Minnesota Frost delivered their most dominant performance of the season in a 5-0 shutout of Ottawa Charge at Grand Casino Arena on Wednesday. The Frost controlled the game from the opening faceoff and never gave Ottawa a chance to settle in.
Five goals came from a Minnesota attack that has been among the deepest in PWHL all year. Kendall Coyne Schofield has 24 points in 30 games. Kelly Pannek matches her with 23 points. Taylor Heise has 23 points with a team-leading 15 assists through 29 games.
Britta Curl-Salemme added 22 points in 28 games. Grace Zumwinkle has 19 points in 24 appearances. The Frost have six forwards producing at a high level, and when all of them are clicking, the results look like this.
Minnesota's goaltending completed the shutout. The Frost have split starts between Maddie Rooney and Nicole Hensley all season. Rooney has a .924 save percentage in 13 games. Hensley has posted a .925 mark in 10 starts. Both have the numbers to be starters on most teams in the league.
Ottawa had no response. The Charge came in with 33 points in fourth place and a roster full of scorers, including Brianne Jenner (20 points), Rebecca Leslie (12 goals), and Emily Clark (19 points). None of it mattered against Minnesota's defensive pressure.
Gwyneth Philips took the loss in goal for Ottawa. She entered the game with a .924 save percentage but was under siege for 60 minutes.
The result is a reminder that Minnesota, at 42 points in third, has the talent to compete with anyone in the league. Ottawa dropped this one but remains in solid position for a playoff spot.
Minnesota stays at Grand Casino Arena. Ottawa returns to Canadian Tire Centre.