Liz Schepers’ OT goal gives Frost their second straight PWHL Walter Cup with 2-1 win over Charge
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Walter Cup is staying right where it is—Minnesota. And once again, Liz Schepers played hero for the defending champion Frost.
For the second consecutive year, Schepers delivered the championship-winning goal, this time burying a rebound 12 minutes into overtime to lift Minnesota to a 2-1 victory over the Ottawa Charge in Game 4 of the PWHL Finals. The win secured the series 3-1 and wrapped up the league’s second season in dramatic fashion.
Every game in the series ended in a 2-1 score—and each required overtime to decide. That included a triple-overtime thriller in Game 3, where the Frost also came out on top. After dropping Game 1 in Ottawa, Minnesota rallied to win the next three games.
Kelly Pannek gave the Frost their first regulation lead of the series with a goal midway through the second period. Goaltender Maddie Rooney was rock solid once again, making 33 saves to finish the postseason unbeaten at 5-0.
The game-winner came off a gritty play by Katy Knoll, who worked the puck off the end boards and circled behind the net before feeding Schepers in front. Ottawa goalie Gwyneth Philips stopped the initial shot, but Schepers knocked in the rebound for the title.
A native of Mound, Minnesota, and a former Ohio State standout, Schepers is one of 16 players who returned from last year’s championship squad. This time, she got to celebrate on home ice. Last season, she scored the opening goal in Minnesota’s 3-0 victory over Boston in Game 5 of the inaugural Walter Cup Final.
As was the case last year, the Frost claimed the title as the lowest seed in the playoffs. Both times, they knocked out Toronto in the semifinals en route to the championship.
Minnesota barely clinched a playoff berth this season with a dominant 8-1 win over Boston on the final day of the regular season. That victory created a three-way tie—Minnesota, Ottawa, and Boston all finished with 44 points—but the Fleet were eliminated due to fewer regulation wins.
Ottawa, the first Canadian team to reach the PWHL Finals, forced overtime in Game 4 thanks to a goal from Tereza Vanisova with just under 10 minutes left in regulation. It was her first of the playoffs, ending an 11-game drought.
Despite the loss, Philips stood out for the Charge. The rookie netminder made 36 saves in Game 4 and was awarded the Ilana Kloss Trophy as playoff MVP. She posted a 4-4 postseason record, with every loss coming in overtime, and racked up 148 saves in OT alone. She finished the playoffs with a .952 save percentage and a 1.23 goals-against average—remarkable numbers for someone who only became the starter after Emerance Maschmeyer was injured in March.
Both teams had chances to win it in overtime. Ottawa’s Aneta Tejralova rang a shot off the post five minutes in, while Minnesota’s Taylor Heise hit iron just a few minutes later.
Looking ahead, big changes are coming. With league expansion on the horizon, each of the six current PWHL teams will lose four players during an offseason signing period and expansion draft, as Vancouver and Seattle prepare to enter the league in June.
