The first Walter Cup and Professional Women’s Hockey League title belongs to the ‘state of hockey.’
PWHL Minnesota defeated Boston 3-0 at the Tsonga Center in Lowell, Massachusetts, in a decisive Game 5 on Wednesday.
Liz Schepers picked the perfect time to score her first goal of the postseason when she tapped in a feed from Sydney Brodt, who stayed with the puck and unintentionally juked out Boston netminder Aerin Frankel. With Frankel pulled far off her line, Brodt slipped the puck across the crease to Schepers.
Michela Cava added an insurance goal early in the third period and Minnesota cruised from there. Team captain Kendall Coyne Schofield hoisted the Walter Cup high above her head, but not before she netted an empty-netter with two minutes remaining to seal the deal.
Minnesota utterly dominated the shots on goal category and finished with a 44-17 advantage. Frankel made 41 saves, while Minnesota goalie Nicole Hensley saved all attempts that went her way.
Boston and Minnesota finished the regular season tied with 35 points apiece and were the final two of four playoff teams in the six-squad league that played its first season in 2024. The PWHL was the combination of two warring factions within the women’s pro circuit in North America, the PWHPA and the PHL.
In the PWHL’s playoff format, the higher seeds chose their opponents. Toronto selected Minnesota, and the series also went five games, with Minnesota emerging after dropping the first two contests. Minnesota played 10 games in a 21-day span.
The Ilana Kloss playoff MVP award went to Minnesota’s Taylor Heise, who notched eight points, including five goals, during the postseason.
