| 2025 PWHL Finals | |||||||||||||||||||
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| * – Denotes overtime period(s) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Location(s) | Ottawa:TD Place Arena (1, 2) Saint Paul:Xcel Energy Center (3, 4) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Format | Best-of-five | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coaches | Minnesota:Ken Klee Ottawa:Carla MacLeod | ||||||||||||||||||
| Captains | Minnesota:Kendall Coyne Schofield Ottawa:Brianne Jenner | ||||||||||||||||||
| Dates | May 20–26 | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Gwyneth Philips (Ottawa Charge) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Networks | Canada: (English):TSN (French):RDS United States: (English):FanDuel | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | (English):Kenzie Lalonde andCheryl Pounder (French):Claudine Douville andIsabelle Leclaire | ||||||||||||||||||
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The2025 PWHL Finals was the championship series of theProfessional Women's Hockey League2024–25 PWHL season and the culmination of the2025 PWHL playoffs. The winners of the semifinals, theOttawa Charge and theMinnesota Frost competed in abest-of-five series to determine the league's champion and winner of theWalter Cup. The Frost defeated the Charge in four games to win their second consecutive Walter Cup.[1]
The series began on May 20. The Charge had home-ice advantage in the series as the team with the better regular season record.[2] Both teams had 44 points in the regular season, however Ottawa earned a higher ranking due to having more regulation wins than Minnesota.
It was the second straight season that both teams heading into the final were the lower ranked seeds in the semifinals.[3]
In the regular season, the two teams played each other six times, with both teams winning three games.[4]
This was Minnesota's second straight Finals appearance, having won the Walter Cup in 2024 in the league's inaugural season.[5] In 2024, they defeatedPWHL Boston[3] 3 games to 2 to win the league's championship.
The Frost finished the regular season with 44 points, with a record 10 regulation wins, 5 overtime wins, 4 overtime losses and 11 regulation losses. This earned them the fourth and final playoff spot,[3] which they earned in their final regular season game[5] against theBoston Fleet, whom they defeated 8–1.
Despite finishing fourth in the regular season, the Frost played off against the second placeToronto Sceptres in the semifinal, as the number oneMontreal Victoire chose the third place Ottawa Charge as their playoff opponents.[2] In the semifinals, the Frost defeated the Sceptres three games to one to earn their trip to the Finals.[6]
The Ottawa Charge made the playoffs for the first time in 2025, having failed to make it in the league's inaugural season.
The Charge finished the season with 44 points, with a record of 12 regulation wins, 2 overtime wins, 4 overtime losses and 12 regulation losses. This earned them third place in the regular season standings.[3] The team earned their playoff spot in their final regular season game against the Toronto Sceptres, thanks to an overtime goal byKateřina Mrázová, giving the Charge a 2–1 victory.[7]
Despite the Charge finishing third in the regular season, the first place Montreal Victoire chose Ottawa as their semifinal opponents.[2] The Charge went on to upset the Victoire in four games.[8] The Charge's only loss was in a marathon game held on Mother's Day, which Montreal won at 15:54 in the fourth overtime, the longest game in PWHL history.[9]
| May 20 | Minnesota Frost | 1–2 | OT | Ottawa Charge | TD Place Arena | Recap |
Ottawa'sRebecca Leslie got the series' first goal midway through the second period of game 1 to give the Charge a 1–0 lead. She scored on Minnesota net minderNicole Hensley who was partially screened by teammateLee Stecklein. In the third, Ottawa's goaltenderGwyneth Philips mishandled the puck, turning it over to Minnesota'sKaty Knoll, who quickly passed it toKlára Hymlárová who scored in the vacant net to tie the game. The game then headed into overtime with both teams knotted at one. In overtime, Ottawa'sEmily Clark came down the wing, scoring the game winner, just 2:47 into the frame. With the win, the Charge extended their perfect playoff record on home ice, having won all three games.[10] For Minnesota, it was the fourth time they had lost a series opener, having never won a game 1 in franchise history.[11]
| Scoring summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | None | ||||
| 2nd | OTT | Rebecca Leslie (2) | Tereza Vanišová (3),Jocelyne Larocque (2) | 11:34 | 1–0 OTT |
| 3rd | MIN | Klára Hymlárová (1) | Katy Knoll (2) | 5:24 | 1–1 |
| OT | OTT | Emily Clark (2) | Unassisted | 2:47 | 2–1 OTT |
| Penalty summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Player | Penalty | Time | PIM |
| 1st | OTT | Stephanie Markowski | Slashing | 07:45 | 2:00 |
| MIN | Michela Cava | Hooking | 13:23 | 2:00 | |
| 2nd | OTT | Tereza Vanišová | Illegal Body Checking | 09:23 | 2:00 |
| MIN | Dominique Petrie | Hooking | 18:24 | 2:00 | |
| 3rd | MIN | Kelly Pannek | Holding | 13:52 | 2:00 |
| OTT | Rebecca Leslie | Cross Checking | 13:52 | 2:00 | |
| OT | None | ||||
| Shots by period | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | Total |
| MIN | 4 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 26 |
| OTT | 9 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 19 |
| May 22 | Minnesota Frost | 2–1 | OT | Ottawa Charge | TD Place Arena | Recap |
| Scoring summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | None | ||||
| 2nd | None | ||||
| 3rd | OTT | Jocelyne Larocque (1) | Anna Meixner (2),Rebecca Leslie (1) | 17:25 | 1–0 OTT |
| MIN | Britta Curl-Salemme (2) –pp | Claire Thompson (3),Lee Stecklein (4) | 19:44 | 1–1 | |
| OT | MIN | Britta Curl-Salemme (3) | Mellissa Channell-Watkins (4), Claire Thompson (4) | 16:24 | 2–1 MIN |
| Penalty summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Player | Penalty | Time | PIM |
| 1st | OTT | Tereza Vanišová | Holding | 04:32 | 2:00 |
| 2nd | OTT | Ronja Savolainen | Illegal Body Checking | 09:09 | 2:00 |
| MIN | Michela Cava | Tripping | 11:16 | 2:00 | |
| OTT | Taylor House | Tripping | 14:22 | 2:00 | |
| 3rd | MIN | Claire Thompson | Interference | 01:42 | 2:00 |
| OTT | Tereza Vanišová | Hooking | 06:34 | 2:00 | |
| OTT | Tereza Vanišová | Tripping | 19:23 | 2:00 | |
| OT | None | ||||
| Shots by period | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | Total |
| MIN | 3 | 6 | 10 | 5 | 24 |
| OTT | 8 | 16 | 6 | 8 | 38 |
| May 24 | Ottawa Charge | 1–2 | 3OT | Minnesota Frost | Xcel Energy Center | Recap |
| Scoring summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | OTT | Emily Clark (3) | Gabbie Hughes (3),Ashton Bell (1) | 11:38 | 1–0 OTT |
| 2nd | MIN | Lee Stecklein (4) | Claire Thompson (5) | 2:58 | 1–1 |
| 3rd | None | ||||
| OT | None | ||||
| 2OT | None | ||||
| 3OT | MIN | Katy Knoll (2) | Klára Hymlárová (3),Sophie Jaques (5) | 9:57 | 2–1 MIN |
| Penalty summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Player | Penalty | Time | PIM |
| 1st | OTT | Brianne Jenner | Holding the stick | 14:49 | 2:00 |
| 2nd | MIN | Grace Zumwinkle | Roughing | 08:06 | 2:00 |
| 3rd | MIN | Lee Stecklein | Holding | 03:56 | 2:00 |
| OTT | Jocelyne Larocque | Roughing | 06:32 | 2:00 | |
| MIN | Liz Schepers | Cross Checking | 9:17 | 2:00 | |
| OT | None | ||||
| 2OT | OTT | Rebecca Leslie | Hooking | 8:37 | 2:00 |
| 3OT | MIN | Claire Thompson | Cross Checking | 6:51 | 2:00 |
| Shots by period | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | 2OT | 3OT | Total |
| OTT | 2 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 5 | 36 |
| MIN | 10 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 4 | 47 |
| May 26 | Ottawa Charge | 1–2 | OT | Minnesota Frost | Xcel Energy Center | Recap |
After a scoreless first period, Minnesota's Kelly Pannek put the Frost on the board midway through the second, slotting a goal over the left shoulder of Ottawa goaltender Gwyneth Philips from close range, receiving a cross-ice feed from Claire Thompson. In the third period, the Charge staved off elimination with a goal from Tereza Vanišová, after Danielle Serdachny drove behind the Frost's net and centered the puck, giving Vanišová a chance which she capitalized on, tying the game 1–1 with just under ten minutes to play. In overtime, both teams had chances. 12 minutes into the extra period, Liz Schepers fired a shot from close range that found the net past Philips and secured the Minnesota Frost's second PWHL title in a row.
| Scoring summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | None | ||||
| 2nd | MIN | Kelly Pannek (2) | Claire Thompson (6),Grace Zumwinkle (3) | 10:10 | 1–0 MIN |
| 3rd | OTT | Tereza Vanišová (1) | Danielle Serdachny (2),Jocelyne Larocque (3) | 10:09 | 1–1 |
| OT | MIN | Liz Schepers (2) | Katy Knoll (3),Klára Hymlárová (4) | 12:00 | 2–1 MIN |
| Penalty summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Player | Penalty | Time | PIM |
| 1st | MIN | Dominique Petrie | Tripping | 12:05 | 2:00 |
| OTT | Ronja Savolainen | Cross checking | 19:42 | 2:00 | |
| 2nd | None | ||||
| 3rd | None | ||||
| OT | OTT | Gabbie Hughes | Roughing | 8:01 | 2:00 |
| MIN | Natalie Buchbinder | Roughing | 08:01 | 2:00 | |
| Shots by period | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | Total | ||
| OTT | 12 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 34 | ||
| MIN | 12 | 14 | 10 | 2 | 38 | ||
In Canada, the series aired onTSN in English andRDS in French. In the U.S., the series was shown onFanDuel Sports Network North.[3]
