NEW YORK AND TORONTO (May 5, 2025) – Minnesota Frost goaltender Nicole Hensley, Minnesota defender Lee Stecklein and Montréal Victoire forward Marie-Philip Poulin have been named the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) 3 Stars of the Week presented by Shark Beauty Canada following games from April 28-May 4.
FIRST STAR – NICOLE HENSLEY, G, MINNESOTA FROST
Hensley came through when her team needed it most, stopping 53 of 54 shots across two “must-win” games to help Minnesota collect consecutive three-point victories and earn the right to defend its Walter Cup championship. On Wednesday against the Ottawa Charge, Hensley recorded her first shutout of the season, a 3-0 triumph that made her the second PWHL player to record a shutout at 30 years or older. Hensley was 30 years, 311 days old on the date of her shutout; Montréal’s Ann-Renée Desbiens blanked Ottawa 2-0 on Apr. 27, 2024, when she was 30 years and 17 days old. Hensley followed the shutout with 29 saves Saturday in Boston, helping the Frost to the 8-1 victory that clinched a spot in the playoffs. The victory was her seventh of the season, matching her total for last season in three fewer games. Hensley finished the regular season with a 2.53 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage.
SECOND STAR – LEE STECKLEIN, D, MINNESOTA FROST
After scoring just twice in her first 62 career games, including playoffs, Stecklein scored on all three of her shots across Minnesota’s pair of pivotal road games last week. Wednesday in Ottawa, Stecklein scored a pair of third-period goals – the latter into an empty – to blow open a tight game and assure Minnesota’s essential victory. The tallies made the Roseville, Minn., native the third U.S.-born defender to have a multi-goal game this season; she joined two Boston Fleet defenders, Sidney Morin of Minnetonka, Minn., who scored twice at Ottawa Jan. 11, and Farmington, Mich. native Megan Keller, who scored twice against New York Dec. 8. Stecklein collected her third goal of the week Saturday in Boston and boosted her season’s point total to 3-6—9 in 30 games, just ahead of the 2-6—8 she registered in 24 games last season.
THIRD STAR – MARIE-PHILIP POULIN, F, MONTRÉAL VICTOIRE
In Saturday’s 3-2 triumph at New York, Poulin scored twice – including one 11 seconds into the contest, the fastest goal from the start of a game in PWHL history – to raise her season’s total to 19 and clinch the league’s goal-scoring title. Poulin also finished first in the league with five multi-goal games (no other player recorded more than three) and six game-winning-goals. Poulin has scored 29 career PWHL goals, six more than anyone in league history, with 10 of her goals scored against New York – the most by any player against an opponent. Previously, the record for the fastest goal from the start of a game had been held by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle, who scored 21 seconds into the Frost’s matchup against the Sirens on Dec. 1. Poulin’s fifth appearance of the season on the 3 Stars of the Week presented by Shark Beauty Canada also gave her 100 points in the award’s standings, matching the total Toronto’s Natalie Spooner amassed in winning the title last season.
The ‘3 Stars of the Week’ are announced each Monday throughout the regular season and playoffs, encompassing games from the previous Monday through Sunday. Points will be awarded to each selection and will help determine rankings at the end of the year.
First Star = 30 Points Second Star = 20 Points Third Star = 10 Points
PWHL ‘3 Stars of the Week’ Standings
Marie-Philip Poulin (MTL) = 100 Points
Laura Stacey (MTL) = 80 Points
Hilary Knight (BOS) = 70 Points
Corinne Schroeder (NY) = 60 Points
Abby Boreen (MTL) = 50 Points
Gabbie Hughes (OTT) = 50 Points
Hannah Miller (TOR) = 50 Points
Tereza Vanišová (OTT) = 50 Points
Kristen Campbell (TOR) = 40 Points
Alex Carpenter (NY) = 40 Points
Susanna Tapani (BOS) = 40 Points
Erin Ambrose (MTL) = 30 Points
Ashton Bell (OTT) = 30 Points
Emily Clark (OTT) = 30 Points
Shiann Darkangelo (OTT) = 30 Points
Sarah Fillier (NY) = 30 Points
Nicole Hensley (MIN) = 30 Points
Emerance Maschmeyer (OTT) = 30 Points
Alina Müller (BOS) = 30 Points
Claire Thompson (MIN) = 30 Points
Michela Cava (MIN) = 20 Points
Kendall Coyne Schofield (MIN) = 20 Points
Renata Fast (TOR) = 20 Points
Megan Keller (BOS) = 20 Points
Kateřina Mrázová (OTT) = 20 Points
Gwyneth Philips (OTT) = 20 Points
Abby Roque (NY) = 20 Points
Lee Stecklein (MIN) = 20 Points
Ann-Renée Desbiens (MTL) = 10 Points
Taylor Heise (MIN) = 10 Points
Sophie Jaques (MIN) = 10 Points
Sidney Morin (BOS) = 10 Points
Klára Peslarová (BOS) = 10 Points
Maddie Rooney (MIN) = 10 Points
Kati Tabin (MTL) = 10 Points
Daryl Watts (TOR) = 10 Points
About the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL)
The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that features the best women’s players in the world. It is comprised of eight teams: Boston, Minnesota, Montréal, New York, Ottawa, Seattle, Toronto and Vancouver. Launched on Jan. 1, 2024, the PWHL has broken multiple attendance records and holds the worldwide all-time record for a women’s hockey game. In 2024, the PWHL was recognized by Sports Business Journal as the Sports Breakthrough of the Year and received the top position in the first-ever Canadian edition of the Harris Poll, which ranks companies’ reputations. Visit thepwhl.com to purchase tickets and merchandise, and subscribe to the PWHL e-newsletter to receive the latest league updates. Follow the league on all social media platforms @thepwhlofficial.
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