Frost wait to learn first-round PWHL playoff opponent
· Yahoo Sports
Kelly Pannek scored her PWHL-leading 16th goal of the season, but former Frost teammate Sophie Jaques scored 1 minute, 24 seconds into overtime to lead Vancouver past Minnesota, 4-3, in the regular-season finale for both clubs at Pacific Coliseum.
The win put the Goldeneyes into the top spot for the first overall pick in the June draft, pending Seattle’s home game against Montreal.
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Kendall Coyne Schofield and Klára Hymlárová also scored goals for the Frost, who will find out Sunday who their first-round playoff opponent will be and when they will play Game 1. The Boston Fleet, a winner Saturday at New York, finished first in the eight-team standings and now has a 24-hour window to choose its first-round playoff opponent, either Minnesota or Ottawa.
If the Frost play Boston, they will play Game 1 on April 30. If it’s second-place Montreal, a loser at Seattle on Saturday, it will be on May 2.
“I think the mindset is celebrating the wins of the regular season, the successes we’ve had,” Coyne Schofield said. “Obviously, learning from the games we’ve lost are the moments we can get better from. Now, let’s turn the page, and the new season begins — and that’s playoff hockey. That’s the best hockey that there is.”
In the PWHL’s first two postseasons, the first-place team lost to the team it chose to play. That was Minnesota in 2024, and Ottawa last season. The Frost won the Walter Cup both years.
“I think every year’s different,” Frost coach Ken Klee said. “We’ve had a pretty solid core being able to stick with us, but obviously with expansion, we lost a lot of great players for us. This group had to come together just like every team.
“… For us, it’s just all about (players) knowing that they all have a role and they all are important. Whether you’re playing 10 minutes or you’re playing 20 minutes, you have a role and a job to do. We have an expectation for them, and they have an expectation of themselves, which is great.”