Looking to turn the series in their favor, PWHL Minnesota took on PWHL Boston in Game 3 of the PWHL Finals back at home in St. Paul in front of a loud crowd of 9,054. It was a huge sports night in the Twin Cities as the Minnesota Twins, Minnesota Timberwolves, and PWHL Minnesota were all playing within miles of each other.
While the Timberwolves were fighting to even their series in the Western Conference Final, PWHL Minnesota was fighting for their chance to raise the Walter Cup. They started the first period off hot with a goal 59 seconds into the game, and with a lot of back and forth, they added another before the period ended to take a 2-0 lead. The second period has been a bit tough for PWHL Minnesota throughout the postseason, and while they did have some great chances, PWHL Boston snuck one in right before the end of the period to get within one.
In the third period, both teams had chances, but PWHL Minnesota found another level in their game. They added a third goal early in the period before securing an empty-net jailbreak goal to take the win 4-1. PWHL Minnesota’s top line got things going, and that’s where we’ll start.
PWHL Minnesota’s Top Line on Fire
PWHL Minnesota’s Taylor Heise has shown that the sky is the limit for her in the postseason. In the three games of this series, she has three goals and two assists and has been electric the entire time. Her speed and skill set her apart from many other players, but she fits right in with her linemates, Michela Cava and Kendall Coyne-Schofield.
While Heise scored the first goal, Cava, not to be outdone, had her own amazing individual effort, stickhandling her way through the offensive zone to put her team back ahead by two early in the third. Heise and Cava had the goals, but having Coyne-Schofield on the line made it possible for them to score those goals with how she worked the puck.
“We’ve kind of experimented with different lines all year, and we tried this one a little bit when we were on our little bit of a skid, and I liked some of the things they did; I could tell they were looking for each other and getting open. Obviously me as a coach my job is to kind of keep things fresh, so I do mix up lines often and make sure that I want to have the right lines at the right time, and thankfully, we’re doing that right now.” Head coach Ken Klee said in the postgame press conference when asked how he came up with the top-line combination.
PWHL Minnesota Stays Composed
Despite the physicality continuing to rise throughout this series, PWHL Minnesota has found ways to stay composed. Even when the hits are questionable and would normally force a retaliatory move, PWHL Minnesota does just enough to stay out of the box and stops. In many postseason games, retaliation can be the move that does a team in, but PWHL Minnesota has found a way to stay focused.
However, on the physicality note, Coyne-Schofield, possibly the smallest player between the two teams at 5-foot-2, has been like a wrecking ball. She’s been able to knock a number of players off the puck cleanly and just keeps going. She’s the physical presence on that top line, and it’s helped them succeed.
“Obviously, we’re both like Heise’s a little bit taller than us, but we’re both very small, but I didn’t mean she had like probably five or six hits today; she’s playing so physical and so strong so definitely a lot of credit to her too, and she’s definitely taking their (Boston) players out of the play for us as well,” Cava said when asked about Coyne-Schofield’s play on their line.
PWHL Minnesota’s Puck Control
PWHL Minnesota has found a way to succeed by returning to the basics with both offense and defense. They aren’t trying to overdo plays; they’re just taking shots as soon as the puck is on their sticks. If they can make the simple pass, they do; otherwise, they’re looking for the shot, and it’s worked. They’re taking the shots and hunting for rebounds instead of doing too much and losing the puck.
On the other hand, the defense did everything they could to help out goaltender Nicole Hensley, who had her second straight night in the net after a big Game 2 win in Boston. Her defense laid down, dropped to a knee, and did nearly everything to block the puck. Other than one minor mistake that did lead to a goal, they cleaned it up and didn’t make the same mistake again.
When the puck did manage to find its way past the defense, Hensley came up big and earned her loud chants of “Hensley” from the crowd. It was a great effort from PWHL Minnesota’s defensive core and their goaltender to keep PWHL Boston to one goal.
PWHL Minnesota Focused
If PWHL Minnesota wins on Sunday, May 26, they will have the chance to take home the first-ever Walter Cup. They know what they must do and stay focused on what needs to happen. They aren’t looking too far ahead and realize PWHL Boston is a strong team. They will have to do everything they can to come out and win Game 4.
“Yeah, not really. I mean, obviously, it’s going to be a special moment but just kind of thinking about what my next first shift is next game. Like I wouldn’t say thinking about the whole game, it starts with one shift like obviously we came out and scored the first shift, Cava came, had a great forecheck, got the puck to the net, Kendall drove to the net, and I was just there, and I was able to turn and shoot. Those are moments that you want to think about for the future; you want to think about the next game…” Heise said when asked if she’s thought about winning the Walter Cup.
Heise continued, “So no, I haven’t thought about what it’s going to feel like because I want it to be a feeling that, like, when it happens, I want it to be electric, and I want it to be something I haven’t really had time to think about. So I guess that and just coming out hard next game. We’re just so thrilled to be in the position we are and hopefully not have to go back to Boston, that’s what our goal is.”
Related: PWHL Minnesota vs. Boston: 2024 Walter Cup Final Preview
Hopefully, they can play like they did in this win and do exactly what Heise said. If they can do that, they’ll be able to win the first-ever Walter Cup in front of their hometown crowd.
