Frost Blanked by Victoire in Olympic Return, Coyne Schofield Injury Looms Large

By Robert Brent

The Minnesota Frost were shut out for the first time this season in a 4-0 loss to the Montreal Victoire in Laval, struggling to generate offense without injured captain Kendall Coyne Schofield as Montreal extended its defensive dominance in the season series.

The Minnesota Frost returned from Olympic break Sunday afternoon, taking on the Montréal Victoire in a battle between top-three teams.

The Frost and Victoire have had several close battles this season, the last being a 2-1 overtime loss for the Frost at Grand Casino Arena. Minnesota looked to reverse its fortunes in Sunday’s contest as it visited the Victoire in Laval.

While the Olympics were a historic event and an experience of a lifetime for the players, returning home doesn’t come without its bad news. Frost captain Kendall Coyne Schofield was placed on injured reserve following her performance in the Olympic Games. The loss of Coyne Schofield is sure to be felt for the Frost.

At the same time, many Olympians are welcoming the chance to return to their professional schedules. Frost forward Taylor Heise spoke about her excitement to be back with the team and getting ready for the playoff push.

“(I’m) really excited to be back with this team, and we’re super excited to come in and play. I think it’s been a long time for us not being around each other, so it’s fun to be back, Heise said. “Our positive energy is really flowing right now, and so it’s about taking what we learned in the first half and running with it here in Montréal.”

Recap

Nicole Hensley started the matchup for the Frost in net. The goaltender had an excellent start to the season, having yet to lose a game in regulation. Montréal started their stalwart goaltender Anne-Renee Desbiens.

Montréal controlled the early goings of the contest, registering the first five shots on goal. The Frost didn’t test Desbiens with a shot until nearly nine minutes into the game. Montréal’s momentum continued after that, resulting in the game’s first goal.

Maggie Flaherty scored for the Victoire when a blocked shot didn’t clear the zone. Flaherty picked it up around the blueline and fired it past Hensley for her third goal of the season. Montréal found the back of the net again 1:11 later when Dara Greig slipped a puck past Hensley on a net-front scramble to take a two-goal lead.

The Frost were unable to produce much in the rest of the period as the Victoire took a 2-0 lead into first intermission with a 14-4 advantage in shots.

The second period played out similarly to the first, with little action going either way. Klára Hymlárová had the best opportunity of the period, but when Minnesota could create any chances, Desbiens was up to the task.

While Minnesota couldn’t crack the code, Nicole Hensley was able to keep the puck out of the net as well, preserving a 2-0 game going into the third period. Montréal outshot the Frost 10-5 in the second period.

The Frost had a great chance to get some offense going early in the third period when Montréal committed two penalties in quick succession. Minnesota put some shots on net, but didn’t score on the two-player advantage.

Montréal added to its lead later in the period on a goal from Maureen Murphy. Murphy’s goal was her fourth tally of the season.

The Victoire scored again short-handed for a jailbreak goal moments later to ice the game and a 4-0 victory for Montréal. The Frost had their most shots on goal during the third period with eight, but were never really able to mount much during the game.

The Frost will look to bounce back next Sunday in Toronto against the Scepters, a team they haven’t played since December 30th. Minnesota beat Toronto 5-1 in that contest.

Key Takeaways

Kendall Coyne Schofield Injury Causes Shakeup

The loss of captain and co-leading scorer Kendall Coyne Schofield was clearly felt in the game against Montréal. The team struggled to create offense without one of their best players. While Coyne Schofield’s absence is news on its own, it’s also crucial to examine how it will affect the rest of the lineup.

The Frost signed Elizabeth Giguere to fill in a spot, she played 11:15 of game time today. She was on the ice for some goals against, but she was also able to do some productive things during her time. The forward played for the Sirens the last two seasons, so the Frost are sure to have a player they can rely on to play serviceable minutes.

Coyne Schofield’s injury also opens some space at the top of the lineup. With a massive hole in the top six, a player who usually doesn’t have that opportunity could step up. Today, that chance went to Denisa Křížová. The forward had the chance to play on a line with Kelly Pannek and Grace Zumwinkle.

Frost Difficulty Scoring Against Montréal Continues

The Minnesota Frost have had very little difficulty scoring this season, leading the league with 48 goals. The team has been on a particular hot streak of late, scoring 20 goals in their last five games.

Despite their relative ease in scoring goals against other teams this year, that hasn’t applied to games against Montréal. Sunday afternoon’s game was the first time the Frost have been shut out all season. In three games against Montréal, Minnesota has scored just three goals.

Today, that lack of offense could clearly be traced to a lack of shots on goal and high-scoring chances. That trend that has carried over to all games the Frost have played against the Victoire this season. In three games against Montréal, the Frost have lost the shots battle 97-62.

To beat a goaltender like Desbiens, the Frost are going to have to do a much better job at getting shots on net. If the two teams meet in the playoffs, look for that to be a major storyline in the series.