Taylor Heise scored the decisive goal in overtime, capping off a remarkable comeback for the Minnesota Frost, who defeated the second-seeded Toronto Sceptres with a score of 4-3 on Wednesday night. This victory in Game 5 allowed the Frost, the defending champions, to eliminate the Sceptres from the playoffs.
The Minnesota Frost, who entered the postseason as the fourth and final seed, displayed tenacity by rallying from two goals down. Their victory marks a historic achievement, making them the first team in the league's two seasons to win a best-of-five series in less than five games, after having split the initial matches in Toronto.
Julia Gosling opened the scoring for Toronto just 5 minutes and 28 seconds into the match, giving the Sceptres a 1-0 lead that they maintained through the first period. This goal represented her third of the series, with Emma Woods providing her second assist and Anna Kjellbin earning her first. Toronto extended their lead to two goals at 10:33 in the second period, when Hannah Miller scored her first goal of the series, assisted by Natalie Spooner.
In a quick response, Kendall Coyne Schofield brought Minnesota closer by scoring 14 seconds after Miller's goal, making the score 2-1. Taylor Heise recorded her sixth assist, while Michela Cava also received her first assist on Coyne Schofield's first goal of the postseason. The game took a dramatic turn when Kelly Pannek scored for Minnesota with only 1 minute and 12 seconds remaining in the second period, tying the game at 2-2. Brooke McQuigge recorded her first assist, and Mellissa Channell-Watkins provided her third assist for the Frost.
The Sceptres regained their lead early in the final period, just 58 seconds in, as Emma Maltais scored her first goal of the series, giving Toronto a 3-2 advantage. Kali Flanagan and Sarah Nurse assisted on the goal, marking Flanagan's third assist and Nurse's first. However, Coyne Schofield continued to shine for the Frost, netting her second goal of the night at 8:33 of the third period, once again aided by Michela Cava and Sophie Jacques, who earned her third assist of the series.
The climax of the match arrived in overtime, where Heise scored the game-winner unassisted with four minutes left, solidifying the Frost's place in the next round of the playoffs. Minnesota's goaltender Nicole Hensley had a standout performance, finishing the game with 26 saves. On the other end, Toronto's Carly Jackson made 22 saves, but it wasn't enough to keep the Sceptres in contention.
As the playoffs continue, lower-seeded teams have shown impressive performance, with a record of 14 wins and 6 losses across both postseason events. In the other semifinal series, the Ottawa team is currently leading the top-seeded Montreal team 2-1, with Game 4 scheduled to take place on Friday in Ottawa.
