Frost Fall Just Short in 3–2 Loss to Fleet
Minnesota Frost rallied late behind goals from Kendall Cooper and Britta Curl-Salemme, but couldn’t overcome Boston’s second-period surge.
By Robert Brent
The Minnesota Frost traveled to Lowell, MA, on Wednesday night to take on the second-place Boston Fleet in the Tsongas Center. The matchup served as a potential playoff preview, pending how the final games of the season shake out.
The Fleet have been one of the strongest clubs all season, but lost their last game in a 1-0 shutout against the Montréal Victoire. Prior to the defeat, Boston had won five games in a row, including a 4-2 victory over the Minnesota Frost.
Minnesota has also been among the league’s elite teams throughout the year and has won two consecutive games coming into Wednesday’s matchup.
At this time of the season, teams like Minnesota and Boston are trying to round into playoff shape. Frost forward Britta Curl-Salemme spoke about the team’s effort to sharpen their game for the postseason before Wednesday night’s matchup.
“We’re using these last few games of the season to dial in our details and build confidence throughout our entire roster,” Curl-Salemme said. “We know that what matters now is being our best when playoffs come around.”
Recap
Nicole Hensley backstopped the Frost Wednesday night, starting in net for the 12th time this season. The Boston Fleet countered with stalwart goaltender Aerin Frankel at the other end of the ice. Frankel made her 24th start of the season and came into the matchup with a sterling .955 save percentage.
The contest began with a slow feeling-out period for both teams. Taylor Heise registered the first shot on goal just three minutes into the game. Boston didn’t put a shot on until nearly the five-minute mark.
Unfortunately, the Fleet’s first shot found the back of the net. Jessie Eldridge scored her 11th goal of the season on a one-timer from the faceoff circle.
The remainder of the period played out similarly, with both teams struggling to generate offense. The first frame ended with Boston leading 1-0 and a 5-5 tie in shots on goal.
Boston took over the flow of the play early in the second period, registering five straight shots on goal. The pressure led to a penalty call that gave Boston the chance to extend its lead on a power play.
It didn’t take long for that conversion to come with Jessie Eldridge scoring a goal on a net-front scramble just 27 seconds into the power play.
The Frost had an extra-attacker chance of their own moments later, but were unable to convert with the score remaining 2-0.
Boston continued to put pressure on for the rest of the second period. Nicole Hensley made several impressive saves to keep Minnesota within two goals.
The Minnesota Frost found their first goal of the night early in the third period on a goal by Kendall Cooper. The shot came from the blueline with a high screen by Abby Hustler. The screen did enough to limit the Boston goaltenders’ view, and the shot sneaked through Frankel.
The Fleet answered right back minutes later when Alina Müller scored on a rebound to restore Boston’s lead to two goals.
Time appeared to be running out for Minnesota, but they got another breath of life late in the game when Britta Curl-Salemme tipped a shot from Kendall Cooper in front of the net to bring the score to 3-2 with 1:30 remaining in the third period.
Minnesota produced some chances with the empty net, but was unable to find an equalizer. The Fleet skated away with a 3-2 victory in a close contest.
Key Takeaways
History Has to Wait
The Frost came into the game with two players looking to eclipse historical milestones. Kelly Pannek is tied for the all-time single-season scoring record with 29 points, while Taylor Heise wasn’t far behind with 27 points in the season.
Unfortunately, neither were able to hit the mark in Wednesday night’s contest. Kelly Pannek was held off the scoresheet. Heise gained ground on Pannek with an assist on Kendall Cooper’s second-period goal.
With three games remaining in the season and just one point separating the pair, it’s likely one of Pannek or Heise will end the season with the most prolific scoring campaign in league history. While history is likely in the making, Boston was able to put it off for one more night in Wednesday night’s matchup.
Short-handed Minnesota Frost Struggle to Create Offense
Minnesota came into Wednesday’s game with a few key missing pieces, as the team is a bit banged up. Natalie Buchbinder is on the long-term injured reserve list with an upper body injury. Meanwhile Klára Hymlárová and Grace Zumwinkle are both day-to-day with upper body injuries.
The ailments clearly took a toll on the Frost, particularly in the offensive end. Boston controlled large portions of the game, building a 36-22 lead in shots on goal. Minnesota got a couple of goals on plays with screens. Still, they didn’t produce quite enough offense to beat a Boston team that excels at suppressing opponents’ scoring chances.
The good news is that Zumwinkle and Hymlárová are day-to-day, so they should return to the lineup in short order. With just three games remaining in the PWHL regular season, it’s crucial that Minnesota’s lineup gets a clean bill of health and gets back in an offensive groove.
