Minnesota Wins Second Straight Walter Cup, Philips Voted Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP

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PWHL Minnesota Frost

Minnesota Wins Second Straight Walter Cup, Philips Voted Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP

May 26, 2025 - Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL)
Minnesota Frost News Release


ST. PAUL, MN - The Minnesota Frost earned their second-straight Walter Cup title with a 2-1 overtime win over the Ottawa Charge in Game 4 of the PWHL Finals, presented by Scotiabank.

Liz Schepers was the overtime hero for the Frost as she netted the championship winning goal for the second year in a row, sending a roaring crowd of 11,024 fans to their feet at Xcel Energy Center. After a scoreless first period, Minnesota took their first lead of the series with a goal from Kelly Pannek midway through the second period. As Ottawa pushed to stay alive in the third period, Tereza Vanišová found the back of the net midway through the final frame to tie the game at one, forcing overtime for the fourth straight game in the PWHL Finals. It took 12 minutes of overtime action for the Frost to bury the game-winner and secure their second Walter Cup.

Maddie Rooney made 33 saves in her fifth consecutive postseason win between the pipes for the Frost, tying the PWHL record for most wins in a single postseason, alongside Boston's Aerin Frankel from the 2024 PWHL Playoffs.

Ottawa's Gwyneth Philips was voted the recipient of the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP Award as she led all goaltenders with a 1.23 goals-against average and a .952 save percentage through eight playoff starts. The Charge rookie posted four postseason wins, including one shutout, and did not lose a game in regulation throughout the playoffs. Philips made 33 saves in Game 4.

The Frost hoisted the cup in front of a home crowd for the first time, after last season's victory came on the road at a sold-out Tsongas Center in Boston. Minnesota finished the regular season in the fourth and final playoff spot - clinching on the final day of the regular season - tied with Ottawa at 44 points in the standings. The Frost earned a 3-1 semifinal series win over the Toronto Sceptres to secure a PWHL Finals berth for the second year in a row. Ottawa took Game 1 of the PWHL Finals, before Minnesota went on to secure three consecutive overtime victories on the way to the championship.

Fans can purchase the Championship Collection now at the official shop of the PWHL, featuring the Official Championship Hat by New Era, the Locker Room Tee by Royalty, fan-favorite apparel, and a limited-edition Championship puck to commemorate the season.

QUOTES

Frost goaltender Maddie Rooney on the team's playoff success: "Overall, we just have a great team culture, from staff leadership down, everyone was just bought in. The belief in ourselves and in each other around the locker room was there all season, despite some bumps in the road, we never had a doubt. I think that showed here in this series, the grit that we had after losing that first game and coming out and having that shift after shift mentality on the attack, I think that was really what allowed us to come out on top."

Minnesota Head Coach Ken Klee on winning the Walter Cup at home: "To win in front of our fans, to have over 10,000 come to the (Xcel Energy Center) on a holiday and support our players is just outstanding. It was amazing, even with Gwyneth Philips winning MVP and them all cheering for her. It just shows how great a fan base we have, how much class they have, how much they love the game and how much they love watching the players compete."

Ottawa goaltender Gwyneth Philips on winning the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP Award: ""The individual award is superseded by the team loss. We were so close, and we really want that. My accomplishments are attributed to the players in front of me. So maybe tomorrow it'll be nicer, but I really wanted that win."

Ottawa Head Coach Carla MacLeod on the streak of overtime games: "I'm just so impressed by our group because we played a lot of hockey in a short amount of time here. There was the long OT against Montréal, and then every game being an overtime game here. But this group just stuck with it. We never factored it into anything. We just kept going. We've got great support staff around these players that try to ensure they were fueled the right way. Of course, there's wear and tear - that's inevitable. But it's playoff hockey, and we were wholeheartedly embracing the whole experience. I just commend our players because they played with their hearts every single game."

NOTABLES

Maddie Rooney recorded 30+ saves in three consecutive games for the first time in her career. The Frost goaltender finished the postseason with a third-best 1.75 goals-against average and .932 save percentage, behind only Philips and Ann-Renée Desbiens (.943).

Gwyneth Philips' 635:25 minutes of postseason action is the most playing time seen by any goaltender in PWHL playoff history, surpassing Aerin Frankel's 580:58 of postseason action from the 2024 PWHL Playoffs.

Lee Stecklein finished as the 2025 postseason scoring leader with eight points (4G, 4A) in eight games played. Her Frost teammates Taylor Heise (1-6--7) and Sophie Jaques (2-5-7) finished tied for second.

Liz Schepers scored her second goal of the postseason, after only scoring twice in the regular season and once in the 2024 PWHL Playoffs - which also served as the Walter Cup game winner.

Kelly Pannek scored her second goal for her fifth point of the playoffs, becoming the ninth Frost skater to score multiple postseason goals. In comparison, Ottawa only had three players with two or more goals.

Katy Knoll and Klára Hymlárová both tallied their fifth point of the postseason with assists on Schepers' overtime goal. Both Frost forwards have points in back-to-back games for the first time in their careers.

Claire Thompson tallied her sixth postseason assist, tying her for the postseason lead in the category alongside Heise. The Frost defender finished the postseason with a three-game point streak, and her four points (4A) this series are the most recorded by any player in the 2025 PWHL Finals.

Grace Zumwinkle tallied her third assist of the postseason while also recording a career-high 10 shots on goal.

Tereza Vanišová scored her first career postseason goal for her fourth point of the playoffs, snapping an 11-game goal drought.

Vanišová's 33 postseason shots are the most recorded by any skater in PWHL playoff history, surpassing Hilary Knight's 31 shots from last year's playoffs.

Danielle Serdachny tallied her second point of the postseason for her first point in seven games. The last time the Charge forward hit the score sheet was in Game 1 of the semifinal series against Montréal.

Jocelyne Larocque recorded her third assist for her fourth point of the postseason and led all Charge defenders in playoff scoring.

Emily Clark led all Ottawa players in playoff scoring with five points (3G, 2A) in eight games played.

Minnesota opened the scoring for the first time this series while taking their first lead of the PWHL Finals.

Each of Ottawa's eight playoff games were decided by one goal, the longest streak to start a playoff run in PWHL history. Five of Ottawa's eight postseason games were decided in overtime.

SCORESHEET RECAP

Ottawa 0 0 1 0 - 1

Minnesota 0 1 0 1 - 2

1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Petrie Min (tripping), 12:05; Savolainen Ott (cross checking), 19:42.

2nd Period-1, Minnesota, Pannek 2 (Thompson, Zumwinkle), 10:10. Penalties-No Penalties

3rd Period-2, Ottawa, Vanišová 1 (Serdachny, Larocque), 10:09. Penalties-No Penalties

1st OT Period-3, Minnesota, Schepers 2 (Knoll, Hymlárová), 12:00. Penalties-Hughes Ott (roughing), 8:01; Buchbinder Min (roughing), 8:01.

Shots on Goal-Ottawa 12-11-7-4-34. Minnesota 12-14-10-2-38.

Power Play Opportunities-Ottawa 0 / 2; Minnesota 0 / 2.

Goalies-Ottawa, Philips (38 shots-36 saves). Minnesota, Rooney (34 shots-33 saves).

A-11,024

THREE STARS

Liz Schepers (MIN) GWG

Maddie Rooney (MIN) 33/24 SV

Kelly Pannek (MIN) 1G

SERIES

Minnesota wins 3-1



Professional Women's Hockey League Stories from May 26, 2025


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