On a snowy evening in Minnesota in front of a crowd of 6,276, where it’s been an oddly snowless winter, PWHL Minnesota hosted PWHL Ottawa at the Xcel Energy Center on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, which was also a night devoted to Sophie’s Squad, an organization that raises awareness for mental health.
Unfortunately for PWHL Minnesota, they were without Taylor Heise and will be for the foreseeable future as she was injured on Sunday, Feb. 11, during the final game of the Rivalry Series, in which Team USA lost 6-1 to Team Canada, who also won the series 4-3. That same evening, PWHL Minnesota made history by trading Susanna Tapani and Abby Cook to PWHL Boston in exchange for Sophie Jacques.
Jacques played her first game in a PWHL Minnesota jersey when they took on PWHL Ottawa. It was a back-and-forth first period, but PWHL Ottawa found the scoreboard first. They held that lead despite some close calls, and the period ended 1-0. PWHL Minnesota found their game in the second when they scored on a power play to tie things up at two. That’s how the second would end, even, with solid chances for both sides.
In the third, PWHL Minnesota found the back of the net to take the lead for the first time. They held the lead throughout the rest of the period, even when peppered with shots in the final minutes, and got back on the winning track with a 2-1 win. The goal scorers, Abby Boreen and Maggie Flaherty, were the day’s talk, and that’s where we’ll start.
PWHL Minnesota Flaherty & Boreen Tally Goals
Boreen got PWHL Minnesota on the board with her second goal of the season on the power play. It was a busy play at the front of the net with a lot of chaos, and she found the puck and knocked it in. Her determined play helped get her team back in the game, and her continued determination also helped them take the lead. She assisted on the game’s second goal for two points and finished with the team lead in points for the night.
Moving to the game-winning goal scored by Flaherty early in the third for her first goal of the season. It was shot from the point that found its way straight past PWHL Ottawa’s goaltender and gave PWHL Minnesota the momentum they needed to hold onto the lead. In the postgame press conference, Flaherty was asked about that moment, “I mean, to score your first professional goal, especially in your home rink surrounded by your family and friends, I mean, it doesn’t get much better than that. You can’t rate it up any much better,” said Flaherty.
PWHL Minnesota Strong All-Around
In their last game before the break for the Rivalry Series, PWHL Minnesota lost a challenging game to PWHL Toronto. This win was a solid bounce-back game, and while the first two periods were pretty even, the final period was mainly controlled by PWHL Minnesota, except for the final minutes when goaltender Maddie Rooney shined.
Rooney spoke about the final minutes in the press conference and she said, “Yeah, that was a little chaotic but glad we had great people out there guiding it out, again it was a great team effort there the last two minutes. Ideally, you want to not be in our zone for those two minutes, but it was a great team ending there.”
The entire team stepped up from their forwards to their defense and goaltending. Everyone stepped up to block shots, get sticks in shooting lanes, and just get the puck out of the zone. Things looked a little rocky initially, but their play steadily improved as the game continued and that’s what they need in every game.
PWHL Minnesota Power Play Redeemed
PWHL Minnesota’s power play has struggled on and off all season, so seeing it rewarded with a goal was great for them. It wasn’t a perfect set-up, but a gritty goal that gets wins. They were taking shots and not trying to look for the perfect pass like they’d gotten stuck doing earlier in the season.
Related: Team USA Falls in Rivalry Series Against Team Canada
While power play goals are typically scored by shots from the point or an open player away from the net, it’s good to see any goal scored when it’s been struggling. This will hopefully give them the confidence to keep shooting the puck and start forcing more opportunities, and more goals will go in.
PWHL Minnesota’s Upcoming Weekend
PWHL Minnesota will be on the road for their next two games, a back-to-back on Feb. 17 and Feb. 18. Their first game will be against this same PWHL Ottawa team, while their second game will be a rematch against PWHL Montréal. They will have to remember to shoot from the point and force PWHL Ottawa to take penalties if they want to be successful and get their second win in a row.