The PWHL playoffs are now in the books with the Minnesota Frost winning back-to-back Walter Cup titles. In one of the closest series' in professional sporting history, the Ottawa Charge and Minnesota Frost went to overtime tied 1-1 in all four of the games they played in this series. In the end however, the Minnesota Frost proved the better team out-chancing Ottawa and inevitably outscoring them.
Gwyneth Philips' star was born in the NCAA as the national goaltender of the year, and repeat First Team All-American. She solidified her status with a surprise gold medal appearance at the World Championships for USA, and elevated her status in the PWHL finals earning the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP award.
But there were other players who stepped forward, and lessons PWHL fans, and teams learned from watching the series. Here's a look at three lessons learned from the PWHL's Walter Cup finals.
Maddie Rooney Is A Starter, And Should Be Next Season
Maddie Rooney was Minnesota's starter for most of this season, yet when the opening game of playoffs arrives, she was relegated to the backup role behind Nicole Hensley. After Hensley faltered, Rooney stepped in and won five straight games to propel the Frost to their second consecutive Walter Cup title. Rooney was spectacular in that run going 5-0-0 with a 1.75 GAA and 0.932 save percentage. Rooney showed she is capable of being a bonafide starter in this league without being part of a 1A/1B situation. Depending on how those conversations go in the exclusive free agency, we could see Rooney wait until league-wide free agency opens to listen to offers from the expansion teams, or a PWHL team who lost their goalie. Rooney can be a starter, but to be paid closer to other starters in the league (including Hensley), Rooney may listen to offers from teams willing to hand her the keys to the crease full-time.
Danielle Serdachny Has So Much More
Ottawa didn't utilize one of their top offensive weapons until it was too late. Danielle Serdachny spent almost the entirety of the playoffs on the bench for the Charge in a fourth line role. It wasn't until the deciding game four that Serdachny was elevated to a more prominent role in the lineup, and you could see her impact offensively immediately. Her power move to get Tereza Vanisova the puck in game four that tied the game was an example of how Serdachny uses her puck protection skills and vision to thrive. She nearly helped end the game in overtime sending a similarly stellar pass into the slot but the Charge couldn't finish. It seems unlikely the Ottawa Charge protect a player they rarely played this season, and it seems even less likely an expansion team passes on the young star. Game four for Danielle Serdachny looked like an audition for a new fan base, and one that could haunt Ottawa not only for the missed opportunity of a Walter Cup, but also in being forced to watch Serdachny's game blossom as an opponent.
Depth Wins In The PWHL
The two teams entering the PWHL finals had something in common, both were less reliant on a singular line, and both continued to give their depth looks even in overtime and pressure filled moments. For the Minnesota Frost, their top line of Kendall Coyne Schofield, Taylor Heise, and Michela Cava were held off the scoresheet completely, not registering a single goal or assist in the PWHL finals, but the team still won. It's that team emphasis that made both Ottawa and Minnesota successful. In Ottawa, the offseason addition of Rebecca Leslie was seen as minor, but paid major dividends. In Minnesota, their fourth line of Katy Knoll, Liz Schepers, and Klara Hymlarova each scored big goals in the finals, with Knoll and Schepers scoring overtime winners. Hymlarova assisted on the series clinching goal. Their ability to pin Ottawa in their zone, create chances, and provide energy not only resulted in goals, it also resulted in mismatches elsewhere in the lineup allowing Minnesota to maintain pressure longer. Seeing the teams who missed the playoffs - Boston and New York - struggle to find offense down their lineup, and the teams who were eliminated - Montreal and Toronto - become over-reliant on their stars, it's clear the best place teams can improve this offseason is by building out role-playing depth.