A back-and-forth battle between Minnesota and Montréal needed overtime to decide Game 1 of the series. Laura Stacey was immense, scoring the first hat trick in PWHL playoff history, but it wasn’t enough. Jincy Roese played the hero, netting the overtime winner to seal it for the Frost.
Game 2, like Game 1, needed extra time to separate the Victoire and Frost—but not just one overtime, three. Unlike Game 1, this was a defensive battle, with neither team able to beat the goaltenders in regulation or the first two extra frames. Ultimately, the Frost were unable to find the all-important goal as they head back home with the series tied at one apiece.
Tied at one game apiece, the Victoire and Frost rolled into Minnesota with both teams looking to grab ahold of the series. The Frost scored first through Sidney Morin, but the Victoire answered with two goals of their own in the second from Maggie Flaherty and Hayley Scamurra. That 2–1 score would hold as the final despite a late push from the Frost.
Sidney Morin is the star of the show yet again as the Minnesota native pots two goals in a do-or-die game for the Frost. Morin had registered four goals in her PWHL career; she now has four in this series alone. The series heads back to Montréal for a winner-take-all Game 5.
Minnesota falls to Montréal in the winner-take-all Game 5, knocking them out of the Walter Cup Playoffs. Samantha Cogan notched the only tally for the Frost in the matchup, as Ann-Renée Desbiens proved tough to beat. This will be the first time Minnesota will not lift the Walter Cup at the end of the season.
Fueled by the highest-scoring offense in the league, the Frost are chasing their third straight PWHL Walter Cup.
A rookie defender out of Quinnipiac, this two-way player with a knack for passing lead all first-year players in the PWHL with 17 assists in the regular season.
The first draft pick in PWHL history back in 2023, Heise's career has been on an upward trajectory ever since. The back-to-back Walter Cup champion compiled a career-high 30 points this regular season.
Another two-time champion in Minnesota, the always solid Pannek is having a breakout year with the Frost, finishing the regular season atop the league in goals and points (16G/33P).
A strong forward who is local to Minnesota, Zumwinkle is another Frost player having a career season (13G/10A in 29 games) as she seeks her third straight PWHL Walter Cup.
The usually high-scoring Frost went 0-4 against the Fleet this season, twice losing in overtime and twice getting shut out. This series is a matchup between contrasting styles, to say the least.
January 4, Place Bell (Laval)
January 21, Grand Casino Arena (St. Paul)
March 1, Place Bell (Laval)
March 25, Grand Casino Arena (St. Paul)
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