The Minnesota Frost hosted the Vancouver Goldeneyes in their final game before the Olympic break in a late puck drop on Wednesday night, Jan. 28. Their last game was a dominant 6-2 win over the New York Sirens at home on Sunday afternoon, Jan. 25.
The Frost held a small ceremony to give former Frost players, Sophie Jacques, Mellissa Channell-Watkins, and Claire Thompson their Walter Cup rings, as well as strength and conditioning coach Shannon MacAulay, who are all members of the Goldeneyes. Maddie Rooney was in the net once again, and the Frost got on the board first. They built their lead throughout the opening period, and although the Goldeneyes tried to answer, the Frost held on and took the win 4-1. In this article, we’ll look at a few takeaways, starting with the Frost scoring first.
Frost On Board First
It’s not surprising that most teams that score first are the ones who go on to win the game, but for teams that struggle to hold leads, it can be difficult. For the Frost, when they get a lead, they tend to hold it, and not only that, they tend to build on it almost right away. Sometimes they have trouble staying consistent throughout the game and give the other team a chance to climb back in.
Against the Goldeneyes, the Frost built themselves a strong lead before the first period was over as they scored three. They didn’t find the back of the net in the second, and although they backed off a little compared to the first, they continued to hold the lead. The third period was a pretty back-and-forth affair, but the Frost held on to get the win.
“We’re going to have obviously a month break now, so it’s huge for us to be able to get the points and finish the first half off the right way. I think we had a really strong first half, but we know there’s a lot more to be done, so I think for us it’s just important we gathered a lot of points, and we just gotta keep it up,” said head coach Ken Klee about how important it is to end on a win.
Frost’s Rooney Stays Strong
The Frost have been scoring more goals in front of her, and Maddie Rooney has returned with strong performances in the net. It was her second consecutive start, and while she wasn’t put to the test a lot in terms of dangerous shots, she was ready for everything that came her way. Anytime the puck crossed the red line in her direction, she was crouched and tracking it closely.
The Goldeneyes did get the better of Rooney just past the halfway point of the game, but it wasn’t all on her. The Frost’s defense left Michelle Karvinen all alone by the side of the net, and she was just waiting for the perfect pass that came to her, and she didn’t miss. Following that goal, the Goldeneyes had a huge breakaway that could’ve changed the momentum of the game, but Rooney was ready for not only the first shot but the rebound after. She stayed strong in the third as well and helped her team secure the win.
“I mean the game of hockey can change pretty quickly, the score so I kind of just take it one period at a time, obviously a three goal lead helps the confidence back there but I think all season long just having trust in especially in my defense, they’ve been so good all year long with helping me out and I thought they made it easier today to see the puck and cleared rebounds when they were there so it’s just fun to play behind this team,” said Rooney about if having a lead helps her play.
Frost Watch Penalties
The Frost have been the least penalized team every season, and they kept that up against the Goldeneyes. Through the first two periods, they took just one penalty, and they had just one power play, but they made the most of it as they scored, which gave them a three-goal lead. Despite some times where they could’ve let frustration kick in, they stayed composed and out of the penalty box.
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The lone penalty they did take in the second period, their penalty kill stepped up and did what needed to be done to clear the puck, and Rooney was ready for anything that made its way through. In the later minutes of the third period, they took another penalty, and it was a crucial moment for both teams as a goal for the Goldeneyes could’ve meant they were within one, but a goal for the Frost would’ve given them a stronger lead. Regardless, the Frost stepped up and killed it off.
“I like our balance, we’re getting scoring from a lot of different people, I think that’s huge for us. Obviously, our goaltending has been outstanding with Maddie (Rooney) and Nicole (Hensley) both; they’ve both been fantastic. When you’re scoring goals, and you’re having great goaltending, I think it’s good for your team, so especially in this league it’s hard to win…,” said Klee about what he likes about the team going into the break.
That was the final game of the Frost’s schedule before the Olympic break. While their Olympians will be off competing for their respective countries, the rest of the team will get a well-deserved month-long break. They’ll be back in action on Sunday, March 1, on the road against the Montréal Victoire.
