PWHL Minnesota wins first-ever Walter Cup championship

Source: The New York Times
Author: Hailey Salvian

LOWELL, Mass. -- Minnesota won the first-ever PWHL championship with a 3-0 victory against Boston on Wednesday night.

Minnesota-native Liz Schepers scored her first PWHL goal just over over six minutes into the second period, which would prove to be the championship-winner. Michela Cava doubled the lead in the third period with her fourth goal of the PWHL Finals to put the game out of reach for a Boston team that struggled to generate offense when it mattered most.

That the score was so close was a credit to Boston goalie Aerin Frankel, who made 41 saves on 43 shots, while her team only mustered 17 on goal and three in the third period. Minnesota did an excellent job stifling the Boston offense and keeping most of the chances to the perimeter.

While Minnesota netminder Nicole Hensley wasn't tested often, she was solid stopping all 17 shots she faced for her third victory and second shutout since taking the starters' crease back in Game 2 of the series.

Minnesota won the best-of-five series 3-2 after thinking they'd won it back on home ice at the Xcel Energy Center - at least for a few minutes before Sophie Jaques' double-overtime goal was called back due to goaltender interference. Alina Müller scored to force a fifth and final game in dramatic fashion, but Minnesota still came out on top.

They're now the first team in league history to win the Walter Cup, the 35-pound league trophy designed and crafted by luxury jeweler Tiffany & Co.

Minnesota entered the playoffs as the lowest seed (4) and on a five-game losing skid to end the regular season. The team was on the brink of elimination against Toronto, which got out to a 2-0 series lead, but won three-straight games to advance to the Finals and upset the top-ranked team in the league.

Boston won Game 1 but Minnesota quickly took control of the series with back-to-back wins to push the No. 3 team to the brink. On Wednesday night, Minnesota took care of business.

That Kendall Coyne Schofield -- who added an empty net goal to make it 3-0 in the third -- is the first captain to hoist the Walter Cup is significant considering she was a key figure in the creation of the PWHL. She was on the player board for the PWHPA, the precursor organization founded in 2019 that helped lead to the creation of the league last summer.

It was Coyne Schofield who made the phone call to the legendary Billie Jean King six years ago to ask for help. As King told a small group of gathered media on Sunday, she and her long-time partner Ilana Kloss met with the three-time Olympian and said they'd try to help.

They did, getting Mark Walter - the billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and now the PWHL's investor - involved.

"It took us a few years," King said. "When Mark told us yes, it was a huge day for us. And, we knew then (the league) had a chance to not only survive, but to really, make it in a big way."

King and Kloss are now members of the league's advisory board and have the regular season and playoff MVP trophies named after them. When King thought about what it would be like to see Coyne Schofield among the first players ever to win the Walter Cup she said, "it couldn't be more perfect."

This story will be updated