Boston has been leading in hits and face-off wins, while Minnesota has owned the shot chart and is finding offense through possession. Both teams will look to claim a pivotal game three tonight in the Walter Cup Finals.
PWHL Minnesota and PWHL Boston are deadlocked at 1-1 in their PWHL Walter Cup final series. With the teams heading back to Minnesota for a pivotal game three, here's a look at the the keys to the game.
Will Big Bad Boston's Plan Work Again?
One aspect of Boston's opening round sweep of Montreal was the fact they wore down Montreal with their physical play and depth. In game one, Boston outhit Minnesota 35-15, earning a 4-3 win. In game two, Boston threw 30 hits to Minnesota's 18, and fell 3-0. It was their first regulation loss since the international break, so don't expect Boston to change their game plan. For Boston, this is a series of attrition, especially knowing that Minnesota needed five hard fought games against Toronto to get here.
Possession Game
Beating Toronto, Minnesota owned their blueline managing Toronto's controlled zone entries. Through the first two games of the PWHL finals, Boston won a key possession metric in owning the face-off circle. They won 56.25% in game one and and 52.08%. In game two however, it Minnesota who capitalized off of controlled zone entries with each of their first two goals coming immediately following a controlled zone entry, first by Michaela Cava, then Claire Butorac. Minnesota, as they did with Toronto, has owned the blueline and they've outshot Boston in both games this series. Aerin Frankel is no stranger to facing a lopsided shot count, but it's not a stat you typically want to trail in.
Can Hensley Do It Again?
If this series plays out like the opening round where Nicole Hensley was replaced by Maddie Rooney following game one and Minnesota's fortunes changed immediately, it could be a similar story in the finals. After Rooney struggled in game one, Hensley came in and shut the door. Hensley stopped all 20 shots she faced in game two of the series shutting out Boston 3-0. Aerin Frankel has been stellar all postseason, but she can't score goals.
Winner Gets To Play For The Walter Cup
Regardless of who wins game three, they'll have a chance to play for the Walter Cup on Sunday. The winner of game three will hold a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series, meaning they'll have two chances to take the PWHL's inaugural title. Win or lose however, players and coaches in the PWHL have been relishing in the opportunity to come back and play again. Most past iterations of elite women's hockey have features a single game championship scenario instead of a series. But as Nicole Hensley stated following game two, the longer playoff set up allows teams to learn from each game, win or lose, make adjustments, and come back again. "I think we're very used to playing one and done," said Hensley, "And every single game we play is kind of life or death, so it's been a little bit of an adjustment to, you know, you get to go back and kind of correct some things and come out the next day."
Puck drop on game three is 6pm CDT on Friday, May 24.