ST. PAUL, Minn. — For a third-straight game in the PWHL Finals between Minnesota and Ottawa, regulation wasn’t enough.
On Saturday night, the Minnesota Frost needed triple overtime to beat the Ottawa Charge 2-1. Rookie forward Katy Knoll scored the game-winning goal midway through the third overtime period. With the win and a 35-save night, Frost goaltender Maddie Rooney remains undefeated in the playoffs.
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The Frost, playing on home ice for the first time in the championship series, controlled the run of play for most of the night. The Ottawa Charge registered only two shots through the opening 20 minutes and nine through 40, but still managed to push Minnesota to overtime thanks to rookie goalie Gwyneth Philips, who made 45 saves on 47 shots.
The defending Walter Cup champions are now one win away from winning back-to-back league titles. And they’ll get a chance to do it on home ice at the Xcel Energy Center on Monday at 4 p.m. (CT).
Here are some takeaways from Game 3.
Lee Stecklein stays hot
Minnesota defender Lee Stecklein tied the score 1-1 less than three minutes into the second period on a sneaky point shot with a double-stack screen taking away Philips’ eyes. (Exactly what Minnesota needs to do to beat the goaltender of the year finalist more consistently.)
Alllllll the way from the blue line 😮💨
🔁 Fourth of the postseason for Lee Stecklein! pic.twitter.com/0vfIbTtSiZ
— x – Minnesota Frost (@PWHL_Minnesota) May 24, 2025
Stecklein, 31, is an irreplaceable shutdown rearguard — with a long reach and expert gap control — who has been on an offensive hot streak over the last several weeks.
She scored three goals in Minnesota’s last two must-win games and now leads the playoffs with four goals and eight points. Minnesota’s offensive contributions from the blue line have been one of the team’s strong suits all season, with the top four scoring defenders in the playoffs between Stecklein, Sophie Jaques (7), Mellissa Channell-Watkins (5) and Claire Thompson (5) combining for 25 points.
In a series where offense has been hard to come by — only nine goals have been scored between Ottawa and Minnesota — having a top-four that can pitch is a luxury not every team has.
Clark keeps buzzing
Emily Clark had, maybe, the best game I’d ever seen her play in the PWHL on Tuesday night. She killed penalties and made big play after big play. Clark didn’t score on her game-high six shots on Thursday night, but she led the way for Ottawa in the 2-1 overtime loss.
On Saturday night, however, she didn’t waste much time getting on the scoresheet, scoring the opening goal at 11:34 on Ottawa’s first shot of the game. It was the first goal scored in the opening period and a bit of an odd one, with the puck bouncing around at the net front to get past Rooney.
EMILY CLARK STARTS THE SCORING IN GAME THREE 🔥 pic.twitter.com/UTQRDWeq8r
— Jocks In Jills (@JocksInJills) May 24, 2025
One of Ottawa’s initial three signings before the league’s inaugural season, Clark has elevated her game in her first playoff appearance with a team-leading three goals and five points. She scored the overtime winner in Game 1 of the finals and had the series-clincher against Montreal in the semifinals.
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“She’s buzzing,” said Ottawa coach Carla MacLeod after Game 2. “Our group is buzzing, and she’s a good engine within the group to kind of set the bar. You can see she’s passionate about playing in the Walter Cup final.”
Goalie highlights
Philips has made over 200 saves in the postseason so far. None have looked cooler than her first-period poke check to stop Denisa Křížová from even getting a shot off on a two-on-one.
Gwyneth Philips with the poke check to keep Game 2 of the Finals 0-0😮💨 pic.twitter.com/ynYdlz4uU5
— Hailey Salvian (@hailey_salvian) May 24, 2025
A third-round pick at the 2024 draft, Philips started the season as the backup to Emerance Maschmeyer. She became the starter in March when Maschmeyer was put on long-term injured reserve and won five of eight starts to help lead Ottawa to the playoffs. Now that she’s here, Philips has been one of the postseason’s brightest stars with a league-leading 1.25 goals against average and .949 save percentage.
Zumwinkle adds a spark
The PWHL Finals have been a much different series than the semis for Minnesota. Against Toronto, the Frost scored seven goals in just one game. Through three games against Ottawa, they’ve only scored five combined.
A lot of that has to do with Philips, sure. But Minnesota’s top line also barely got pucks on net in Game 2, which prompted a bit of a shakeup by Minnesota head coach Ken Klee, adding Grace Zumwinkle beside Taylor Heise and Kendall Coyne Schofield, and moving Michela Cava to the second line.
The new-look trio didn’t ultimately beat Philips, but Zumwinkle added a spark, putting six shots on net. At the end of regulation, they combined for exactly half of Minnesota’s 24 shots.
The special teams battle
Ottawa still hasn’t managed to score on the power play in the finals, and had four chances to do just that on Saturday night, including one in triple overtime. It’s not just that Ottawa couldn’t score on the advantage. The team was also outshot on two of its chances by the Minnesota penalty kill, which ranked sixth in the regular season.
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The Charge entered the playoffs with the worst power play in the league (14.9 percent), so it shouldn’t be that surprising that it’s been flat in the playoffs, too.
Their penalty kill, however, has been very strong in the playoffs, which has kept the special teams battle in the finals (just 1-0 for Minnesota with Britta Curl-Salemme’s late power play goal in Game 2) more even than it could be.
(Photo: Adam Bettcher / Getty Images)
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