ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Frost secured a crucial victory against the Toronto Sceptres on Sunday night, with Brooke McQuigge and Michela Cava each contributing two goals. This 7-5 win gives Minnesota a 2-1 advantage in the best-of-five semifinal series.
The Frost, having equalized the series with a 5-3 win in Game 2, are now poised to move to the PWHL championship with another win in Game 4 set for Wednesday.
Liz Schepers, Lee Stecklein, and Sophie Jaques also found the back of the net for Minnesota, while Taylor Heise excelled with three assists.
Anna Kjellbin made her mark with her first PWHL goal, narrowing Toronto’s gap to 5-4 with 14:13 left on the clock. However, Cava responded promptly with a backhand goal and followed with a power-play score, solidifying the lead at 7-4 with 10:39 remaining.
Maddie Rooney continued her strong performance with 18 saves, securing her second consecutive win for the Frost.
Daryl Watts opened the scoring for the Sceptres with approximately five minutes remaining in the first period. Maggie Connors added early in the second, and Kali Flanagan netted another, bringing Toronto to 5-3 ahead of the third period.
Blayre Turnbull finalized the scoring with 7:56 left in the game. Kristen Campbell managed 17 saves for Toronto.
In a defining moment, Schepers initiated the scoring early in the game, followed closely by McQuigge and Stecklein, who scored 52 seconds apart, advancing the score to 3-0 within just over five minutes, ensuring the Frost never fell behind.
Regarding stats, Minnesota capitalized on two out of four power-play opportunities, whereas Toronto ended without success from their two attempts. So far in the series, Minnesota has converted 5 out of 9 power-play chances, while Toronto has managed 2 out of 6.
The semifinals continue at the Xcel Energy Center with Game 4 scheduled for Wednesday.