Boston, Minnesota set for Game 5 showdown to crown PWHL champion on TSN
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The inaugural Walter Cup champion will be crowned as Boston hosts Minnesota in the deciding Game 5 of the PWHL Finals.
Watch the action LIVE, Wednesday at 7pm ET on TSN4, TSN.ca and the TSN App.
The Walter Cup was in the building in Game 4 and ready to be awarded for the first time if Minnesota was victorious. However, Boston survived a double-overtime thriller that featured a goal review and two incredible goaltending performances.
Minnesota thought they had brought the season to a triumphant end in the fifth period when defender Sophie Jaques fired the puck past Boston goaltender Aerin Frankel at 17:25, setting off a wild celebration in front of the home fans.
The play was ultimately overturned for goaltender interference after the league’s Central Situation Room initiated a review.
Alina Müller played hero for Boston just over a minute later as she fired a wrist shot past Minnesota goaltender Nicole Hensley to send the series to Game 5.
“We really started playing and knew this would be a good challenge for us,” Müller said after the win. “We tried to stay in the game and once [the goal] got overturned, we had more power, more speed. It was on our side.”
Müller’s marker at 18:36 of the second overtime period was the only goal of the game.
Frankel turned away all 33 shots she faced to earn the shutout, her first of the playoffs.
She heads into the deciding game with a 1.38 goals-against average and .953 save percentage.
“You just have to force yourself to [stay focused],” Frankel said about the disallowed goal. “You made it this far. At that point you’re playing for everyone in our locker room. It’s for family. Doesn’t matter how tired you are, everyone just competes until the job is finished.”
The 25-year-old had started all seven playoff games for Boston and is 4-0 in overtime.
Hensley stopped 32 of 33 shots for Minnesota, she has a 1.29 GAA and a .935 save percentage.
The teams split the first two games of the series at Tsongas Center, with Boston taking Game 1, 4-3 and Minnesota capturing Game 2, 3-0.
The Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP Award will be handed out at the conclusion of the series to the player considered most valuable to their team’s success throughout the playoffs.