Highlights and Press Conferences available on Minnesota and New York YouTube channels
ST. PAUL, MN (April 11, 2026) – The Minnesota Frost skated to a 4-1 victory over the New York Sirens in the fifth and final regular-season meeting between the teams before a crowd of 9,159 at Grand Casino Arena on Saturday afternoon. Britta Curl-Salemme capped a two-point performance with an empty-net goal at 18:39, while fellow Frost forward Grace Zumwinkle picked up two assists to reach 50 career points and Kelly Pannek tied a PWHL record with her 29th point. The game’s first two goals were scored in quick succession with Lee Stecklein finding the back of the net with a shot from the point at 7:05, followed 41 seconds later by Sirens captain Micah Zandee-Hart with a long-range shot of her own through traffic at 7:46. Tied 1-1 through two periods, Frost rookie Abby Hustler tallied on the power play at 5:30, which held as the game-winner, then Taylor Heise sniped for the fourth straight game at 8:34 on the rush to provide insurance. Maddie Rooney stopped 23 shots for the win, and Kayle Osborne turned aside 22 shots in defeat. The Frost’s second straight home win closes the gap on the league’s top teams in the standings, trailing second-place Boston by five and first-place Montréal by six ahead of their head-to-head tonight at TD Garden. The Sirens’ two-game winning streak snaps and leaves them five points behind fourth-place Ottawa for the fourth and final playoff spot following the Charge’s afternoon win over the now fifth-place Toronto. With today’s result, all five non-playoff teams remain in contention heading into the final two weeks of the regular season. New York and Minnesota both return to action Wednesday with the Sirens hosting the Sceptres in its home finale at Prudential Center, while the Frost travel to the Tsongas Center to face the Fleet.
QUOTES
Frost Head Coach Ken Klee on how consistent saves in the net shifts momentum: “I think [Maddie Rooney] and Nicole [Hensley] have been a difference maker for us all year. They make a big save at a key moment in the game, and it's the difference of us being able to get going, get our offense going; it's not like we're just steamrolling teams. Other teams play well, there's tight games, and obviously you need a key save at a key time."
Frost forward Taylor Heise on the momentum going forward: “Momentum's huge and whether it's personal or it's as a group, I think you always try to bring it back to the group that we have. We've been feeling really good out there and obviously battling really hard. Our team has taken that momentum and taken it in our favor every single game and with people like Abby [Hustler], you're never giving up when things aren't going right for you. We constantly are on that positive side of things, and I think getting these games to work on our craft prior to playoffs is really important for us.”
New York forward Denisa Křížová on making her return to Minnesota since being traded: “Yeah, obviously it was a special moment for me. I have lots of memories here and relationships that I value. I was happy to be back, but at the same time, once the puck dropped, I focused on myself, focused on the game, and did everything I could to help my team to win.”
Sirens Head Coach Greg Fargo on the difference between this game and the Sirens’ last matchup versus Minnesota: “It was a good game, I thought the second period, especially, was a back-and-forth game. Both teams had some chances. They [Minnesota] obviously are a group that uses their speed well; I think they took advantage of that power play and then scored again. The momentum shifted quickly for them. At the same time, we did a lot of good things. We had a couple of good chances in the third, too, and had we been able to bury one early on, it might have been a different outcome, but that wasn't the case tonight.”
NOTABLES
Minnesota wins the five-game season series 12-3 in points, outscoring New York 20-12.
The Frost have won 16 games for the first time in team history, surpassing the 15 wins they recorded in the 2024-25 season.
New York is winless in seven straight road games and have scored one goal in each of their last three away from home. The Sirens have 13 regulation losses for the second straight season.
Minnesota has scored four or more goals in eight of their 12 games at Grand Casino Arena.
The Frost went 1-for-3 on the power play today, improving their league-high efficiency to 24%.
Today's attendance of 9,159 is Minnesota’s fourth highest of the season at Grand Casino Arena and eighth highest in the team’s regular season history.
Britta Curl-Salemme recorded her league-leading eighth multi-point performance today with a goal and an assist and finishes the season series with three goals and three assists. The second-year forward has 10 goals for the first time in her PWHL career, and her 26 points makes her the third Frost player to exceed 25 this season, more than any other team in PWHL history.
Grace Zumwinkle recorded two assists for her third straight multi-point performance (3G, 3A) and became the 13th player in PWHL history to reach the 50-point milestone for her career (27G, 23A) in 72 games. She set a new career-high for points in a season with 21 (12G, 9A) in 26 games, becoming the fifth Frost player with 20 or more points in 2025-26. Nine of her 21 points were recorded in five games against the Sirens (5G, 4A).
Taylor Heise has scored in four consecutive games for the second time this season, giving the Frost forward eight goals and 11 points in her last 10 games. Four of her 11 goals and six of her 27 points this season have been recorded against the Sirens. A goal in a fifth straight game would tie the longest goal streak in PWHL history set last season by New York’s Sarah Fillier.
Lee Stecklein scored her second goal of the season to extend her point streak to four games (2G, 4A), matching a career-high set in her second through fifth games of the inaugural season. The Frost alternate captain fired a season-high six shots on goal to lead all skaters.
Abby Hustler snapped a season-high seven-game goalless drought with her fourth tally of the campaign, and second on the power play, and climbed into a tie for fourth in rookie scoring with 13 points in 26 games. Five of her 13 points have been recorded in her last nine games.
Micah Zandee-Hart scored her first goal in 52 games since last tallying back on Dec. 18, 2024. The goal snapped a season-high nine-game point drought and brought her point total to four in 26 games. The Sirens captain was also assessed a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct for an illegal check to the head in the third period.
Denisa Křížová picked up an assist in her third game as a member of the Sirens in her return to Grand Casino Arena. The Czech forward, now with six points (1G, 5A) in 26 games, spent two seasons with the Frost where she was a two-time Walter Cup champion. She was acquired by the Sirens on Mar. 30 in a trade for defender Jincy Roese.
Maddie Rooney set a new career-high with her ninth win of the season and has allowed one or fewer goals in six of her 15 starts. Six of her nine wins have come at Grand Casino Arena.
Kelly Pannek became just the third player in PWHL history to record 29 points in a season, doing so in four fewer games than last season’s co-scoring leaders (Fillier and Hilary Knight). The Frost alternate captain’s 15th assist extended her point streak to four games (2G, 5A). Her 14 faceoff wins were most among skaters today as she eclipsed 800 career wins (807) at the dot.
Mae Batherson has points in consecutive games and became the seventh defender to reach double digits in assists. Her 13 points in 26 games is tied for sixth among the league’s blue liners.
Sidney Morin picked up her second assist in three games and is up to eight points (8A) in 26 games in her first season with her home state Frost, tying her career-high in 30 games with Boston last season (3G, 5A).
Casey O’Brien led all Sirens skaters with 11 faceoff wins but had her point streak halted at five games.
Kayle Osborne made her 24th start of the season and allowed three goals for the 14th time. Today she became the third goaltender in PWHL history to surpass 600 shots faced in a single season (617).
Dominique Petrie, who is currently on long-term injured reserve for the Frost, received her 2025 Walter Cup championship ring during the first period of today's game.
Natalie Buchbinder was left off the Frost lineup for the fourth straight game with an upper-body injury.
Emmy Fecteau missed her second game of the season for the Sirens, serving a one-game suspension for an illegal check to the head Saturday night against Seattle.
THREE STARS
1. Maddie Rooney (MIN) 23/24 SV
2. Britta Curl-Salemme (MIN) 1G, 1A
3. Grace Zumwinkle (2A)
STANDINGS
Minnesota: 49 PTS (13-3-4-6) – 3rd Place
New York: 31 PTS (8-2-3-13) – 6th Place
UPCOMING SCHEDULES
New York: Wednesday, Apr. 15 vs. Toronto at 7 p.m. ET
Minnesota: Wednesday, Apr. 15 at Boston at 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT