With top pick Taylor Heise out for the fourth consecutive match due to injury, Minnesota once again struggled to put shots in the back of the net, falling to Boston 2-0.
Minnesota outshot Boston in all three periods and had three more power-play attempts but wasn’t able to score in a chippy game that was physical and saw several shoving matches break out in the third.
Theresa Schafzahl had Boston’s first goal midway through the second period, an unassisted backhand shot that appeared effortless, and Gigi Marvin scored an empty-netter with six seconds remaining. Both goalies put on a shot-stopping clinic, as Boston’s Aerin Frankel tallied 41 saves and Minnesota’s Nicole Hensley had 21.
In Heise’s absence, Minnesota has averaged just 1.25 goals per game, the lowest in the league during that time. With the regulation loss, Minnesota remains second in the PWHL standings with 21 points, but drops to 5-2-2-4. Boston’s (4-2-2-4) win moved it into fourth place with 18 points.
Right from the puck drop, Minnesota put pressure on Boston’s defense. Within the first 10 minutes, the home squad fired off 11 shots to Boston’s one, including a power play barrage that saw Frankel block a trio of outside shots in succession. Boston eventually found its mojo, launching eight consecutive attempts at the net late in the first, but it came to no avail as the goaltenders on both teams shined through one period.
BOXSCORE: Boston 2, Minnesota 0
Minnesota resumed its shooting attack with five of the first six second-period shots, but it was Boston that made its attempt matter. Schafzahl took her time gliding up the left side of the ice before crossing in front of the net, then slapped a backhand shot over Hensley’s pads for the first goal of the afternoon.
The score reflected a dichotomy of pace between the two squads, with Minnesota moving quickly to get off as many shots as possible, while its adversary spent a much longer time per possession waiting to find the ideal shot.
Holding onto the lead, Boston locked down its defensive anchor in the third, stuffing any Minnesota scoring opportunity in its tracks. Grace Zumwinkle, Abby Boreen and Kelly Pannek all found good looks at the net, but Frankel stood tall in every contest, keeping her opponents scoreless and earning Boston’s second win over Minnesota in three attempts this year. In a last-gasp effort, captain Kendall Coyne Schofield intercepted a pass in enemy territory and fired it directly at the goal, with Frankel winning the one-on-one with another deflection in the clutch.