Grace Zumwinkle scored twice and added six shots on goal as the Minnesota Frost powered past the Seattle Torrent 6–2 in their return to home ice

The Minnesota Frost made their long-awaited return to St. Paul Sunday afternoon in a matchup with the Seattle Torrent. The two-time defending Walter Cup Champions played five games away from home in a row since their last contest at Grand Casino Arena on December 19th.

The Torrent are 3-1-1-4 this year, tied for last in the league’s standings with fellow newcomer to the league, the Vancouver Goldeneyes. Seattle will make its first appearance in St. Paul.

Minnesota won two games and dropped three on its road trip, making Sunday’s game against Seattle a vital opportunity to get back on track. Head Coach Ken Klee spoke before the game about the importance of building on their season as they return home. 

“We’re excited to be back home in front of our fans. This week has been about working on some of the areas we need to clean up and reinforcing things that we are doing well,” Klee said. “We’re ready to be back on our home ice and continue to build on our game.”

Recap

Maddie Rooney made her sixth start of the season for Minnesota, while Seattle countered with Hannah Murphy. Murphy has gone 3-1-0-0 for the Torrent this season with a .948 save percentage as one of the best performers for Seattle.

Seattle’s goaltender was needed early and often, with Minnesota producing several opportunities in the early goings of the game. With 8:30 left in the first period, the Minnesota Frost manufactured five scoring chances on nine shots on goal, compared to Seattle’s three shots. 

The offensive onslaught paid off late in the first period on a power-play opportunity, when the Frost broke the ice with the first goal of the game. Katy Knoll found the back of the net on a feed from Britta Curl-Salemme and Taylor Heise.

Knoll’s tally was the only goal of the first period, as Maddie Rooney stopped all nine shots she faced throughout the game’s opening stanza.

Minnesota ended the first period with a goal and did the same to start the second period. Grace Zumwinkle scored her fourth goal of the season off a feed from Kendall Coyne Schofield. Zumwinkle was stopped on her initial shot, but put the puck past a sprawling Hannah Murphy to net the marker.

Zumwinkle scored again later in the period on a highlight-reel play. The talented forward protected the puck from a Torrent defender near the blue line and wired a shot past Hannah Murphy. The goal was Zumwinkle’s third against Seattle this season.

Jessie Eldridge broke the ice for Seattle late in the second period when a bounce of the puck left her alone out front. The shot beat Rooney for Seattle’s first goal against Minnesota, as they had been shut out in the two teams’ previous matchup.

Minnesota answered Eldridge’s goal 1:17 into the third period on a snipe from Taylor Heise. The goal was Heise’s second of the season and made up for the turnover that led to Seattle’s goal. Heise, coming off making the Olympic team, has put her early-season offensive woes far behind her with a recent run of strong form.

Katy Knoll scored her second goal of the game about halfway through the period on a short breakaway in a play that seemed to put the game out of reach.

Seattle got a goal back a few minutes later when Danielle Serdachny scored her second goal of the season to cut the Minnesota lead back to three goals.

Minnesota pushed its lead to four again with Abby Hustler scoring on a breakaway after Taylor Heise sprung her free. The offensive explosion by the Frost was the team’s most goals scored this season.

The Frost held onto their 6-2 lead for the remainder of the game as Maddie Rooney earned her second win of the season. 

Minnesota will travel to New Jersey to play the Sirens on January 16th before playing three straight games at home from January 21st through the 28th.

Key Takeaways

Zumwinkle Stars in First-Line Role

The Frost’s lineup looked a bit different coming into their game against Seattle. One of the most significant changes came on the team’s top line, where Kelly Pannek and Kendall Coyne Schofield teamed up with Grace Zumwinkle. The new-look top unit had a notably potent performance.

Zumwinkle in particular had a strong game on the new line, potting two goals and putting constant offensive pressure on the Seattle goaltender. Zumwinkle registered nine shots on goal during the game, leading the team.

The game was encouraging for Zumwinkle, who is having a big bounce-back season after a shoulder injury derailed her 2024-25 campaign. The Excelsior, MN native has now scored five goals this season, already eclipsing last year’s total of four. 

Zumwinkle’s resurgence is a significant occurrence for the Frost, who are already one of the league’s most dominant attacking forces. 

Morin Plays Key Role In Stecklein’s Absence

Defender Lee Stecklein is one of the Frost’s most steady players in the lineup. The veteran is a crucial piece of the team’s defense and is a great facilitator in the offensive zone. Unfortunately for the player and the team, Stecklein was out of the lineup on Sunday due to an injury.

With Minnesota missing one of its strongest players, veteran defender Sidney Morin stepped up in a big way. Morin is playing her first season with the Frost after Minnesota acquired the steady defender in the offseason, and Sunday’s game may have been her best as a member of the Frost.

Morin played over 20 minutes and was a key cog in the Frost’s attack. Morin, generally known as a defensive force, played on the power play and added three assists during the contest. Her three helpers pushed her season total to five points.

The loss of a player like Stecklein is never easy to replace, but Sidney Morin and the rest of the Frost’s defensive corps stepped up in a big way.

Frost Climb the Standings With Important Games Looming

With the regulation win, the Frost vaulted themselves into second-place in the PWHL with a record of 5-1-2-3. With 19 points in the standings, Minnesota now only trails the Boston Fleet (23 points) on the league leaderboard.

While Ken Klee and the Frost are likely happy with where they find themselves in the standings, some critical games are still coming up on the schedule. Before the end of the month, Minnesota will play two games against the New York Sirens, who are currently third in the league and holding onto a playoff spot.

If Minnesota plays as it did against Seattle, the matchups with New York will allow it to pad its standing as we enter the season when playoff races begin.

With the addition of Seattle and Vancouver, the postseason is a more difficult goal this season than in past campaigns. The Frost have done a good job at putting themselves in a position to enter the playoffs once again.