NEW YORK AND TORONTO– A closer look at highlights from the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) following the completion of the 2025 PWHL Finals, presented by Scotiabank.
MINNESOTA CROWNED BACK-TO-BACK CHAMPIONS
The Minnesota Frost captured a second straight Walter Cup title on Monday with a 2-1 overtime victory over the Ottawa Charge to win the best-of-five series 3-1. Minnesota entered the PWHL Playoffs as the league’s fourth seed for the second straight season and secured their 2025 postseason berth with a win on the final day of the regular season. The Frost lost Game 1 in both the semifinals against Toronto, and the finals against Ottawa, before winning three straight games in both series. The Walter Cup was presented to captain Kendall Coyne Schofield by Kimbra Walter, PWHL Advisory Board members Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss, and PWHL Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Jayna Hefford.
FROST TO CELEBRATE WALTER CUP TITLE WEDNESDAY
Fans can join the Frost to celebrate the team’s Walter Cup title this Wednesday, May 28 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. CT at Xcel Energy Center. The event is free and will feature a live DJ, interactive games and photo opportunities with the Walter Cup. Stay tuned to Frost social media for more.
FINALS ATTENDANCE UP MORE THAN 11 PERCENT
Monday’s finale featured a playoff-high crowd of 11,024 at Minnesota’s Xcel Energy Center, which brought attendance across the four-game series to 33,512. The 2025 PWHL Finals averaged 8,378 per game, an 11.6 percent increase from the 2024 PWHL Finals, which averaged 7,504 fans across five games. The entire 2024-25 PWHL season saw a total attendance of 737,455 in 102 games (653,415 in 90 regular season games, 84,040 in 12 playoff games) for an overall average of 7,230. All-time PWHL attendance through two full seasons stands at 1,220,985.
FOUR STRAIGHT OVERTIMES
All four games of the PWHL Finals were decided by 2-1 overtime results, which saw Minnesota and Ottawa collectively play an additional 81:08 in the series. For comparison, only three times in NHL history has a playoff series had four or more consecutive overtime games, and just once did it occur in the Stanley Cup Finals (1951). Ten of the 12 games played in the 2025 PWHL Playoffs were one-goal results, including six in overtime.
PHILIPS VOTED PLAYOFF MVP
Gwyneth Philips was voted the recipient of the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP Award, becoming the second straight rookie, first goaltender, and first member of the losing team to be honored. The Charge rookie led all netminders with a 1.23 goals-against average and a .952 save percentage. In eight playoff games, the 24-year-old from Athens, OH, won four games, earned one shutout, was unbeaten in regulation, and conceded more than two goals in just one appearance. Philips, in the presence of her teammates, was presented the award during the post-game ceremony by Kloss, PWHL Advisory Board members Stan Kasten and Royce Cohen, and PWHL Executive Vice President of Business Operations Amy Scheer. 
CAPTAINS’ QUOTES
“It’s hard to put into words… It’s been a special year. Just like any year, there are highs and lows, ebbs and flows. It’s a long season; it’s a grind—it’s hard. It’s hard to win; it’s hard to win back-to-back. But I’m just so proud of this group. When you look at the way we won, it takes everybody. That was true last year, and this year is no different. It took every single player stepping up in some way, shape, or form to get the job done and give this team a chance to win every single night. That’s why it’s so special to be a part of this team.” – Coyne Schofield.
“This was a special group. We went through a lot this season. We showed a lot of resiliency, and I think these last couple weeks, we did something really special. The effort, the buy-in–– it was a special run. It’s going to sting for a while for sure, but I’m really proud of this group.” – Brianne Jenner.
HALL OF FAME BOUND
Following Monday’s game, the Hockey Hall of Fame added to its collection of women’s hockey history. Coyne Schofield’s jersey, Liz Schepers’ game-winning goal stick, Katy Knoll’s helmet, Britta Curl-Salemme’s gloves and Grace Zumwinkle’s skates were among the equipment items donated by the Walter Cup winners, along with various celebratory pieces like championship towels, neck chains, champagne bottles and corks. The Hockey Hall of Fame’s Miragh Bitove and Kelly Masse were part of the post-game ceremony, bringing the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP award and the Walter Cup to the ice. 
SCHEPERS SCORES WINNING GOAL, AGAIN
Schepers was the overtime hero in Game 4 and made history with her second straight championship-winning goal. Last season, the Minnesota forward delivered the winning tally in the team’s 3-0 victory in the decisive Game 5 against Boston. Schepers finished the playoffs with three points (2G, 1A), alongside linemates Knoll (2G, 3A) and Klára Hymlárová (1G, 4A), who shared the rookie lead in playoff scoring. The trio, affectionately known as the Frost’s “blue line”, had 13 playoff points which exceeded their collective 10 points in the regular season and underscores the Frost’s impressive offensive depth displayed by 15 different point producers, 12 different goal scorers and nine multi-goal scorers.
STECKLEIN TOP PLAYOFF SCORER
Lee Stecklein became the first defender in PWHL playoff history to top the scoring charts with eight points, recording four goals and four assists in eight games. She led a Frost blue line that produced a combined 26 points, alongside Sophie Jaques (2G, 5A), Claire Thompson (6A) and Mellissa Channell-Watkins (1G, 4A). Thompson’s six assists are the most by a defender in playoff history and included four in the PWHL Finals to lead all skaters in series scoring.
ROONEY POSTS PERFECT RECORD
Maddie Rooney went undefeated in the PWHL Playoffs with a perfect 5-0 record, including three consecutive wins with 30 or more saves in the PWHL Finals. She finished the postseason with a 1.75 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage that both ranked third among playoff netminders. Alongside partner Nicole Hensley, Minnesota had winning performances from two goaltenders in back-to-back playoffs and remain the only team in league history to do so.
HEISE HAS MOST CAREER PLAYOFF POINTS
Through two seasons, no player has more playoff points than Minnesota’s Taylor Heise with 15 (6G, 9A) in 18 games. She tied for second in 2025 playoff scoring with seven points (1G, 6A) in eight games, following her inaugural Playoff MVP campaign of eight points (5G, 3A) in 10 games, which tied for the overall lead.
CAVA WINS FIFTH STRAIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Minnesota’s win marked a fifth straight professional championship for Michela Cava. The streak by the Thunder Bay, ON, native counts two straight Walter Cups, an Isobel Cup in 2023 with the PHF’s Toronto Six, and overseas titles with the KRS Vanke Rays in Russia’s ZhHL in 2022 and Luleå in Sweden’s SDHL in 2021.
DOUBLE GOLD IN 2025
Six Frost players made PWHL history becoming the first to win a Walter Cup in the same season as a gold medal victory at the IIHF Women’s World Championship. Last month, Team USA captured gold in Czechia with 16 PWHL players on the roster, including Minnesota’s Coyne Schofield, Curl-Salemme, Heise, Stecklein, Zumwinkle and Kelly Pannek.
STATE OF HOCKEY
Sixteen members of the Frost are now two-time Walter Cup champions, including eight Minnesota natives: Heise (Lake City), Pannek (Plymouth), Rooney (Andover), Schepers (Mound), Stecklein (Roseville), Zumwinkle (Excelsior), Claire Butorac (Andover) and Maggie Flaherty (Lakeville). The other eight returning members of the inaugural team include Cava, Channell-Watkins, Coyne Schofield, Hensley, Jaques, Brooke Bryant, Natalie Buchbinder and Denisa Křížová.
JOCKS IN JILLS LIVE ON LOCATION
The Jocks in Jills podcast streamed live from Xcel Energy Center following Monday’s game with hosts Tessa Bonhomme and Julia Tocheri. Check out exclusive interview content with Minnesota’s Pannek, Schepers, Heise, Zumwinkle, Head Coach Ken Klee, Ottawa’s Gabbie Hughes and Jocelyne Larocque, plus special guests and analysis. Click here to watch.
EXPANSION ON THE HORIZON
The completion of the league’s second season marks the end of the PWHL’s six-team era with expansion teams PWHL Seattle and PWHL Vancouver set to debut in 2025-26. Here’s a look at upcoming key dates: 
June 3 (12 p.m. ET): Player Protection Lists due
June 4 (9 a.m. ET) to June 8 (5 p.m. ET): Exclusive Signing Window
June 9 (8:30 p.m. ET): 2025 Expansion Draft Presented by Upper Deck
June 24 (7 p.m. ET): 2025 PWHL Draft Presented by Upper Deck
Click here for more information about the expansion rules and procedures.
