doesn't mean that we can let off the gas. They're a good team. We know they're going to push back. Just because we're going home, we know we can't relax and think things are going to be done."

"We still have to win two more games before they do."

Game three of the PWHL Finals commences Friday at the Xcel Energy Center in Minnesota. Puck drop is at 6:00 p.m. CT, 7:00 p.m. ET.