SAINT PAUL, Minn. — The game wasn’t even a minute old when Taylor Heise brought 9,054 roaring fans to their feet, then threw both her arms in the air and yelled “Let’s go!”
Heise got things started, then Sydney Brodt potted the winner to pace Minnesota to a 4-1 victory over Boston on Friday night in front of a raucous crowd at the Xcel Energy Center.
Minnesota now has a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five PWHL Final series, and the State of Hockey is one win away from claiming the Walter Cup as the PWHL’s first-ever champions.
The “MINN-E-SO-TA! (clap, clap, clap, clap, clap)” cheers were going just after puck drop, and then came the thunderous cheering and towel-waving when Heise scored her playoff-leading fifth goal of the post-season, 59 seconds into the game.
The Minnesotan jumped on a puck that deflected out to her in the high slot, then fired a rocket of a wrist shot, blocker side, top shelf.
With just over two minutes to go in the first, Brodt picked a nice time to score her first of the season, giving Minnesota the 2-0 lead. The winger, who was injured to open the year and returned to the ice for the last seven games of the regular season, jumped on a rebound off a Brittyn Fleming wrap-around attempt.
Brodt had been down on the ice a few seconds earlier, but picked herself up and saw the puck sitting in the blue paint, then stuffed it past Aerin Frankel. Brodt’s momentum sent her into the crossbar, and then she got down for an emphatic double fist-pump.
Boston had just five shots in the second period, but made one of them count, with just 1.4 seconds to go in the second. Alina Müller got a beautiful backhand pass from Susanna Tapani, and put it into a near-open net, past a sprawling Nicole Hensley.
A little over three minutes into the third, Michela Cava — one of four Canadians on Minnesota’s roster — made it 3-1 on a beautiful individual effort, after picking up a pass from Heise just outside the blue line. Cava toe-dragged around a Boston defender, then deked Frankel and dropped to a knee to put home the backhand.
Cava threw both arms up and skated up the boards, cheering along with the fans. She had eight points in 24 regular season games, and in the playoffs, Cava is tied with Heise for a post-season-leading six points in eight games. Cava has scored in three straight, and had a two-point performance Friday, after assisting Heise’s opening goal.
Hensley, who served up a shutout in Game 2 of this series, was again steady for Minnesota, making 16 saves for the win.
It was Rookie of the Year candidate Grace Zumwinkle who potted the empty-netter for Minnesota, and in dramatic fashion. Zumwinkle battled Boston Captain Hilary Knight for the puck, was dragged down by Knight and still managed to hold onto the puck, sliding into the net just after the puck did. The goal was Zumwinkle’s first point of the playoffs, and a big one for the player who ranked first overall in points for her team in the regular season, with 11 goals and 8 assists in 24 games.
Game 4 is Sunday night in Saint Paul, where Minnesota will have a chance to clinch a historic championship on home ice.
Near the end of the game, fans were cheering: “We want the cup!”
