Saturday, May 24, 2025 | 4:00 p.m. CT | Xcel Energy Center
WATCH LIVE: TSN 1, TSN.ca, TSN App, FanDuel Sports Network North, MSGHD, PWHL YouTube & thepwhl.com (U.S. / International), more below.
Kenzie Lalonde (Play-by-Play), Cheryl Pounder (Analyst), Rob Pizzo (Reporter), Daniella Ponticelli (Panel Host), Becky Kellar (Panel Analyst), Alexis Pearson (Panel Analyst);
FR: RDS Info, RDS.ca, RDS App with Claudine Douville (Play-by-Play), Isabelle Leclaire (Analyst), Catherine Savoie (Reporter), Andrée-Anne Barbeau (Studio Host), Karell Émard (Studio Analyst)
OTTAWA CHARGE (3)
Top Scorer: Emily Clark – 6 GP, 2-2-4 PTS
Goalie: Gwyneth Philips, 4-2, 1.19 GAA, .951 SV%
Playoff Stats: PP 1/13 (7.7%), PK 13/16 (81.3%)
MINNESOTA FROST (4)
Top Scorer: Taylor Heise (1-6-7) & Lee Stecklein (3-4-7)
Goalie: Maddie Rooney, 3-0, 2.77 GAA, .901 SV%
Playoff Stats: PP 6/16 (37.5%), PK 8/10 (80%)
2025 PWHL FINALS: BEST-OF-FIVE SERIES TIED 1-1
Game 1 at OTT: 2-1 OTT (OT) | Game 2 at OTT: 2-1 MIN (OT) | Game 3 - May 24 at MIN | Game 4 - May 26 at MIN | Game 5 - May 28 at OTT
2024-25 SEASON SERIES: SERIES TIED 9-9 IN POINTS (MINNESOTA WON 10-5 IN 2024)
Minnesota Home Games: Dec. 19: 5-2 MIN | Jan. 21: 1-0 OTT | Mar. 7 at RALEIGH: 5-0 MIN
Ottawa Home Games: Feb. 13: 8-3 OTT | Mar. 11: 3-2 OTT: Apr. 30: 3-0 MIN
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Ottawa led the PWHL with seven regulation wins in road games during the regular season and held the second-best record overall at 7-1-1-6 (.533). The Charge split their first two playoff games on the road against Montréal, both 3-2 decisions, including a regulation win and a quadruple-overtime loss.
Game 2 was the first time the Charge have lost a game in which they allowed two or fewer goals since Jan. 19, when they lost 2-1 against Montréal in Québec City. They had gone 10-2-0-0 in such games since then, including three wins over Minnesota.
Rebecca Leslie extended her point streak to three games with an assist in Game 2 after scoring a goal in each of her two previous games. The Ottawa native, and only local player on the Charge, had three total points (1G, 2A) in her first 30 games this season (27 regular season and three postseason).
Tereza Vanišová had three minor penalties in Game 2 for a total of six penalty minutes, the most timed penalty minutes in a game by a single player in PWHL playoff history. The Czech forward tied for fifth in the league during the regular season with nine minor penalties.
Gwyneth Philips was 16 seconds away from recording her second career playoff shutout in Game 2, and for the first time in the playoffs was not recognized as one of the game’s three stars. The 24-year-old rookie returns to Minnesota where she made her first career PWHL start on Dec. 19 and where she recorded her first career win and shutout on Jan. 21. The American goalie has not yet lost in regulation during the playoffs.
Minnesota is home to two-thirds of Ottawa’s first line, including Gabbie Hughes (Lino Lakes) and Mannon McMahon (Maple Grove), who are also graduates of the University of Minnesota Duluth where they played five seasons for the Bulldogs and were both captains during their collegiate careers. Charge defenders Ashton Bell and Jocelyne Larocque also captained the Bulldogs. Kateřina Mrázová is the other active Charge player out of UMD. Ottawa assistant coach Haley Irwin is also a Bulldogs alumna and former captain. The Frost have several UMD grads, including goaltender Maddie Rooney, forward Michela Cava, and defender Maggie Flaherty who roomed with Hughes.
Minnesota returns to Xcel Energy Center where they posted a 3-3-1-6 (.410) record during the regular season, splitting two regulation results against Ottawa. The Frost are 5-1 all-time at home in the postseason and have outscored opponents 18-10 in those games. Their only home loss was a 1-0 double overtime loss to Boston in Game 4 of last season’s PWHL Finals. Minnesota is a perfect 3-0 all-time in Game 3 of a playoff series.
Britta Curl-Salemme scored the game-tying and game-winning goals in Game 2, the first player in PWHL history to score two such goals in a playoff game. It was the rookie’s third career multi-goal game, all of which have come on the road (Dec. 7, 2024 at Toronto – her first two goals this season; May 5, 2025 at Boston – her last two goals this season).
Rooney’s 37 saves in Game 2 were the most ever by a Minnesota goaltender in any game, regular or postseason, and were the third most by a goaltender in a playoff game that did not go to multiple overtimes – Aerin Frankel had performances of 53 saves and 41 saves in last season’s playoffs.
Minnesota has the top four scoring defenders in the playoffs with Lee Stecklein (7), Sophie Jaques (6), Mellissa Channell-Watkins (5) and Claire Thompson (4) combining for 22 points which equals all rearguards across the league’s three other playoff teams. Thompson had two assists in Game 2, while Stecklein and Channell-Watkins each contributed singles. Larocque is Ottawa’s top scoring defender with three playoff points, including a goal in Game 2 and an assist in Game 1 of the series.
Taylor Heise and Cava, who tied for the lead in playoff scoring last season, are looking for their first points of the PWHL Finals. The pair have set each other up for 12 goals across the entire 2024-25 campaign, most in the PWHL.
Heise is racking up “apples” on and off the ice. The reigning Playoff MVP has teamed up with Honeybear Brands to donate 600 pounds of apples to Second Harvest Heartland for every assist she dishes to a teammate this season. With 20 assists to date (14 regular season and six postseason), more than 12,000 pounds of apples have been donated.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
“We sat at 1-1 after two games in our semifinal series and we’re at the same point now. We just know that we are in a hard-fought battle here. That’s what we signed up for. It’s the final two teams in the PWHL Finals. Nothing’s going to be handed to you. We’ll just keep earning it.” - Charge Head Coach Carla MacLeod
“I’m really proud of everyone in our locker room. It’s tough to win on the road and they all played hard until the end. We’re excited to be back at home in front of our fans and will be looking to play another solid game. The energy at Xcel is always high.” - Frost Head Coach Ken Klee
SATURDAY’S GAME: The 2025 PWHL Finals, presented by Scotiabank, shifts from Canada’s capital city to the State of Hockey. The Frost will celebrate their return to the Finals and to Xcel Energy Center by hosting a Pre-Game Party at Herbie's Plaza (between 317 Washington & RiverCentre) from 2 to 3:30 p.m. The party will be hosted by Jessi Pierce (Bardown Beauties Podcast) and Alexis Pearson (PWHL Broadcast Analyst) and will feature a live DJ, yard games, face painting, Frost trivia and prizes, a cash bar and a Q&A Session with Frost General Manager Melissa Caruso.
Fans are encouraged to wear purple to the game as part of the Frost’s “Pack it in Purple” initiative. Special playoff merchandise will be available for purchase in the Hockey Lodge located adjacent to Gate 1 of the arena and special food and drink options will be provided including hand-dipped corn dogs, dill tots and purple cotton candy.
During the game, fans can look forward to TV timeout activations including Great Clips Minnesota’s ‘Hair Flip’, the e.l.f. ‘Dance Cam’, Woody Creek Distillers’ ‘Fan Cam’, Bread Financial’s ‘Fan of the Game’, Air Canada’s ‘Sign Spotlight’, TRIA’s ‘Flex Cam’, and Scotiabank’s ‘Seat Upgrade’.
The 2025 PWHL Draft, presented by Upper Deck, is exactly one month away and will take place in Ottawa on June 24. Last season, Minnesota hosted the 2024 PWHL Draft on June 10.
In addition to live broadcast coverage exclusively on TSN and RDS in Canada, today’s game will be available to fans in the U.S. on FanDuel Sports Network North, FanDuel Sports Network SoCal, FanDuel Sports Network Southwest, FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin Extra, MSGHD, on various stations distributed in partnership with Gray Media (Palmetto Sports Network, Tennessee Valley Sports & Entertainment Network, Matrix Midwest, The Wax Sports), Scripps Sports (Boise, Denver, Detroit, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Twin Falls), the Sinclair Broadcast Group (Baltimore, Nashville, Portland), and globally on YouTube outside of Canada, Czechia and Slovakia. Internationally, the game will be distributed by NOVA Prime in Czechia and Slovakia.