After nearly a month, PWHL Minnesota returned to the Xcel Energy Center to play their final regular-season home game on Saturday afternoon, April 27. They took on PWHL Boston in a game that could’ve secured the postseason outcomes for three teams, including PWHL Minnesota and PWHL Boston.
Following a thank-you speech by their captains Kendall Coyne Schofield, Lee Stecklein, and Kelly Pannek, they also announced the raising of an inaugural season banner for PWHL Minnesota hanging in the rafters of the Xcel Energy Center. After the banner presentation, the game was able to get underway, but it was a slow start for PWHL Minnesota.
They were lacking energy, and the first period went scoreless despite some chances for both sides. The second sparked a little more energy from PWHL Minnesota, but they finally converted towards the end of the period and took the lead 1-0. In the third, the arena’s 9,977 made themselves heard as they cheered every shot on goal, knowing what a win could mean for their team.
However, PWHL Boston also knew how important it was for them to win in regulation, and they did just that. With just 2.7 seconds to go, PWHL Boston got a breakaway and made it count to hand PWHL Minnesota a 2-1 loss. PWHL Minnesota could’ve clinched a spot in the postseason if they’d gotten at least a point, but now they have to wait again. Their slow start didn’t help, and that’s where we’ll begin.
PWHL Minnesota Struggled to Find Its Groove
This season has shown that PWHL Minnesota is not necessarily a first-period team. They tend to start out a little slower than their opponent, and sometimes, this works out okay, and sometimes, it puts them in a hole early. They appear to need a period to find their groove, and then they start showing the speed and skill they possess.
Against PWHL Boston, it worked in their favor in the second. They kept things scoreless until they found a way to break through on a rebound. Things looked to be in their favor, but they lacked the energy to keep it going.
If they want to secure their spot in the postseason, they have to find their energy and start the game with it. They have the players with the skills to start games early and keep the lead throughout the game. Hopefully, this is a minor slump, and they’ll figure out how to jumpstart their games to secure their postseason.
Their head coach, Ken Klee, put it simply: “We’re just finding ways to lose hockey games right now, which is unfortunate because…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at The Hockey Writers…