It was like poetry when PWHL Minnesota captain Kendall Coyne Schofield rocketed past PWHL Boston star forward Alina Müller to fire home Minnesota’s third and final goal into the empty Boston net.
As Coyne Schofield’s linemates swarmed her, jumping with excitement, there was no longer any doubt that PWHL Minnesota’s 3-0 lead with just two minutes to go was enough to win the series, and ultimately, the Walter Cup.
Just two nights after Minnesota’s heartbreaking loss in Game 4, Game 5 went back to Boston’s home turf on May 29 in front of a sold-out crowd at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, Mass.
“There’s a lot of people that counted us out when we had that five-game slide coming into the playoffs,” Coyne Schofield said.
Just two nights prior, Minnesota blue-liner Sophie Jaques, along with all other Minnesota players and fans, thought she had scored the overtime winner in Game 4 to secure the Walter Cup victory. But the goal was overturned for goalie interference and Müller gave Boston the 1-0 victory just 70 seconds later.
Game 5 was a winner-take-all situation. A win for either team would etch their name on the first page of the PWHL’s metaphorical history book.
The first period was scoreless, as Boston goaltender Aerin Frankel continued to operate unbelievably between the pipes.
Six minutes into the second period, Minnesota forward Sydney Brodt’s whiffed shot fooled Frankel and pulled her out of position. Brodt then sent the puck across the crease, behind the bewildered goaltender for forward Liz Schepers to score the first, and likely most important, goal of her PWHL career.
With just under five minutes to go in the final frame, and no luck beating Hensley so far, Boston pulled Frankel in exchange for an extra attacker.
For nearly three minutes, they held possession in Minnesota’s zone, desperately looking to pull themselves within a goal.
But with two minutes to go, Cava cleared the Minnesota zone and the puck bounced past enemy lines. Captain Coyne Schofield gave chase and rocketed past Müller ‚— who notched Boston’s double-overtime dagger in game four — to score on Boston’s empty net.
With that, PWHL Minnesota became the first of many Walter Cup champions.
“It took every single player and every single person you see on this ice right now to make it happen,” Coyne Schofield said.
Minnesota forward and first overall pick at the inaugural PWHL draft, Taylor Heise, was named the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP, notching five goals and eight points through 10 playoff games. Despite her individual success, Heise attributed the Walter Cup victory to her team’s cohesion.
“We believe in each other every single shift that we’re out there,” Heise said. “I’m just really proud of this group and I’m excited to share this moment with them.”
Boston may have fallen short, but their run was still respectable considering they were chasing a playoff spot for most of the latter half of the season.
“Obviously It’s tough when you lose, especially in Game 5 at home in front of amazing fans,” Boston captain Hilary Knight said. “But, we just came from the room, and all we’re doing is reflecting on how proud we are.”
Minnesota’s championship was a success for all six inaugural PWHL teams, proving that women’s hockey has entered a new era of untold opportunity.
The women’s hockey world has now seen a championship, solidified in a significant, growing market, within a proven and successful best-on-best league where previously there was none.
A final, sold-out Game 5 was the cherry-on-top to an inaugural season which saw nearly 400,000 fans in attendance of 72 PWHL games with a single-game high of 21,105 fans on April 20 in a matchup between PWHL Toronto and PWHL Montreal at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Que.
More than a century of women’s hockey has led to this point: the start of an era where women can finally make a career playing hockey in a professional league. As long as the league continues to push off of this year’s momentum, all indications suggest women’s hockey will continue to grow alongside the PWHL.
Featured photo by PWHL
