ST. PAUL, Minn. — In a thrilling matchup on Tuesday night, Claire Thompson celebrated her 27th birthday in style, scoring two goals and providing an assist as the Minnesota Frost triumphed over the Toronto Sceptres with a final score of 4-3. Maddie Rooney played a crucial role, recording 24 saves, including three during the shootout phase of the game.
During the shootout, both Thompson, a native of Toronto, and Britta Curl-Salemme netted goals for Minnesota (5-4-2-4), while the Sceptres (4-0-3-6) could manage only one goal in this critical tiebreaker.
The game was tightly contested, with Jesse Compher tying the score at 2-2 for Toronto just over four minutes into the third period. However, Thompson responded by putting Minnesota back in the lead approximately five minutes later.
The intensity ramped up as Renata Fast scored the fifth power-play goal of the game—with 8:05 remaining in regulation—equalizing the score at 3-3 and extending the matchup into overtime without any additional scoring.
Taylor Heise was significant for the Frost, contributing two assists throughout the game. The scoring began when Michela Cava capitalized on a rebound from Thompson’s shot, scoring a power-play goal that gave Minnesota an early 1-0 lead less than four minutes into the first period.
Toronto equalized when Daryl Watts was initially denied by Rooney’s stick-save but Sarah Nurse managed to bat the puck into the net from mid-air, making it 1-1 with just under seven minutes remaining in the first frame.
Later on, Thompson regained the lead for Minnesota with an impressive wrist shot from the point that slipped past the left side of goalie Raygan Kirk, making the score 2-1 nearly nine minutes into the second period.
With this victory, Minnesota maintains the top spot in the league with 25 points but has played four more games than the second-ranked Montreal Victoire, who currently has 23 points. Toronto, on the other hand, now shares the last place with the Boston Fleet, having accumulated 14 points.
Looking ahead, Minnesota is set to embark on a four-game road trip, starting with a game in Ottawa on Thursday, while Toronto will travel to face Montreal on the same day.
