Wednesday, April 30, 2025 | 7:00 p.m. ET | The Arena at TD Place
WATCH LIVE: TSN 5, TSN.ca, TSN App, FanDuel Sports Network Extra, PWHL YouTube & thepwhl.com (U.S. / International)
Kenzie Lalonde (Play-by-Play), Becky Kellar (Analyst), Claire Hanna (Reporter)
MINNESOTA FROST
8-5-4-11 | 38 PTS | 5TH PLACE
Top Scorer: Kendall Coyne Schofield–28 GP, 10-12-22 PTS
Last Game: 2-0 L vs. NY on Apr. 27
OTTAWA CHARGE
12-1-4-11 | 42 PTS | 4TH PLACE
Top Scorer: Tereza Vanišová – 28 GP, 15-6-21 PTS
Last Game: 3-2 W vs. MTL on Apr. 26
2024-25 SEASON SERIES: OTTAWA LEADS 9-6 IN POINTS (MINNESOTA WON 10-5 IN 2024)
Dec. 19 at MIN: 5-2 MIN | Jan. 21 at MIN: 1-0 OTT | Feb. 13 at OTT: 8-3 OTT | Mar. 7 at MIN (RALEIGH): 5-0 MIN | Mar. 11 at OTT: 3-2 OTT
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Minnesota needs a regulation win tonight to keep their playoff hopes alive. Any other result would clinch playoff berths for both Ottawa and Boston.
The reigning Walter Cup champions will likely need to score at least four goals to pick up the needed three points in the standings. The Frost have the fewest regulation wins when scoring three or fewer goals this season with a record of 1-2-4-11. The single victory was a 2-1 win over Boston back on Dec. 4. The Charge lead the league with nine regulation wins when scoring three or fewer goals but have allowed at least four regulation goals eight times this season, including twice against the Frost.
There have been three games in PWHL history decided by five or more goals and the most recent two came in games between the Frost and Charge.
Taylor Heise leads the season series with six points (1G, 5A) in five games. Frost defender Claire Thompson (2G, 3A), Charge top scorer Tereza Vanišová (4G, 1A) and Minnesota native Gabbie Hughes (2G, 3A) have five points each.
Kendall Coyne Schofield has scored just one of her 16 career goals against Ottawa – her fewest against any PWHL opponent. The Frost captain scored the game-winner against the Charge in Raleigh but has been limited to just 2.5 shots per game in all-time matchups.
Kelly Pannek’s next faceoff win will be the 500th of her PWHL career, a mark only Montréal captain Marie-Philip Poulin (651) has reached. Minnesota is 3-4-0-1 when Pannek wins at least two-thirds of her faceoffs this season.
Frost forwards Klárá Hymlárová and Denisa Křīžovā will see some familiar faces in Ottawa, fresh off Women’s Worlds, matching up against fellow Czechs Kateřina Mrázová, Aneta Tejralová, and Vanišová, along with head coach Carla MacLeod.
Members of Minnesota’s Walter Cup winning team received their championship rings in a private ceremony Sunday night in Minneapolis. The event featured speakers, a video tribute, and a group unboxing of the rings. Friends, family, teammates, league officials, staff, and canines all joined in the celebration.
Ottawa has tied a franchise record with three straight regulation wins, previously doing so once both this season and last. The Charge rank fifth with a .476 points percentage in home games this season and enter their final regular season game at TD Place with a 5-1-2-4 record at their primary venue.
The Charge scored twice at even strength in Saturday’s win over the Victoire, an area that has been their largest source of improvement this season, going from 68.9% of their offensive production during the inaugural campaign to 78.3% in 2024-25. Ottawa’s 54 even strength goals are second behind only Minnesota’s 60.
Ashton Bell’s shorthanded goal on Saturday was the fifth ‘jailbreak’ game-winner in PWHL history and the latest of all-time with just 13 seconds remaining in regulation. Alexa Vasko and Gabbie Hughes have also scored jailbreak winners, contributing to the Charge’s seven shorthanded goals across two seasons – the most of any PWHL team.
Shiann Darkangelo is riding a three-game point streak (3G, 3A) and her success this season has influenced Ottawa’s results. This season, the Charge are 7-1-0-3 when she records at least one point, while the forward carries a +10 rating in team wins and 31 total shots on goal, compared to a -3 rating and 18 shots in losses.
Brianne Jenner’s offensive production has also contributed to team success. The captain, who has five points in her last five games, scored on Saturday to bring the Charge’s all-time record to 12-1 when she finds the back of the net. Three of her six goals this season have been scored against Minnesota.
Mrázová returned from LTIR on Saturday and played 15:06 in her first game since Feb. 13 against Minnesota. She centered a line with Danielle Serdachny and Anna Meixner, who played a season-high 16:51 in her first game since leading Austria to a promotion into the 2026 Women’s Worlds top division.
Former Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs Bell, Hughes and Mannon McMahon are roommates in Ottawa and all have at least a parent in town for the last home games of the season. Bell’s mother came from Manitoba and saw her daughter score twice on Saturday.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
“It’s a big game for us with our season on the line. Our players have been in these situations before and are excited for the challenge.” - Frost Head Coach Ken Klee.
“I think we see this game as a must win. Our mindset in the last little bit has been that we are playing playoff hockey already. That’s the reality. We need playoff attention to details. We need playoff effort. We need to be aware of the momentum changes in the game. We need to be ready to respond when the other team scores. We killed off a five-on-three penalty last game. It was a huge moment for us. We are getting better at handling those situations.” - Charge Captain Brianne Jenner.
WEDNESDAY’S GAME: It’s Fan Appreciation Night sponsored by Milk at TD Place. Fans have been invited to cheer on the players and give them a hero’s welcome during their outdoor walk-ins starting at 4 p.m. outside of Gate 1. There will be giveaways, animation, posters, music and trivia. The popular Canadian Tire poster making station will be outside of Section 25. After the stunning performance of alternate captain Jincy Roese last Saturday, Allegra Nocita will be back to sing the national anthems.