Frost in good standing as they head into Olympic break soon

by Robert Brent

A matchup with crucial implications in the PWHL standings took place Sunday afternoon, with the New York Sirens visiting the Minnesota Frost at the Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul.

The two teams came into the game separated by just one point in the standings, with New York starting Sunday in third place with 23 points and the Frost in fourth with 22. Minnesota had the potential to jump into second place with a regulation win.

Before the Frost could fulfill that ambition, they had to get past a Sirens team looking for revenge after Minnesota defeated them in their previous matchup. The Frost defeated New York 3-2 in overtime at the Prudential Center earlier this month in a great contest. 

Frost head coach Ken Klee spoke before the game about the matchup’s importance in the standings.

“We’re excited to have New York in town after a great matchup with them last game. Every game and point matters, and today will be another opportunity for us to keep building,” Klee said. “We must come out strong, fast, and carry that energy throughout the entire 60 minutes.”

Recap

Maddie Rooney started in net for the Frost after missing Minnesota’s previous matchup with New York due to illness. Kayle Osborne took the net for the Sirens after making 23 saves on 26 shots in the January 16th matchup between the two clubs.

Taylor Heise opened the scoring for Minnesota at 6:13 of the first period on a nifty passing play in the offensive zone. Heise started the play by making a pass to Kendall Cooper, who made a pass to Mae Batherson at the other end of the blue line. Batherson found Heise out front, who back-handed the puck into the back of the net.

Minnesota scored again just 12 seconds later when Kendall Coyne Schofield tallied her 10th goal of the season on an assist from Abby Hustler.

The New York Sirens had a golden chance to respond with their first shot on goal, coming by way of a breakaway from first-overall draft pick Kristýna Kaltounková. Kaltounková attempted a between-the-legs shot but was stopped cold by Maddie Rooney.

Kaltounková redeemed herself later in the period when she scored with just over a minute remaining in the first period. That tally ended scoring for the period, with the Frost maintaining a 2-1 lead.

The second period opened in a fairly uneventful fashion, with neither team being able to find the back of the net during the first 10 minutes of the period.

The Frost’s fortunes would soon change when Katy Knoll opened the scoring for Minnesota in the second period. Knoll’s tally was her fifth of the season, and she scored it on a fantastic drag-and-shoot play.

Grace Zumwinkle found the back of the net minutes later. Zumwinkle scored after the Sirens won a faceoff in their own zone. Zumwinkle quickly caused a turnover and fired the puck behind Osborne.

New York made a strong push to open the third frame, looking to score their way back into the contest. Kristýna Kaltounková had a high-danger scoring chance halfway through the period but was once again stopped by Rooney.

The Sirens continued to pour on the pressure with a power-play opportunity that looked dangerous with about eight minutes remaining in the game.

The Frost ultimately killed off the extra-attacker opportunity, but New York found a goal moments later. With six minutes remaining in the game, Anna Bargman scored her second tally of the season on a near-open net after a goal-mouth scramble.

Minnesota wasn’t looking to let the Sirens back in the game; however, the team tallied two late goals to put the team out of reach.

Katy Knoll scored an empty-net goal for her second marker of the game and sixth of the season. Kelly Pannek followed that up with a goal of her own with 1:19 remaining in the game to ice the 6-2 victory.

The win was a statement victory for the Frost, who took sole possession of second place in the league. They’ll finish up before the Olympic break on Wednesday against the Vancouver Goldeneyes.

Key Takeaways

Scoring Depth Powers Victory

The Minnesota Frost are known league-wide as a fierce offensive team that can score at will. That reputation is well-earned after leading the league in goals last season, and they’re well on track to do it again this year. A lot of the credit for that goes to their core of star players, and rightfully so. Currently, Minnesota boasts four of the top five scorers in the league with Kendall Coyne Schofield, Kelly Pannek, Taylor Heise and Britta Curl Salemme.

Those players rightfully deserve a lot of credit, but games like Sunday afternoon’s show that the Frost also have a ton of scoring depth. On Minnesota’s six goals, 13 points were registered. Of those 13 points, ten were attributed to players outside of Minnesota’s core of four leading scorers.

Five different players scored, with the only multi-goal game coming from Katy Knoll. Knoll has been a crucial part of the Frost’s attack this season, with six goals after scoring just one all of last season in her first year. 

Having players like Knoll, Grace Zumwinkle and Abby Hustler, who all scored two points in the game, throughout the lineup makes the Frost a very dangerous team. If you shut down one of their stars, they have others waiting to step in.

Maddie Rooney Rounding Into Form

While the Frost score a lot of goals, the strength of their goaltending duo is also a major key to their success. One half of that tandem, Maddie Rooney, is on a major hot streak after getting off to a start that didn’t quite match her past performances.

Rooney made 25 saves on 27 shots against, but that doesn’t tell the full story of her impact. The Sirens produced several high-quality chances, making it a much more difficult game than the shot totals would indicate. Rooney’s stellar play earned her first star of the game honors.

Rooney’s play isn’t an isolated occurrence either. She’s now played three notably solid games in a row, with the team earning points in all three. Over Rooney’s last three starts, she’s made 84 saves on 91 shots for a .921 save percentage.

Rooney was one of the Frost’s key players on their last Walter Cup run and is once again looking like the stalwart force that she’s always been in Minnesota. If the Frost can keep scoring at the same rate and have two goaltenders as solid as Rooney and Hensley, they’re tough to beat.

Victory Puts Frost In Strong Position

The Frost are currently in one of the most crucial stretches of their season. They’ve played several games, including Sunday’s against the Sirens, against teams very close to them in the standings. In a league where only five points in the standings separate first from fourth place, it’s vital to stay consistent.

Minnesota has performed admirably in the stretch and put themselves in a strong position heading into the Olympic break. They currently sit second-place in the standings behind only the Boston Fleet. 

Minnesota will look to hold onto that place with their final game before the Olympics, Wednesday, January 28, against the Vancouver Goldeneyes. The Goldeneyes currently sit tied for last in the league, but they aren’t to be taken lightly. In the Frost’s only game against Vancouver in their short history, Minnesota earned a hard-fought 2-1 victory.

If the Frost can win the matchup, they could tie for the league lead in the standings, depending on how Boston performs in its upcoming games.