Minnesota vs. Boston: 2024 Walter Cup playoff series preview and pick (2024)

Boston: 3rd in PWHL, 35 points, def. Montreal in semifinals (3-0)

Minnesota: 4th in PWHL, 35 points, def. Toronto in semifinals (3-2)

Schedule (ET)

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The Skinny

Neither Boston nor Minnesota were expected to make it this far, and they had vastly different paths to the championship series.

Boston came into the playoffs on a high, winning four of their final five games and picking up points in each to steal one of the final playoff spots. That led to a matchup with a strong Montreal team, whom Boston beat in the final game of the regular season. Despite being heavily outplayed in two of the three games,Boston swept Montrealwith a trio of overtime victories. Susanna Tapani scored two game-winning goals, while Taylor Wenczkowski ended the longest overtime in North America this season, scoring in triple overtime in Game 2.

A lot of thanks went to goaltender Aerin Frankel, who gave up just four goals in the series.

Minnesota limped into the postseason, and that is putting it nicely. They lost their final five games of the regular season, needing Ottawa to lose its final game for Minnesota to get in. Their lackluster play carried into the semifinals against top-seeded Toronto, as they fell behind in the series, 2-0. However, two shutouts from goaltender from Maddie Rooney helped turn the series around, withTaylor Heise scoring twicein the decisive Game 5 to send Minnesota to the championship series.

Rooney did not start the series, as coach Ken Klee looked to platoon her and Nicole Hensley as he did during the regular season. However, Rooney played in the final four games, allowing just three goals.

Head to Head

Like many season series across the PWHL, Boston and Minnesota played a number of close games. Three of the five meetings were decided by one goal, with Minnesota’s 4-0 win on March 13 being the only time either team won by more than two goals.

Minnesota won the first-ever game for both teams on Jan. 3 in Lowell, while Boston won the second meeting later that month in overtime. Boston won two matchups in St. Paul in regulation, including the final encounter three weeks ago, part of their incredible run to the end of the regular season.

Boston won the season series with a 3-0-2 record against the team from the State of Hockey.

There is some history off the ice between the two teams, as Minnesota general manager Natalie Darwitz and Boston GM Danielle Marmer connected in the first trade in PWHL history. Boston sent Sophie Jaques to Minnesota for Susanna Tapani and Abby Cook, with the move paying dividends for both sides, as Jaques has flourished in Minnesota, while Tapani has been a clutch scorer for Boston.

Top Five Scorers

Boston

Amanda Pelkey, 3 points
Susanna Tapani, 2 points
Sophie Shirley, 2 points
Megan Keller, 2 points
Gigi Marvin, 2 points

Minnesota

Sophie Jaques, 3 points
Liz Schepers, 3 points
Lee Stecklein, 3 points
Taylor Heise, 2 points
Denisa Křížová, 2 points

X-Factor

One of Minnesota’s biggest assets in their series win over Toronto was their depth-scoring, particularly from their third line. While Klee was jumbling the top lines around, trying to get stars like Heise and Kendall Coyne Schofield going, the trio of Denisa Křížová, Liz Schepers and Claire Butorac caused all sorts of havoc in the team’s comeback.

That line combined for seven points, all coming in the final three games. Křížová scored twice, including a power play goal to put Minnesota out in front in Game 5. Schepers registered three assists, two in Game 3, while Butorac scored the game-winner in double overtime in Game 4.

We’ll get to the star between the pipes for Boston, but the player to watch is Amanda Pelkey. Yes, Tapani had the clutch gene against Montral, but Pelkey was an important two-way player in the semis. The 30-year-old scored just one goal and one assist during the regular season, but stepped up in the three-game sweep.

Pelkey scored the first game goal in Game 2, and was involved in both of Boston’s goals in the third period in Game 3, which erased a 2-0 hole, scoring the tying goal late in regulation to send the game into overtime. She ended the series with a plus/minus of +3.

Offense

Neither team exuberated much offensive prowess during the semifinals. Minnesota and Toronto were the only two teams to have scored four goals in a single game (though Minnesota scored two empty-net goals in their 4-1 win on Friday). However, that does not mean there is limited firepower.

While some of Boston’s scoring came from their depth pieces, there is no ignoring how good Tapani was in the series. Both of the Finn’s goals came in overtime, but she was all over the ice, creating opportunities. She was placed on a line with Theresa Schafzahl and Alina Müller, which paid off as Müller’s great play set up Tapani for the series-clinching goal last Tuesday.

There is obvious concern for the team’s captain, though, as captain Hilary Knight was pretty quiet in the three games against Montreal. The reigning IIHF Female Player of the Year had her struggles during the regular season, but she was unable to find the back of the net, despite registering a team-high 15 shots.

Minnesota scored just seven goals in the semifinals, all of which came after they were shut out by Kristen Campbell in Games 1 and 2. As stated previously, the third line for Minnesota was crucial in the team rallying back, but to see Heise get on the board in Game 5 and being credited with the game-winner is going to be crucial for her confidence. The former Minnesota star had not scored in two months prior to Friday night. Expect that momentum to carry into the finals.

The blueline was also a contributing factor for Minnesota. Jaques might have had some defensive woes at times, but that is to be expected from a true rookie. Last year’s Patty Kazmaier winner was heavily involved offensively. She posted three assists and tied with fellow defender Lee Stecklein and Schepers for most of the series. Jaques also put 13 shots on goal, third behind Heise and Grace Zumwinkle (16).

Defense

In a sweep, one might think that a team’s defense was to a T…not necessarily for Boston. The team allowed 145 shots on goal over the three games, and were outshot heavily in Games 1 and 3. Montreal obviously had the core to carry the play offensively, which led to Boston chasing the play a lot of the time. That said, against a team like Minnesota, head coach Courtney Kessel’s team can utilize a more efficient game plan to keep the offensive chances to a minimum.

While some credit Natalie Spooner’s absence to Toronto’s lack of offense in the latter half of the semifinals, Minnesota actually did a solid job of limiting the No. 1 team’s attack throughout the series. Minnesota outshot Toronto in four of the five games, keeping their opponent under 20 shots in both matchups in St. Paul. One could argue that the pair of Jaques and Mellissa Channell was the team’s best, the duo combining for a plus/minus of +3.

Goaltending

If it were not for Aerin Frankel, Boston is the team getting swept in the semifinals. Unquestionably, she was the difference against Montreal, stopping 141 of the 145 shots she faced. The 24-year-old posted a ridiculous 0.97 goals-against average and a .972 save percentage in the three games, stopping over 50 shots in the first two games, including 56 in the triple-overtime win. While it is hard to believe that Boston will give up the same number of chances in the finals, Frankel will still have to be at her best if Boston wants to win the Cup.

While Rooney was credited with a loss in Game 2, she was a huge reason Minnesota came back in the series. The 26-year-old might not have had the same game-by-game workload as Frankel, but Rooney was tasked with making some clutch saves, especially in the double-overtime win in Game 4, when Toronto had a number of quality chances to end the series. Rooney still allowed only two goals in four starts, posting shutouts in Games 3 and 4, posting a 0.45 GAA and a .979 SV% in the series.

Expect an excellent battle in the crease.

Injuries

Boston got Loren Gabel back in the lineup in time for Game 3 after missing almost two months due to an upper-body injury. The reigning Premier Hockey Federation MVP played sparingly, as would be expected for someone in her situation. It will be interesting to see how Kessel uses her at the beginning of the series. However, the team was without forward Taylor Girard, who was placed on long-term injured reserve right before the playoffs. According to sources, she is progressing, but is doubtful to play in the finals.

After a tumultuous season with a number of players missing time due to injury, Minnesota looks to still be at a full bill of health heading into the finals. They were without Taylor Heise for a number of games earlier in the season and were without depth forward Sydney Brodt until March after getting hurt during a preseason game.

Intangibles

Both sides have a hefty amount of hardware and know what it takes to win big games.

Boston’s players have won eight Olympic gold medals and 28 IIHF World Championship gold medals, while Minnesota has five Olympic gold medalists and 22 world champions.

Minnesota’s Emma Greco and Michela Cava have both won professionally. Greco and Cava both won the Isobel Cup (PHF), while Cava also won championships in Russia and the SDHL.

Knight has experience winning championships in Boston. The 34-year-old was a two-time champion in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League, winning the Clarkson Cup with the Boston Blades in 2013 and 2015.

Series Prediction

With two fantastic goaltenders, this series can go either way. It is all going to come down to whoever can generate the most chances. While Boston has a lot of scoring upfront, Minnesota’s top players made a larger contribution in the semifinals, which will be a key factor if those trends carry into the finals.

If you had to pick blindly, you would probably say Frankel will win the goaltending battle over Rooney. Heck, she did that when the two fought it out for the No. 1 goaltending spot for the United States. However, if Minnesota can do what they did to Toronto and limit the star players, it will give them a huge advantage.

All that said, this has the makings of a long series.

Minnesota wins, 3-2

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