2024-01-04 04:00:00
The Minnesota team triumphed over Boston 3-2 on Wednesday in its inaugural game in the Professional Women’s Hockey League.
Two-time Olympian Nicole Hensley stepped up in front of the cage with a 33-save performance for Minnesota, who will now host the Montreal team on Saturday.
The meeting played at the University of Massachusetts in Lowell was the first played in the United States within the LPHF, after Toronto and Montreal. A total of 3552 spectators were present.
Shortly after the ceremonial throw-in by retired Bruins star Patrice Bergeron, Taylor Heise shook the Boston crowd by scoring at 3:58 of the opening period. The first player drafted in the LPHF, she fired a perfect shot into the top corner.
Her teammate Sophia Kunin imitated her by shooting in the same place four minutes later to beat goalkeeper Aerin Frankel again.
After chasing away the nervousness at the start of the match, the Boston squad found their bearings. The first goal of the concession was finally scored by the Austrian Theresa Schafzahl.
Grace Zumwinkle, however, restored the lead to two goals with a shot over the blocker just 55 seconds later.
Frustrated by a good save from Nicole Hensley’s glove at the end of the second period on a ball, Hilary Knight continued to threaten in the third. She passed the puck to Alina Muller, who thought she had scored, but the video replay confirmed that the puck had not quite crossed the red line.
It was Megan Keller who reduced the lead to a goal with 2:40 remaining in the clock, but Minnesota held on after outshooting their opponents 35-16.
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