Boston takes the series lead on home ice in the first-ever PWHL Walter Cup Finals. Taylor Heise shows no quit with her two goals in the game. Taylor Wenczkowski and Hannah Brandt scoring with the same stick? A five-goal period? Another Taylor Swift sing-a-long and Frankel chants? Tsongas Center was buzzing last night, and one can hope that it continues on Tuesday night for game two.
Minnesota found themselves on the early powerplay when Megan Keller went to the box 10 seconds into the game for interference. That call was the first of three for Minnesota and they did not find themselves in the box all game.
Michela Cava had the game’s first goal with a slick wrap around the net, but Frankel was unable to get to the other side in time. Boston was behind in this game at 4:38 in the first.
Overtime hero Susanna Tapani responded just minutes later with a backhand shot off a rebound that got by Maddie Rooney to tie the game up at 7:08 in the first period. This was Tapani’s third goal of the playoffs, which ranks her second overall, with just one goal behind Taylor Heise’s four goals.
The first period ended with each team having a goal, and this game stayed tied. The second period was a big one; it was a five-goal period, and it set the tone for the third period.
The first goal of the second period came from Taylor Heise as she put one in the top corner behind Aerin Frankel, this was her first of two goals in this game.
Another Taylor would score in this game, however at 12:50 in the second period, it was Boston’s Taylor Wenczkowski. Wenczkowski tucked the puck into the back of the net after a rebound to tie the game up again. She had scored the goal using Hannah Brandt’s stick. This clearly was a lucky stick because at 15:11 in the second period, minutes after Wenczkowski’s goal, Hannah Brandt got herself on the board with a goal using the same stick.
Boston’s lead after this sequence did not last long because, at 17:10 in the second period, Taylor Heise got her second of the game to tie it up.
Just 15 seconds later, at 17:25 in the second, Jess Healy would get the final goal of the game to secure the win for Boston after an intense back-and-forth hockey in the third period.
Stars of the game:
The first star of the game was Jess Healy with her game-winning goal. The second star of the game was Taylor Heise, who scored two goals. The third and final star of the game was Megan Keller, who got herself two assists during the game.
Boston and Minnesota game two is Tuesday night at Tsongas Center, puck drop is at 7:00 PM EST. Will Boston get a commanding two-game series lead, or will Minnesota tie the series up?
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