Frost On Top

The Minnesota Frost are officially on top of the standings after a shutout win at home against the Ottawa Charge. 

The Frost wasted no-time getting started with Taylor Heise firing from the corner, bouncing off Phillips pad less than 30 seconds in. The goal is now the second fastest goal scored this season, only behind Kendall Coyne-Schofield, whose goal was also scored against Ottawa. 

It seemed as though Gwyneth Phillips had settled into her net before Grace Zumwinkle came down the boards and cut across in front of the net to double the Frost’s lead. Piling on was Kelly Pannek just 11 seconds later off a pass from Abby Hustler behind the net. After the pair of goals Ottawa changed goaltenders to Kendra Woodland, in what was her first PWHL game. 

Shortly after she took over the net, Kaitlyn O’Donohoe found her first PWHL game, in lucky number 16th game. O’Donohoe has spent the majority of her PWHL career on the reserve, but after Dominique Petrie was dealt a season-ending injury, has been slotting more into the Frost lineup. 

But as Woodland settled in, goals became harder to come by. Breaking through in the second period was Kelly Pannek, marking 13 different Frost players on the scoresheet. And that was all Woodland let through shutting the Frost out of the third period. 

With the win Maddie Rooney moves to 6-wins in a row and 5 career shutouts. Rooney is now second overall in the shutout category just one behind Aerin Frankel. 

Grace Zumwinkle Has Found Her Game 

Grace Zumwinkle stays hot for the Frost after the Olympic break with six points in their last four games. This season Zumwinkle is on pace for her best season yet, after falling into a slump in her second year. Right now, Zumwinkle has 9 goals and 6 assists, ranking third in goals for the Frost, just two goals behind Kelly Pannek. As the Frost continue to roll, expect Zumwinkle to be right there in the action. 

Up Next 

Up next, the Minnesota Frost head to Vancouver for their first time this season. The last time the Frost played the Goldeneyes they walked away with a 4-1 entering the Olympic break, after a blockbuster trade. However, the Goldeneyes have had time to settle into their new lineups and are finding success. Since the Olympic break, all but one Goldeneyes game has been decided by one goal. The key for the Frost is going to be finding chances early and winning in the neutral zone.

Will the Frost be able to keep it rolling? Or will the Goldeneyes find their first win against Minnesota? Tune in Saturday, March 21 at 3 PM (EST) to find out.