On the brink of elimination, PWHL Minnesota faced PWHL Toronto in the comfort of their arena, the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Monday night, May 13. PWHL Minnesota came into the postseason on a five-game losing streak, but in Game 1, they showed a more competitive side than they had in weeks. They lost 4-0, but the game was much closer than the score. They had the energy and intensity they needed but couldn’t get one past Kristen Campbell.
The same story played out in Game 2 but with even more intensity for PWHL Minnesota. They held PWHL Toronto scoreless until there was 1:25 left in the game when PWHL Toronto found a way in and added an empty-netter for a 2-0 score. Game 3 started out flat but ramped up as time passed.
The first period ended scoreless, but PWHL Minnesota found a way in the second to finally pass Campbell, score their first goal, and lead of the series. They found a way to score their first and added a second to give themselves a 2-0 lead going into the third. They held that lead and had a third goal, but the goal wasn’t allowed because of a delayed offside. PWHL Minnesota finally found their offense, and that’s where we’ll begin.
PWHL Minnesota Found Their Confidence
PWHL Minnesota had their regular issues of not scoring on the power play and not taking enough shots until they decided to trust taking risks. Their tone completely changed once they trusted taking a shot from the point, and it got through. They were already playing strongly but found their momentum and started taking more shots that found their way to the goaltender instead of being blocked.
“Yeah, you know it’s been a while for our group; we knew, you know, we’ve had great chances, and it was only a matter of time before we broke through. It started with getting passed off a great shift from the line before us, able to hold the offensive zone and put the little play low to high, and Maggie (Flaherty) made a great shot through a screen. I think we all could kind of take a breath there and realize we can do this thing; we’re in it. Just a great moment for our group and a great job on the ice,” said Liz Schepers in the post-game press conference.
After that goal, PWHL Minnesota seemed to take a breath and relax a little bit. They were trying so hard to pass the puck around and get the perfect shot, and once they just took the shot, they scored. They have to keep doing that if they want to win Game 4.
PWHL Minnesota’s Rooney & Defense Unstoppable
While scoring is a way to win games, so is having incredible goaltending, and that is what PWHL Minnesota has gotten in Maddie Rooney. They may not have won Game 2, but she was phenomenal, and in Game 3, she found a way to step it up even more. She made several saves with her skates, extended herself across the crease to stop what looked like a sure goal for PWHL Toronto, and came out with a shutout.
“Yeah, luckily, I had good tracking there; watching that shot hit, I think it was Spooner, and it was trickling in. I think I just kind of did a quick split save. Not much else, just in the moment,” said Rooney after being asked about one of her phenomenal saves in the second period.
She wasn’t alone in the game; however, while she made some great saves, her defense stepped up and helped her out. They blocked shots and picked off passes when they could, which was part of the reason for PWHL Toronto’s low shot total of just 18 shots on goal. Hopefully, PWHL Minnesota can continue to keep them stifled in Game 4.
PWHL Minnesota Needs to be Physical
PWHL Toronto was laying out a lot of hits and taking their physical game to a new level, but PWHL Minnesota didn’t retaliate, which is good. However, they can’t just stand back, either. They need a little physicality to protect themselves and not be pushed around. There’s a perfect level of physicality they can reach without going too far one way or the other.
Most of the hits they threw helped swing the play’s momentum in their favor, and they didn’t go too overboard. They ended up in the penalty box several times, but they weren’t because they lost their tempers. They need to focus on keeping that level head in Game 4 and not allowing it to change their style. They could add a few more hits, but not too much, just enough to get a little closer to PWHL Toronto.
Related: PWHL Minnesota’s Missed Chances Nearly Cost Them Their Postseason
“Yeah, absolutely; our crowd’s been fantastic all year, and playoff hockey, everything turns up a notch; you know it’s going to be physical, you’re going to see these guys hopefully five times, so you want to make sure you’re wearing them down and making every puck a hard puck to win so it’s a huge part of the playoffs and it’s great when you have the crowd’s energy behind you too,” said Schepers in the same postgame press conference.
PWHL Minnesota Can Win Game 4
It was a tall task to win Game 3, but they did so in a shutout fashion and lived to play another game. They can win if they keep doing the things they have and build on them. Add in some power-play goals, and they’ll really be on a roll. They’ve been taking shots and taking more risks that have paid off. Hopefully, they can continue to build their game and turn the series in their favor. It’ll also be interesting to see if Natalie Spooner plays as she left the game after a hit by Grace Zumwinkle.