Little, besides that international border, separates Minnesota and Montreal in the PWHL. That was apparent again Sunday, when the Frost took a 4-2 victory over the Victoire in a game played far from home for both teams.
Minnesota Frost, watched by the biggest women’s pro hockey crowd in U.S. history, defeat Montreal 4-2
The game was played in Denver as part of the PWHL Takeover Tour, amid chants of “We want a team.”
The Minnesota Star Tribune
January 13, 2025 at 12:50AM
The top two teams in the Professional Women’s Hockey League, one from Canada, one from the United States, neither from Denver, played in Denver’s Ball Arena as a stop on the PWHL Takeover Tour. They drew a crowd of 14,018, the largest in U.S. history for a women’s pro hockey game. The Takeover Tour seemed to be serving its purpose when the crowd loudly chanted, “We want a team.”
“It was awesome, it was incredible,” Frost coach Ken Klee said. “To showcase these ladies and their talent, that’s what it’s all about. Growing the game — the women’s hockey game and how far it’s come even since I first got involved in 2014, it’s remarkable. People were asking yesterday at the practice, ‘How’s it going to be to see it live?’ and I said, ‘You wait, you’re going to see something and say, “That’s incredible.” ' And they are incredible.”
The previous record of 13,736 was set March 16 at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena during a game between Boston and Ottawa. The PWHL attendance record is 21,105, set in April at Montreal’s Bell Centre for a game against Toronto.
Minnesota got the game-winner 7 minutes, 27 seconds into the third period on Maggie Flaherty’s goal, her first point of the season. She snagged a turnover and turned and whipped a shot from the slot past Montreal’s Elaine Chuli before any of the Victoire could challenge her. Michela Cava made it 4-2 with 1:39 left.
The game pitted the top two teams in the PWHL standings, and the Frost took over the top spot, improving to 4-2-3-1 (19 points). Montreal fell to 4-2-2-1 (17). The teams will play a rematch Friday in Montreal.
Montreal played the third period without Laura Stacey, second on the team in goals with three; the team said she injured her left leg. The Frost remained without reigning PWHL rookie of the year Grace Zumwinkle and forward Dominique Petrie; goaltender Nicole Hensley was available on the bench but did not play.
The first two periods were played nearly as evenly as possible. Each team scored in each period, and shots were 19-19 after each team took nine in the first period and 10 in the second. Each team scored once on the power play.
The Victoire’s Catherine Dubois opened the scoring just 2:33 into the game. Nearly eight minutes later, Britta Curl-Salemme answered for the Frost.
Sophie Jaques, playing for the first time since Dec. 19 because of injury, gave the Frost a 2-1 lead with a power-play goal 9½ minutes into the second period, after Mikyla Grant-Mentis was sent off for tripping.
Montreal’s Jennifer Gardiner evened it with a power-play goal 14:37 into the period with Claire Butorac off for slashing.
Chuli made 25 saves for Montreal. Maddie Rooney turned back 21 shots for the Frost and won for the fifth time in six starts. She left impressed with the Denver crowd, noticeably loaded with girls.
“That’s what it’s all about,” Rooney said. “When I was a kid, I watched the NHL, but for those girls now to be able to watch the PWHL is really cool, to create and have those role models that we didn’t have as a kid.”
The game was played in Denver as part of the PWHL Takeover Tour, amid chants of “We want a team.”
