SAINT PAUL, MN– The Minnesota Frost were on the winning side of a 7-5 victory in the highest scoring game in PWHL history to take a 2-1 series lead over the Toronto Sceptres on Sunday evening at Xcel Energy Center. Twenty-one different players found the scoresheet between the teams, including 11 multi-point producers.
The Frost opened the game strong, scoring three goals in a five-minute span, with markers from Liz Schepers, Brooke McQuigge and Lee Stecklein, before the Sceptres recorded their first shot on goal. Daryl Watts responded to get the Sceptres on the board with five minutes left in the opening frame, ending the first period with a 3-1 score. Toronto pulled within one early in the second period on a goal from Maggie Connors, but the Frost answered with two more to extend their lead to 5-2.
Toronto defender Kali Flanagan cut the deficit to two before the end of the second frame, making it 5-3 heading into the third. Anna Kjellbin’s first PWHL goal brought Toronto back within one early in the final period, but Minnesota quickly countered with two goals in a two-minute span, both from Michela Cava, to widen the gap again. Toronto fought to stay in the game, as captain Blayre Turnbull scored with eight minutes remaining, but the deficit proved too large to overcome.
Maddie Rooney earned a second straight win for the Frost, stopping 18 of 23 shots, with Kristen Campbell suffering a second straight loss, turning aside 17 of 24 shots for Toronto.
The defending Walter Cup champions will look to punch their ticket to the PWHL Finals, while Toronto will fight to stay alive in Game Four of the best-of-five PWHL Playoffs, presented by SharkNinja, on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET at Xcel Energy Center.
QUOTES
Frost Head Coach Ken Klee: “I think it’s a fan’s dream and a coach’s nightmare, a 7-5 playoff game. We found a way to win and that’s the most important thing. Our team played hard, and we have to clean things up because the next game is going to be a lot tougher.”
Frost forward Liz Schepers on the fast start: “We came off a long trip – it’s no secret – so we wanted to make sure we came out right and started the right way. We got the crowd into it early and little did we know it was going to start off with all these goals, but it was definitely great to get off to a good start early.”
Frost forward Michela Cava on having a chance at a hat trick: “Obviously it’s a fun thing to be able to do but we made the game close again at the end and I think everyone was just focused on not letting any more goals in and cleaning up our defensive game. To me, that’s way more important than getting a hat trick. I feel like it was a good way to end the game, not letting them get any more goals.”
Toronto Head Coach Troy Ryan on never being fully out of the game and what was a tough hole to climb out of: “A combination of things. You get down that early, you’re chasing the game. Minnesota’s a great team so if you’re putting yourself in a situation where you’ve got to chase them, it’s an uphill battle. I thought also throughout the game we got ourselves into a bit of penalty trouble, so you’re getting momentum and then you’re looking for a big play and then if we take a penalty, it takes away a bit of the momentum that we have as we’re trying to climb back into the game.”
Sceptres defender Kali Flanagan on the uniqueness of a five-game series and going into a must-win Game 4: “We went through this last year. There’s a good group of girls on our team who have some experience with [five-game series] and then it is obviously new for everyone else in the room, but I think just sticking together as a team. Knowing that we have each other’s backs going into Game 4, it’s exciting. I don’t think anyone is going to be fearful of it, I think everyone is going to come to the rink on Wednesday and be excited for a great opportunity to win a hockey game.”
NOTABLES
This was the highest scoring PWHL game of all-time with 12 combined goals. The regular-season record of 11 was set on Feb. 13 when Ottawa beat Minnesota, 8-3. The previous playoff record was eight combined goals set in Game 2 of this series with Minnesota’s 5-3 win over Toronto.
The Frost have recorded two of the league’s three all-time performances of seven or more goals, doing so twice this month. 
Toronto scored five goals for the first time this season. They were the only team in the PWHL during the regular season that did not score five or more goals in a single game. The Sceptres won all seven games in regulation this season in which they scored four goals.
Minnesota’s three goals in the first period were their first scored in the opening frame this series and tied their season-high. The Frost led the PWHL with 29 first period goals during the regular season and eight games with multiple first period goals.
Toronto’s two goals in the third period were their first in the final frame this series.
This was just the second game in PWHL history where both teams scored four or more goals each. The other was Feb. 26 when Ottawa beat New York, 5-4.
Michela Cava recorded the first multi-goal performance of her playoff career, and second of the season, and has three tallies in her last two games. She became just the second player in playoff history to score twice in the third period, following teammate Taylor Heise in Game 5 of last season’s semifinal against Toronto.
Brooke McQuigge scored her first two career postseason goals for the first multi-goal game of her career. She is the Frost’s first rookie to score twice in a playoff game this season and third all-time, following playoff performances by Heise (2) and Sophie Jaques in 2024.
Heise became the first player in PWHL history to record three assists in a playoff game and has now recorded five helpers in her last two games of the series.
Jaques recorded a goal and an assist for the second straight game. She led all defenders this season with six multi-point games and had two in last year’s playoffs.
Lee Stecklein scored a goal and an assist to extend her point streak to five games (6G, 3A) including six points (3G, 3A) in this series. Her three goals in this series matches her 2024-25 regular season total and her point total doubles the three assists she produced in 10 playoff games last season.
Kendall Coyne Schofield recorded two assists for her first two points of the postseason and the second multi-assist playoff game of her career. The Frost captain also had a pair of helpers in Game 5 of last year’s semifinal against Toronto.
Mellissa Channell-Watkins tallied two assists in her first multi-point performance of the season and second of her career, with her first, also a two-assist performance, coming in the Walter Cup-winning game of the playoffs last season. The defender has three points in her last two games (1G, 2A).
Daryl Watts scored the first goal and assist of her playoff career. She led the Sceptres during the regular season with eight multi-point games.
Kali Flanagan recorded the first multi-point game of her playoff career with a goal and an assist and now has three points in her last two games (1G, 2A).
Blayre Turnbull scored a goal and an assist for her second multi-point performance of the season and the second of her playoff career. For the first time, the Sceptres captain scored outside of a Game 1 contest, with all three of her other goals coming in opening games this season and last.
Jesse Compher recorded two assists in a game for the first time in her career and now has three helpers in the series.
Liz Schepers scored her first goal and second point of the series. She now has as many goals (2) in 13 career playoff games as she does in 46 career regular season games.
Maggie Connors scored a goal and now has points in consecutive games (1G, 1A), matching her point total (2G) in 30 regular season games.
Anna Kjellbin scored her first career PWHL goal in her 28th career games (25 regular season, 3 playoffs). This was the Swedish defender’s tenth game as a member of the Sceptres, acquired in a trade with the Victoire on Mar. 13.
Klára Hymlárová and Katy Knoll both picked up assists and now have two points each in three career playoff games, matching both of their inaugural season point totals.
Emma Maltais and Kelly Pannek both picked up assists tonight after both contributing multi-assist performances in Game 2 for their respective teams.
Grace Zumwinkle notched her first point of the series with an assist, matching her postseason point tally from last season where she recorded one point (1G) in 10 playoff games.
Savannah Harmon recorded an assist and has points in consecutive games (1G, 1A).
Renata Fast collected her second assist of the series after tying for the league lead with 16 during the regular season.
Maggie Flaherty was inserted into the Frost lineup for the first time this postseason in place of Mae Batherson. 
SCORESHEET RECAP
Toronto 1 2 2 – 5
Minnesota 3 2 2 – 7
1st Period-1, Minnesota, Schepers 1 (Hymlárová, Knoll), 2:33. 2, Minnesota, McQuigge 1 (Zumwinkle), 6:56. 3, Minnesota, Stecklein 3 (Heise, Coyne Schofield), 7:48. 4, Toronto, Watts 1 (Flanagan, Compher), 14:58. Penalties-Flaherty Min (interference), 17:32.
2nd Period-5, Toronto, Connors 1 (Fast), 2:28. 6, Minnesota, McQuigge 2 (Coyne Schofield, Jaques), 8:20 (PP). 7, Minnesota, Jaques 2 (Channell-Watkins, Pannek), 17:35. 8, Toronto, Flanagan 1 (Watts, Turnbull), 17:57. Penalties-Carter Tor (illegal body checking), 2:55; Carter Tor (illegal body checking), 7:25; Flaherty Min (interference), 15:06.
3rd Period-9, Toronto, Kjellbin 1 (Maltais), 5:47. 10, Minnesota, Cava 2 (Channell-Watkins, Heise), 7:20. 11, Minnesota, Cava 3 (Stecklein, Heise), 9:21 (PP). 12, Toronto, Turnbull 2 (Harmon, Compher), 12:04. Penalties-Fast Tor (boarding), 0:58; Turnbull Tor (hooking), 9:07.
Shots on Goal-Toronto 3-9-11-23. Minnesota 7-8-9-24.
Power Play Opportunities-Toronto 0 / 2; Minnesota 2 / 4.
Goalies-Toronto, Campbell (24 shots-17 saves). Minnesota, Rooney (23 shots-18 saves).
A-3,917
THREE STARS
- Michela Cava (MIN) 2G
- Brooke McQuigge (MIN) 2G
- Taylor Heise (MIN) 3A
SERIES
Minnesota leads Toronto 2-1
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Game 4: Wednesday, May 14 at 7 p.m. ET (Xcel Energy Center)
