PWHL Minnesota defeats Boston to win inaugural Walter Cup

Minnesota has made history as the first-ever PWHL champions with a 3-0 win over Boston, punctuated as captain Kendall Coyne Schofield hammered a slap shot into Boston’s empty net.

Minnesota-born Liz Schepers scored the game-winner, the first goal of her PWHL career, and Michela Cava from Thunder Bay, Ont., added the insurance marker in the third period, while goalie Nicole Hensley had 17 saves for the shutout win.

Fittingly, Coyne Schofield — who was so instrumental in getting this league going — is one of its first champions, awarded the Walter Cup for the first time. After she scored her empty-netter, the captain jumped against the glass and got hugs from her linemates.

When it was all over, Minnesota players flew off the bench and skated down the ice toward Hensley, tossing their sticks and gloves in the air. Shortly after that, the Boston crowd cheered for goaltender Aerin Frankel — “Frankel! Frankel! Frankel!” — the best player for her team all playoffs long, who made 42 saves in the loss and was named the team’s first star.

Minnesota was the fourth-placed team in the regular season, the team top-ranked Toronto chose to play in the opening round, and they came out firing, outshooting Boston 44-17 in front of a raucous and sold out crowd at Tsongas Center who stayed to support their team after it was over, and broke out with “Thank you Boston!” cheers.

For Cava, it’s a fourth straight pro title, following wins in the SDHL, the Russian Women’s Hockey League, and most recently in 2023 in the now-defunct PHF. Cava had seven points in the post-season, second only to her teammate Taylor Heise, who netted her eighth point of the playoffs with an assist on Cava’s goal.

The finale was fast and physical right out the gate.

Minnesota struck for the first time just over six minutes into the second period. Sydney Brodt fanned on her initial shot, which faked out a Boston defender and drew Frankel out of her net. Brodt pulled a move around Frankel, then fired a cross-crease pass to Schepers, and the 25-year-old fought off a defender and whacked the puck into the empty net. What a time to pot the first of her PWHL career.

Cava’s goal to make it 2-0 came nearly half-way through the third period, and after Minnesota was absolutely dominating offensively, with chance after chance. Frankel was holding them in it, but with a gassed Boston line out there, Minnesota kept pressing and Cava pulled around the net, beating Frankel with a backhand wrap-around.

Boston didn’t register a shot in the third period until the 13:30 mark. They pulled Frankel with about four minutes to go.

This is the second time Minnesota celebrated winning the championship: In Game 4, the team threw sticks and gloves in the air and hugged and yelled together after Sophie Jaques scored in double-overtime, but the goal was reviewed and called back for goaltender interference. Less than a minute later, Boston scored to force Game 5.

On Wednesday, the celebration lasted a heck of a lot longer for the PWHL’s first champions.