Thursday, December 19, 2024 | 7:00 p.m. CT | Xcel Energy Center
WATCH LIVE: FanDuel Sports Network North, TSN 3, TSN.ca, TSN App, PWHL YouTube and thepwhl.com (U.S. / International)
Clay Matvick (Play-by-Play), Alexis Pearson (Analyst), Audra Martin (Reporter)
OTTAWA CHARGE
1-0-1-2 | 4 PTS | 5TH PLACE
Top Scorers: T. Vanišová (2G, 1A), D. Serdachny (1G, 2A), A. Tejralová (1G, 2A)
Last Game: 3-2 L at BOS on Dec. 17
MINNESOTA FROST
2-0-1-0 | 7 PTS | 1ST PLACE
Top Scorers: M. Cava (3G), D. Petrie (3G), B. Curl-Salemme (2G, 1A), K. Coyne Schofield (1G, 2A)
Last Game: 6-3 W at TOR on Dec. 7
2024 SEASON SERIES: MINNESOTA WON 10-5 IN POINTS
Jan. 17 at OTT: 3-2 MIN (OT) | Feb. 14 at MIN: 2-1 MIN | Feb. 17 at OTT: 2-1 MIN | Mar. 5 at MIN: 4-3 MIN (SO) | Apr. 20 at OTT: 4-0 OTT
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Four of five games between these teams last season were decided by one goal or in a shootout, all won by Minnesota. The fifth was a 4-0 Ottawa win, powered by a Brianne Jenner hat-trick and an Emerance Maschmeyer shutout, on Apr. 20.
Ottawa fell to Boston, 3-2, on the road on Tuesday, and has now had each of their four games decided by one goal. Last season, Ottawa was 0-1-6-4 in one-goal games, the worst mark in the league (8-0-0-5 in games decided by two or more).
Danielle Serdachny recorded the first two assists of her career on Tuesday and was one of two Ottawa players with a +2 rating. The No. 2 pick is one of two rookies with a multi-assist game this season (Sarah Fillier had 2A in her debut).
Shiann Darkangelo was also +2 on Tuesday and leads the team with a +4 rating. Her first career goal was her first point in 11 games with the Charge, and her 13:34 time on ice was the most she’s logged as a member of the team.
The Charge have three Minnesota natives including fifth round pick Mannon McMahon (Maple Grove) who will be playing her first PWHL game at Xcel Energy Center. She joins Gabbie Hughes (Lino Lakes) and Natalie Snodgrass (Eagan).
Minnesota beat Toronto, 6-3, on the road on Dec. 7, tied for the most goals by any team in a PWHL game (Montréal beat Ottawa 6-3 on Feb. 24 & Toronto beat New York 6-2 on Apr. 28). Minnesota didn’t score more than three goals on the road at all in the inaugural season (once in the playoffs, also at Toronto).
Britta Curl-Salemme and Michela Cava each scored a pair of goals in Minnesota’s win in Toronto. It was the first time a PWHL team had two players score multiple goals in a game.
Cava and Dominique Petrie join New York’s Alex Carpenter as league leaders with three goals each. Cava leads the PWHL with a +5 rating. Sophie Jaques leads all defenders at +4.
Minnesota is the only team in the PWHL without a win on home ice and without a regulation loss. The Frost have scored first and outshot their opponents in all three games. They also have the fewest penalty minutes, averaging 2 PIM per game.
Jaques and Ottawa’s Emily Clark each have 14 shots on goal this season, tied (with two others) for second most in the PWHL. However, the only goal scored between the two of them belongs to Clark, who scored Ottawa’s first goal of the season.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
“Emerance Maschmeyer was required to make too many Grade-A saves (Tuesday) on breakaways and two-on-ones because of unforced errors or turnovers. Boston was gaining momentum on all those mistakes. Fortunately, she kept us in it, and we still had a chance at winning the game, but when you can’t find consistency in puck management, it’s difficult to win at this level.” – Charge head coach Carla MacLeod.
“Going on the road for two games and coming home with six points was fantastic, but we still have work to do, and this is a really good team coming into our building. Our players got a nice break, but we’ve worked hard this week to maintain our focus and continue to improve. We need to get off to a fast start, be smart in the defensive zone, and bury the opportunities we create.” – Frost head coach Ken Klee.
THURSDAY’S GAME: Minnesota’s second home appearance of the season is a Unity Game supporting Mental Health Awareness as the Frost partner with Sophie’s Squad – operated by Ottawa forward Gabbie Hughes and her family. Founded in 2021, they provide education and awareness to improve the mental health of athletes by encouraging open conversations and emphasizing that seeking help is a sign of strength. “It's amazing to have Sophie’s Squad on such a big platform in the professional world,” said Hughes. “Sophie's Squad exists so people know that it's ok not to be ok. You are never alone and there is always help out there. We really hope that events like this help put the message out.” Hughes will participate in a ceremonial pre-game puck drop with her father, Sophie’s Squad Executive Director, Terry Hughes. The Shine A Light Foundation and Premier Sport Psychology will also be on hand. Fans should expect a loud building as the first 5,000 in attendance will receive PWHL Thunder Stix courtesy of Sophie’s Squad.