No Quit Minnesota Can't Complete The Comeback

Minnesota remains one of the PWHL's top teams, but they've proven anyone can be beat on any night.

PWHL Minnesota erased a 3-1 deficit but couldn’t complete the comeback as Hilary Knight scored in overtime, lifting PWHL Boston to a 4-3 victory for their first win on home ice.

Boston scored twice in the game’s opening seven minutes, using their speed and forechecking to control play early. Brittyn Fleming would bring Minnesota within one at 13:07 of the first period, but Alina Müller restored Boston’s two-goal lead just over a minute later.

After a relatively quiet second period, Grace Zumwinkle stuffed a rebound past Emma Söderberg following a Lee Stecklein point shot with 38.7 seconds remaining in the middle frame.

Minnesota received two power play opportunities in the third, but Boston’s penalty kill held them off the scoreboard. However, with under a minute to play and their goalie pulled, Minnesota’s captain came up clutch. Stecklein’s point shot whistled left of Söderberg, hit the boards behind the net, and popped out to Kendall Coyne Schofield to the right of Boston’s netminder. Coyne Schofield made quick work of the chance, burying her second of the season and knotting the game at three apiece. After being down 3-1, Minnesota crawled back.

In the overtime frame, Knight streaked down the left side of the ice and fired a shot toward Maddie Rooney. The puck managed to sneak through Rooney, giving Knight her first career PWHL goal and securing her team’s first-ever victory on home ice.

For the first time this season, Minnesota has lost two consecutive games. Knight and Müller’s two-point performances gave Boston the edge at the Tsongas Center despite a good showing from the visiting team.

In what’s becoming a concerning trend for Minnesota, the State of Hockey’s squad once again got off to a slow start. Minnesota only managed four shots in the opening 20 minutes. The team struggled to get sustained offensive zone pressure throughout the first period as Boston’s play in the neutral zone, forechecking, and precise passing kept Minnesota on their heels.

Like in most games this season, Minnesota got better as the game progressed—seen by them eventually tying it versus Boston. However, this was the third straight game where Minnesota surrendered the game’s opening goal under six minutes into the contest—Ottawa scored at 3:41 into the first on Jan. 17, Montreal at 4:12 on Jan. 24, and Boston managed to open the scoring at 5:35 of the opening period on Saturday.

Minnesota has the talent to overcome these early deficits, evidenced by their 3-2 comeback win over Ottawa. Still, after getting the opening goal in four straight matches to start the season, these past three games show how challenging it can be to win after trailing early, especially given the high-end talent throughout the PWHL.

Minnesota didn’t let their unideal start throw them off their game. Boston only managed nine shots across the second and third frame—Minnesota recorded nine in the third period alone. An early second-period penalty against Boston’s Kaleigh Fratkin gave Minnesota momentum, and they rode it the rest of regulation.

Boston was effective at clogging shooting lanes, chipping out pucks on the penalty kill, and keeping Minnesota on the outside for the most part, but they struggled to test Rooney over the final 40 minutes.

The fourth line of Fleming, Liz Schepers, and Claire Butorac exemplified this ‘no quit’ idea. They were relentless on the forecheck, hustled for loose pucks, and generated multiple scoring chances—highlighted by their first-period goal, which came after the duo of Butorac and Schepers forced a turnover in Boston’s defensive zone.

Minnesota’s last-minute second and third-period goals are the hallmarks of their determination and effort. While they lost, Minnesota managed to earn one point to stay within reach of first in the PWHL.

Minnesota’s Penalty Kill

Amid the loss, Minnesota’s penalty kill again had a perfect record. Boston went 0/2 with the player advantage on Saturday, the same as Montreal, who didn’t score on either of their opportunities against Minnesota on Wednesday.

Dating back to their matchup against Ottawa on Jan.17, Minnesota’s special teams have killed off eight consecutive player advantage opportunities. While they have lost two of these three matches, their penalty-killers are proving their effectiveness at shutting down power plays.