Rooney shines and Frost scores 3 first-period goals 6-2 win

The Minnesota Frost and Vancouver Goldeneyes played the final game of the PWHL schedule prior to an Olympic break Wednesday night in St. Paul. The matchup was the Goldeneyes’ first visit to St. Paul in their inaugural season.

The contest served as an opportunity for fans to see the five Olympians on the Goldeneyes and the eight Olympians rostered by the Frost before their departure to Italy. 

Minnesota entered the night on a hot streak, playing several strong games in recent weeks. Goaltender Nicole Hensley spoke before the game about the importance of putting in another strong performance before the break in their season.

“We are excited for the chance to close out the first half of the season on a high note. We’ll need to play a full 60 minutes and stay focused on the task at hand before going into the break.”

Recap

Maddie Rooney started her second straight game after starring in Minnesota’s 6-2 victory over the New York Sirens. The Goldeneyes countered with Kristen Campbell who earned a shutout in her last start January 22nd against the Toronto Scepters. 

Minnesota opened scoring five minutes into the game, with a notable goal from rookie defender Kendall Cooper. Cooper has put together a fantastic rookie season, but had yet to find the back of the net. Katy Knoll made a great forechecking play on the sequence, ultimately leading to the Cooper goal.

The Frost added to their lead later in the period on a goal from Britta Curl-Salemme. Taylor Heise set the play up with a fantastic pass. The play was started by Brooke Becker, who notched her first career PWHL point with an assist.

The first period appeared as if it would end 2-0 Frost, but Minnesota scored a third goal with one second left on a power play goal by Kelly Pannek. Pannek scored the goal on a net front scramble that leaked through the Goldeneyes’ goaltender. Grace Zumwinkle and Mae Batherson registered assists.

With Vancouver entering the second period trailing 3-0, the Goldeneyes needed an explosive performance to get back in the game.

Vancouver did all they could to climb back into the contest, putting the Frost under siege for the entirety of the period. The Goldeneyes outshot Minnesota 12-2 in the second frame. 

Despite their offensive onslaught, Maddie Rooney was sterling in net. Vancouver did score a goal late in the period off of Michelle Karvinen’s stick, but their could have been much more damage if not for the excellent play of Rooney. 

Rooney was once again sterling in the third period as Vancouver pushed for two goals to tie the game. The Goldeneyes produced 13 shots in the final frame, but were unable to solve the Maddie Rooney puzzle.

Britta Curl-Salemme scored an empty-net goal late in the period to ice the game with assists from Abby Hustler and Taylor Heise. 

The Frost will return to PWHL play March 1st when they travel to Quebec to take on the Montreal Victoire. 

Key Takeaways

Kendall Cooper Scores First Career Goal

One of the bright young stars of the PWHL reached a major milestone in Wednesday’s game when Kendall Cooper found the back of the net for the first time. The rookie defender spoke about her first goal after the game.

“It feels good to score my first goal. It started with a great forecheck from Katy [Knoll] and her line getting going. For some reason I was down low and it just bounced to me, so it was nice to get the goal and get that off my back.”

It may have been Cooper’s first goal, but she’s been making an impact on the Frost since the moment she stepped into the league. The goal gave Cooper her ninth point of the season, a mark that leads all rookie defenders.

Cooper’s impact goes beyond just being a solid offensive player as well. The blue-chip blueliner has consistently gotten more responsibility in each game. In Wednesday night’s matchup, Cooper played 23:27, good for second-most on the team. The continued growth of Cooper is sure to be a storyline for the Frost all season.

Frost Olympians Stand Out

On a night where the impending Olympic break loomed over the game, it was appropriate that some of the Minnesota Frost’s Olympians played a major role in the team’s victory.

Britta Curl-Salemme (two goals), Taylor Heise (two assists), Kelley Pannek (goal) and Grace Zumwinkle (assist) combined for six points on the Frost’s four goals and also produced nine shots on goal as a major part of the team’s offense. 

Curl-Salemme and Heise will be making their Olympic debuts while Pannek and Zumwinkle have both played in the tournament before. It will be Pannek’s third appearance and Zumwinkle’s second when they take the ice in Italy.

The Frost employ some of the best talent in the world, and that will be showcased when eight of their players represent their countries at the Olympic Games. Wednesday night’s matchup was a sneak peek at what those players can do.

Frost Streak Into Break

With Wednesday night’s win, The Minnesota Frost enter the break as the team in the PWHL with the most momentum. The team has earned points in six straight games, going 3-1-2-0, a feat that matches the franchise’s previous six-game streak in 2024.

The main weapon of the team’s strong stretch has been a potent offense that seems to outscore teams at will. The goaltenders are playing well too, but Minnesota has combined for 10 goals in their last two games, the most of any team over a two-game stretch this season.

The Frost have now scored 48 goals this season, eight more than any other team in the PWHL. Their plus-17 goal differential is also tops in the league.

Minnesota has solidified themselves at second-place in the league with their stellar stretch of games. If the Frost come back from the break playing the same quality of hockey, they could make a run at the top spot in the league.