Nicole Hensley stopped 27 shots and the Minnesota Frost got goals throughout the lineup in a 5–2 win over the Boston Fleet on Friday night at Grand Casino Arena.
The Boston Fleet invaded Grand Casino Arena Friday night in a pivotal matchup with the Minnesota Frost. The Fleet are off to the best start in PWHL history, beginning the season with five straight victories. Boston’s fifth win came against the Frost on December 7th, where Boston emerged with a 4-1 victory.
The Frost came into the game looking to get back to the winning ways they had previously established during back-to-back wins over Seattle and Ottawa. The game against the Fleet was a welcome return home for the Frost, who had played three consecutive road games.
Head Coach Ken Klee spoke before the game about returning to Grand Casino Arena after a road trip.
“It’s good to be back in Minnesota, and we are excited to play in front of our home crowd,” Klee said. “Boston is a good team, and it’s going to be great to have our home crowd support. It’s good to get back to playing games, and I’m looking forward to watching us improve night in and out.”
With 7216 fans in attendance and two of the league’s best teams facing off, Grand Casino Arena was sure to be the sight of a fantastic hockey game Friday night.
Recap
The goaltender matchup featured a faceoff between Nicole Hensley for the Frost and Aerin Frankel for the Fleet. Hensley has had an excellent season thus far, going 2-0-0-0 with a .985 save percentage in her two starts this season.
That excellence was needed early from Hensley, with the Frost committing a penalty less than two minutes into the game. The ensuing penalty kill was successful, a much-needed boost for Minnesota given the two power play goals they surrendered in their last matchup with the Fleet.
The Frost got on the board first shortly after, with a strong drive to the net by Taylor Heise starting the play. The Boston goaltender stopped Heise’s shot, but an ensuing scramble gave Kendall Coyne-Schofield the chance to slide the puck into the net for her fifth goal of the season.
Heise and Kendall Cooper registered assists, with the point being the first of Cooper’s PWHL career.
The Frost extended their lead with 7:23 remaining in the first period when Lee Stecklein received a D-to-D pass from Natalie Buchbinder and fired a puck from the point that Dominique Petrie tipped into the net. The referees briefly reviewed the goal for a possible high stick, but the marker was confirmed for Petrie’s second of the season.
Minnesota killed off another penalty late in the first frame to complete a solid period in which they carried most of the play at even strength and potted two goals to build a 2-0 lead.
The Frost added to their lead early in the second period when Denisa Krizova sped into the offensive zone on a breakaway. Aerin Frankel was able to stop the initial attempt, but couldn’t cover the puck. Britta Curl-Salemme cleaned up the play by banging the puck home from the goal line for her first goal of the season.
The Fleet responded, putting together a solid period after the goal in which they generated some grade-A chances on the Frost net. Even with the Fleet pushing, the excellent play of Nicole Hensley stonewalled the Boston attack to hold onto the team’s 3-0 lead.
Boston made their bid for a comeback about halfway through the period when they scored two goals in quick succession. Olivia Mobley scored the first goal at 9:01 of the third period, while Riley Brengman added the second goal just 23 seconds later to bring the score to 3-2.
Boston’s pair of goals made the end of the game more dramatic than it seemed, but the Frost put the Fleet’s comeback to bed when Katy Knoll scored her first goal of the season on an empty net with just 49.6 seconds remaining.
Kelly Pannek added another empty-netter with just eight seconds left to ice the game.
The goal finished off the contest, with Minnesota handing Boston its first loss of the season. Nicole Hensley remained undefeated on the season.
The Frost will travel to Chicago to take on the Ottawa Charge in a PWHL Takeover Tour matchup at Allstate Arena.
Key Takeaways
Klee Puts Lines in a Blender
The Minnesota Frost entered the matchup against the Boston Fleet with a new look compared to their previous meeting. The most notable change came from Minnesota’s top line.
In every game of the season so far, the top line has featured the trio of Kendall Coyne-Schofield, Kelly Pannek and Britta Curl-Salemme. On Friday night, that line saw rookie Peyton Anderson take the left wing spot. That change left Coyne-Schofield on the other top-six unit with Taylor Heise and Katy Knoll, who had previously been playing on the team’s third line.
The team also featured changes in the bottom six and defense. Notably, Grace Zumwinkle featured on the third unit with Dominique Petrie and Denisa Krizova, while Kendall Cooper got a look on the second pairing for the team’s defense.
The mix-up helped promote scoring depth, as Frost’s balanced attack produced goals across the lineup. Eleven unique players recorded a point on Minnesota’s five goals.
Katy Knoll spoke after the game about coach Ken Klee’s frequent lineup changes and how they impact the team.
“That’s the way he coaches. Everyone should be ready to play with anyone and everyone, and that’s just how we like to play.”
Active Minnesota Defense Plays Key Role in Attack
Coming into Friday Night’s contest with the Fleet, the Minnesota defensive corps had done a solid job keeping pucks out of the net, but they hadn’t been as visible on the scoresheet. In the Frost’s first four games, Lee Stecklein’s assist on a Dominique Petrie goal against the Ottawa Charge had been the only point scored by a Minnesota defender.
That trend changed Friday night, with the Frost’s blueliners being a key part of the Minnesota attack. Minnesota defenders registered five points on the night, with four different defenders earning a point.
The play of Kendall Cooper was particularly notable, with the rookie defender scoring her first point with a first-period assist and adding another assist on the empty-net goal. In addition to the assists, Cooper notched two shots on goal and was second on the team with 20:11 of ice time.
Head coach Ken Klee spoke about Cooper’s impact after the game.
“She’s an elite skater, thinks the game well, and for her it’s about knowing who she’s out there against. That’s the toughest thing for her right now, knowing how the other players play,” Klee said. “Once she sees everyone once or twice, I think she’s gonna be an elite defender in this league. She’s playing well now, but I think it’s just the tip of the iceberg for her.
Hensley Cements Herself as the Hot Hand
The Frost have one of the league’s strongest goaltending duos in Nicole Hensley and Maddie Rooney. While it’s often a massive positive for the team to have two great goaltenders, it leaves the two y competing for starts.
Minnesota generally rides whichever goaltender is playing the best at the moment, and right now that’s Nicole Hensley.
Hensley, a Lindenwood alum, has been excellent all season, and that trend continued in Frost’s matchup with the Fleet at Grand Casino Arena. Other than a 30-second time period where the Fleet scored twice, Hensley was unbeatable on the night. The goaltender made 27 saves and improved her record to 3-0-0-0 on the season.
Coach Klee spoke about Hensley’s play after the game.
“Hensley was excellent. You need good goaltending in this league to win, and she’s been awesome this year,” Klee said. “Every game she’s been in there, she’s been dominant.”
While there will undoubtedly be times this season when Maddie Rooney takes the net, Nicole Hensley has made it difficult to take her out of goal any time soon. As long as she continues playing as she has in her first three starts, Hensley is the hot hand goaltender in Minnesota.
