MYHockey News
Pulse of the PWHL - The Walter Cup Finals
Updated May 30, 2024 at 9:30 a.m. EDT
By Scott Lowe – MYHockeyRankings.com
To the surprise of absolutely no one, the final week of the inaugural Professional Women’s Hockey League season generated the type of drama that other established leagues have spent decades trying to manufacture. Then, the first edition of the PWHL semifinals provided us with more thrills as one series featured three overtime games and the other offered a Game 5 and team rallying from a 2-0 deficit to advance.
And fittingly, the PWHL's first season came down to a deciding Game 5 in the Walter Cup Final between Minnesota and Boston.
Congratulations to PWHL Minnesota on winning the 2024 Walter Cup!
But that final series was just the cherry on top for the league’s first season, one that came together in a matter of months and produced a product that far surpassed what anyone expected. The PWHL has provided a much-needed platform for the world’s elite women’s hockey players to showcase their skills while making a livable wage.
Whether it was the season’s opening weekend, the league’s accessibility to fans via standard television networks and web streams, the numerous single-game attendance records that were established, the players’ participation in the National Hockey League’s all-star activities, the push for the playoffs or a thrilling posteason, the entire season went off without a hitch. In fact, it was such a great initial campaign that Sports Business Journal named the PWHL its Sports Breakthrough of the Year.
Now, North American fans havve gotten a taste of what it’s like to watch the word's best women's hockey players for a full season and to see them lay it all on the line with a trophy and a historic league championship at stake.
Many observers felt it would be impossible for the PWHL’s postseason to top what we all witnessed during the last four-plus months as the league’s first regular season played out. But after a crazy and dramatic final week of the regular season, the PWHL postseason has more than delivered.
Because it’s the Cup.
No, not THAT cup.
The puck dropped on the PWHL Playoffs at 7 p.m. EDT April 8 as fourth-place Minnesota traveled to Toronto for Game 1 at Coca-Cola Coliseum. Montréal hosted Boston at Place Bell in other first-round Game 1 matchup Thursday at 7 p.m.
Before we take a look at how the playoffs went, however, it’s imperative to understand how the four playoff teams got to that point and the mayhem that characterized the final week of regular-season play and the playoffs up to this point.
May Mayhem
Boston entered the final week of the PWHL regular season in fifth place and on the outside looking in as the two other teams fighting for the league’s final playoff berth controlled their own fate.
At that point, three teams – Minnesota (35 points), Ottawa (32) and Boston (32) – remained in contention for the final two playoff spots, but none of those teams would meet head to head. Boston had just one remaining game, its season finale at home vs. second-place Montréal May 4, while third-place Minnesota was slated to travel to first-place Toronto May 1 and last-place New York May 4. Still ahead for Ottawa was an April 30 road game vs. New York and the league’s May 5 regular-season finale at Toronto.
Even with a loss at Montréal, it was almost universally assumed that Minnesota would be able to clinch a playoff spot the next time out at New York. And surely Ottawa would get in since one of its two games also was against New York.
Not so fast.
Thanks to a stroke of genius courtesy of the PWHL front office, New York still was playing for something. New York had a chance to secure the first pick in the June PWHL draft by accumulating the most “Draft Order Points” after being eliminated from playoff contention.
New York sent a message to the rest of the league in that April 30 matchup, which was so crucial for Ottawa’s postseason hopes. It didn’t look good for the hosts early as Ottawa got goals from Akane Shiga and Hayley Scamurra to take a 2-0 first-period lead only to see New York explode for four goals in a span of 8:33 during the second period en route to a 4-3 victory.
Jade Downie-Landry, Ella Shelton, Kayla Vespa an Elizabeth Giguère scored during that spree for New York, but Daryl Watts tallied with less than a minute left in the third period to give Ottawa hope. Ottawa left the ice disappointed, however, as winning goalie Corinne Schroeder shut the door, finishing with 33 saves to earn second-star honors. Shelton was named the first star with a goal and two assists, while New York’s Brooke Hobson earned third-star accolades with two assists.
Minnesota got its chance to clinch a playoff spot the next night only to fall to Toronto, 4-1. Michela Cava got the scoring started for Minnesota at 4:14 of the first period, but Toronto scored four unanswered goals, and goalie Kristen Campbell was perfect the rest of the way.
Natalie Spooner scored her 17th and 18th goals of the season during the four-goal run, with Emma Maltais and Hannah Miller providing the other two markers. Maltais also dished out a pair of helpers for the winners, while Campbell finished with 25 saves. Spooner, Maltais and Miller were named the game’s three stars.
So nothing was solved after those two results, and Boston, which had spent much of the final three weeks on the verge of elimination, suddenly had more than just a faint pulse as Minnesota traveled to New York May 4 in the need of just one point to clinch the postseason.
The force was not with Minnesota that day, however, as New York got a pair of goals from Jaime Bourbonnais, a goal and two assists from Shelton and a pair of helpers from Jessie Eldridge in a 5-2 win that dealt Minnesota’s playoff hopes what appeared to be a devastating blow. Lindsey Post made 30 saves in her PWHL debut to earn the win and garner first-star recognition. Shelton and Bourbonnais were tabbed as the second and third stars.
That result meant Boston and Ottawa both could leapfrog Minnesota to snatch the final playoff berths. Boston took care of business and secured its playoff spot May 4, scoring the first-three goals before allowing Montréal to tie the game with a furious third-period comeback and ultimately winning in dramatic fashion on Kaleigh Fratkin’s second goal of the season with just 1:20 left in regulation.
Aerin Frankel made 28 saves in the dramatic 4-3 victory, while Fratkin, Hilary Knight (1G, 1A) and Marie-Philip Poulin (1G) were named the game’s three stars.
So, it would all come down to the final game of the first PWHL season May 5 to determine whether Ottawa or Minnesota would finish as the fourth seed and live to play another day. Daryl Watts netted her 10th goal of the year 6:26 into the second period to secure a 2-2 deadlock for Ottawa entering the final frame. Spooner opened the scoring with her 19th of the year 1:05 into the game, with Ottawa’s Gabbie Hughes and Toronto’s Sarah Nurse also scoring in the first period.
Watts’s tally ensured that the regular season would enter its final 20 minutes of play with the last playoff berth still up for grabs. ‘Twas not to be for Ottawa, however as Spooner cracked the 20-goal plateau with 5;33 left before Victoria Bach and Samantha Cogan sealed the deal with a pair of empty-net goals.
Kristen Campbell stopped 36 shots to earn second-star accolades and pick up the victory in goal. Spooner was the first star and Ottawa’s Brianne Jenner (1A) got the third star.
Down the Stretch They Come
Somewhat lost in the mayhem brought on by the first week of May was the impressive run Boston made to close out the season and steal a playoff berth as well as the strong play of New York down the stretch and a nearly disastrous collapse by Minnesota.
Boston remained outside of the league’s top four until its victory against Montréal on the final weekend of the season. That win allowed Boston to finish third with 35 points on eight regulation wins, four overtime wins, three overtime losses and nine regulation losses.
When Boston fell in a shootout at then-fourth-place Ottawa April 24, most observers felt the playoff participants had been decided. But Boston won its last two games by a single goal and earned four one-goal victories in its final five contests to catapult into the postseason. For the season, 16 of Boston’s games were decided by a single goal, and their record in those contests was 10-6.
Meanwhile, Minnesota was on the verge of missing the playoffs on the season’s final day after sitting comfortably among the league’s top three for the better part of the year. Their near collapse was softened by the fact that the team still snuck into the postseason, but no one expected Minnesota to bounce back after finishing the year on a five-game losing streak to conclude the season in fourth place with 35 points on eight regulation wins, four overtime wins, three overtime losses and nine regulation losses.
Last-place New York probably wishes the season had another two weeks left after finally hitting its stride late in the year in its role as a potential playoff spoiler. New York won its last two games and three of its final five to finish with 26 points on five regulation wins, four overtime wins, three overtime losses and 12 regulation losses.
Toronto kept its foot on the gas all year, earning the regular-season title and top playoff seed going away with 47 points, six better than second-place Montréal. While Toronto entered the postseason playing its best hockey of the year with four-straight victories to close the regular season and 15 wins in its final 17 outings, Montréal struggled down the stretch, winning just three of its final nine contests.
Boston vs. Minnesota in an Improbable Finals Matchup!
The playoffs opened May 8 in Toronto with what appeared to be a traditional No. 1 seed vs. No. 4 seed semifinal matchup between the hosts and Minnesota. That’s how it worked out, but not everything is what it seems.
As the top seed, Toronto was given the opportunity by virtue of PWHL rules to choose whether it wanted to face the third- or fourth-place team as its first-round opponent. Not surprisingly, Toronto chose Minnesota, which stumbled badly down the stretch, over red-hot Boston. Toronto won the first two games vs. Minnesota at home before dropping a 2-0 decison at Xcel Energy Center May 13 in Game 3 and a 1-0 double-overtime thriller there May 15 to force a deciding Game 5. Minnesota completed the improbable comeback with a 4-1 road win in the deciding game. Toronto lost the league's leading scorer Natalie Spooner to a knee injury during Minnesota's Game 3 win and never recovered from that setback.
That left second-seeded Montréal, which also had a difficult stretch run, facing a team - and a goalie - playing its best hockey at the right time. And that matchup proved to be Montréal's kryptonite as Boston won two overtime thrillers in Canada and came home to the Tsongas Center to complete the sweep and become the first team to advance to the Finals in the league's short history with another OT win May 14. Boston's depth players stepped up to provide big minutes, make big plays and score huge goals late in the overtime wins.
May Mayhem at its finest.
PWHL Semifinals Schedule & Results
Wednesday, May 8, 2024
7:00 p.m. ET – Toronto 4, Minnesota 0
Blayre Turnbull scored twice in the game's final 25 minutes, Natalie Spooner remained on fire with a first-period marker and Renata Fast dished out two assists as Toronto earned the Game 1 victory. Kristen Campbell earned the shuout with 26 saves and also was named the game's second star. Turnbull was the first star, with Spooner garnering third-star honors.
Thursday, May 9, 2024
7:00 p.m. ET – Boston 2, Montréal 1 (OT)
Susanna Tapani buried the game-winning goal 14:25 into overtime as Boston continued its remarkable run to move to a 1-0 series lead. Mid-season acquistion Lexie Adzija tied the game and forced overtime for Boston 1:48 into the final period after Kristin O'Neill had opened the scoring for the hosts at 1:07 of the middle frame. Aerin Frankel made 27 saves to record the win and earn top-star accolades, with Montréal's Marie-Philip Poulin and Tapani being named the second and third stars, respectively.
Friday, May 10, 2024
7:00 p.m. ET – Toronto 2, Minnesota 0
Kristen Campbell pushed her playoff shutout streak to 120 minutes by making 21 saves to lead Toronto to the Game 2 win and earn the game's second star. Jesse Compher broke a scoreless tie with 1:25 left in the game, and Hannah Miller capped the scoring with an empty-net goal in the waning seconds. Compher was tabbled as the No. 1 star, while Minnesota goalie Maddie Rooney earned third-star recognition thanks to her 28 saves.
Saturday, May 11, 2024
7:00 p.m. ET – Boston 2, Montréal 1 (3 OT)
The schedule may have called for these teams to play two games, but after another overtime thriller they had played about 190 miutes of hockey in their first two semifinal contests. Taylor Wenczkowski made her first PWHL goal as huge as possible by scoring 11:44 into the third OT as Boston took a commanding 2-0 series lead. Sidney Morin and Gigi Mavin assisted on the game-winner. Amanda Pelkey opened the scoring for Boston in the first period, but Kristin O'Neill responded for the hosts in the middle frame. The two goalies combined for more than 100 saves, with Aerin Frankel stopping 51 shots to pick up the win and Ann-Renée Desbiens making 50 saves to earn the game's second star. Frankle was named the third star, with Wenczkowski garnering first-star honors.
Monday, May 13, 2024
8:00 p.m. ET – Minnesota 2, Toronto 0
Minnesota stayed alive playing at home in front of an energetic crowd of 3,344 towel-waving fans. Maddie Rooney stooped all 18 shots fired her way to earn the shutout and top-star billing, with Maggie Flaherty and Denisa Krížová each scoring to snag the second and thrid stars of the game.
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
7:00 p.m. EDT - Boston 3 Montreal 2 (OT)
What are the odds? Three-straight overtimes and three-straight Boston wins. Boston became the first team to advance to the first-ever PWHL Finals when Susanna Tapani potted her second OT GWG of the postseason 1:02 into the extra session. Rookie-of-the-Year finalist Alina Müller and Theresa Schafzahl assisted on the series-clinching goal, which made a winner out of netminder Aerin Frankel (32 saves). Montréal appeared poised to force a Game 4 as goals by Marie-Philip Poulin and Maureen Murphy had the hosts facing a 2-0 deficit entering the final 20 minutes. Think again. Sophie Shirley scored 7:06 into the third period, and Amanda Pelkey forced overtime by scoring with 3:43 left in regulation. Tapani earned first-star honors thanks to her heorics, with Poulin and Pelkey being named the second and third stars.
Wednesday, May 15, 2024
8:00 p.m. EDT - Minnesota 1, Toronto 0 (2 OT)
Claire Butorac picked the perfect time to score her second-ever PWHL goal, netting the game-winner 4:27 into the second overtime to break a scoreless tie and force a deciding Game 5 in Toronto. Liz Schepers and Sophie Jaques assisted on the deciding goal, and Maddie Rooney earned the shutout win and second-star honors with an 84-minute, 19-save shutout. Butorac was the game's first star, with Kristen Campbell receiving third-star honors after sopping 28 shots.
Friday, May 17
7:00 p.m. EDT - Minnesota 4, Toronto 1
Minnesota broke open a 1-1 tie in the third period. Top draft-pick Taylor Heise scored the eventual game-winner 8:30 into the final frame, with Lee Stecklein and Kendall Coyne-Schofield picking up the assists, and capped the scoring with the team's second empty-net goal at the 19:45 mark. Sophia Kunin also buried an empty-netter, with Denisa Krížová netting the other Minnesota goal. Rebecca Leslie had the lone goal for Toronto, which was playing without injured league scoring-leader Natalie Spooner. Winning goalie Maddie Rooney made 27 saves to earn second-star honors. Heise was the first star, while Leslie was tabbed as the star No. 3.
PWHL Walter Cup Finals Schedule & Results
Sunday May 19
Game 1 at 5:00 p.m. EDT - Boston 4, Minnesota 3
Aerin Frankel continued her scorching play in goal and Boston's depth players continued to have an impact as the hosts captured Game 1 of the Finals in front of 4,508 at Tsongas Center. Frankel finished with 30 saves, while Jess Healey's first goal of the postseason at 17:25 of the second period proved to be the game-winner and earned her the game's first star. Frankel stopped all 13 of the third-period shots she faced. Susanna Tapani, Taylor Wenczkowski and Hannah Brandt also scored for the winners, who trailed, 2-1, midway through the contest. Taylor Heise scored her third and fourth playoff goals and dished out an assist in a losing effort to capture second-star honors. Megan Keller handed out a pair of assists for Boston to garner third-star accolades. Minnesota outshot the hosts, 33-22, but Frankel again proved to be the difference for her team.
Tuesday May 21
Game 2 at 7:00 p.m. EDT: Minnesota 3, Boston 0
Sophie Jaques scored her first two playoff goals after Michela Cava opened the scoring in the first period as depth players continued to make a difference and Minnesota evened the Walter Cup Finals at one game apiece. Nicole Hensley stopped all 20 shots she faced to record her first postseason shutout in a close-checking game that featured a total of just 37 shots on goal. Jaques and Hensley were named the game's top-two stars, with Boston's Kaleigh Fratkin garnering third-star honors.
Friday May 24
Game 3 at 7:00 p.m. EDT: Minnesota 4, Boston 1
Taylor Heise, Sydney Brodt, Michela Cava and Grace Zumwinkle each scored a goal and Nicole Hensley made 18 saves as Minnesota perched itself on the brink of capturing the first-ever PWHL Walter Cup. Cava and Heise also dished out an assist each to earn the game's top-two stars, with Brodt garnering third-star honors. Rookie-of-the-year finalist Alina Müller notched her first goal of the playoffs from Susanna Tapani and Jamie Lee Rattray with two seconds left in the second period, but Boston could not build off that.
Sunday May 26
Game 4 at 6:00 p.m. EDT: Boston 1, Minnesota 0 (2 OT)
Where do we start with this one? The goalies, who stopped all 65 shots they faced for more than 100 minutes? The incredile individual effort by Taylor Heise to set up what appeared to be the championship-winning goal before it was overturned by a replay review for inadvertent goalie interference? Or Alina Müller's game-winning snipe to keep Boston alive less than a minute after Minnesota's score was wiped off the board? Müller went top self for the winner at 18:36 of the second extra period to extend the inaugural PWHL season for one more game in what will bring to a fitting end a spectacular first year of league play. Sophie Jaques appeared to have won the Walter Cup for her team earlier after Heise drove wide to the outside and somehow put the puck right on her stick despite losing an edge. Heise's momentum carried her through the crease and she pushed goaltender Aerin Frankel just enough to allow Jaques to lift the puck off her and into the net. Of course, a wild celebration ensued with the fans in a packed Xcel Energy Center roaring their approval, but that celebration would end in disappointment. And just like that, a few seconds later disappointment turned to heartbreak for the home players and fans. Müller took a feed from Theresa Schafzahl, who had recovered an errant clear, and picked the perfect spot just above Nicole Hensley's glove for her second playoff goal, sendibg the series back to Boston. Frankel made 33 saves to earn the shutout and second-star honors. Müller was named the game's first star, with Hensley (32 saves) earning third-star recognition.
Wednesday May 29
Game 5 at 7:00 p.m. EDT: Minnesota 3, Boston 0
Moments after being jarred by a crunching check, Liz Schepers got all the revenge she and her teammates needed. Schepers scored her first-ever PWHL goal at the perfect time, finding the back of the net 6:14 into the second period for what would turn out to be the championship-winning goal. Schepers' goal gave Minnesota a 1-0 lead entering the final 20 minutes, and Michela Cava provided the insurance marker at 8:08 of the third period. Kendall Coyne Schofield iced the championship with an empty-net goal at 17:54. Cava had a goal and an assist for the champs, with Mellissa Channell adding a pair of assists and Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP Taylor Heise adding a single helper. Nicole Hensley made 17 saves to record the shutout victory over Aerin Frankel, who kept Boston in the game by making 41 saves. Hensley, Coyne Schofield and Frankel were named the game's three stars.
Playoff Producers
Minnesota rookie forward Taylor Heise tied for the lead in the playoff scoring race with five goals and three assists in 10 outings. That performance earned her the first Ilana Kloss Playoff Most Valuable Player award. The top overall pick in the first PWHL Draft posted three multi-point performances and finished with 3-3-6 in the PWHL Finals. Her teammate Michelle Cava tied Heise in points with eight, but she did all of her scoring in the Walter Cup Finals. Two more Minnesota players, defender Sophie Jaques and forward Liz Schpers, tied for the third-most playoff points with five apiece. Boston's Susanna Tapani and Megan Keller were next with four points each. Heise's five postseason goals paced the league, with Cava (4), Tapani (3), Jacques (2) and Alnia Müller (2) rounding out the top five.
TV Time
TSN and RDS were the exclusive homes of the PWHL Playoffs, with every game carried by TSN, TSN.ca and the TSN app and with French-language coverage of all Montréal games and the PWHL Finals available on RDS. Those networks also carried league games throughout the inaugural season.
Regionally, Boston games were carried on NESN, Minnesota games on Bally Sports North and select games throughout the PWHL Playoffs on MSG Networks and other regional sports networks. The regional sports channels provided growing coverage of the PWHL as the season progressed, exposing the league and the sport to many non-traditional hockey markets.
All games also were streamed live on the league’s YouTube channel and via the Women's Sports Network. The league’s YouTube channel has surpassed 109,000 subscribers and attracted a season-high peak concurrent audience of 39,787 during Game 4 of the Walter Cup Finals. Game 5 numbers were not available when this final update was posted.
Attendance is Mandatory
Game 4 of the PWHL Finals at Xcel Energy Center had an attendance of 13,104 fans, the largest crowd of the PWHL Playoffs. Attendance through the first 12 playoff games was 84,962, an average of 7,080 per game. More than 6,000 fans attended Game 5 at the Tsongas Center to push the playoff total over the 90,000 makr. That was Boston's first sellout of the season and the team's most-attended game. The league’s total attendance for 72 regular-season games was 392,259 with an average of 5,448 per game. Including playoffs, PWHL attendance through 85 total games was 483,530 – an average of 5,689 per game.
Billie Jean King MVP Finalists Announced
Finalists for the Billie Jean King Most Valuable Player award have been announced by the PWHL. The three players up for consideration are New York center Alex Carpenter, Montréal center Marie-Philip Poulin and Toronto right wing Natalie Spooner The award is presented to the player considered most valuable to her team’s success throughout the regular season.
Carpenter tied for second in the PWHL in scoring with 23 points on eight goals and 15 assists. She led her team in scoring and played a part in more than 40 percent of New York's goals. Carpetner also tied for the league lead in assists. Pouliin tied Carpetner for second in the PWHL scoring race despite missing three of her team's contests. Her 1.10 points per game ranked second in the league and she tied for fourth with 10 goals and was fifth with 13 assists. Spooner led the PWHL in scoring with 20-7-27, scoring nine more goals than the second-highest goal-scorer. Her 1.13 points per game were tops in the league.
Goaltender of the Year Finalists Released
Toronto’s Kristen Campbell, Boston’s Aerin Frankel and New York’s Corinne Schroeder have been voted as the three finalists for the 2024 PWHL Goaltender of the Year award. The award is presented to the goaltender who showcases the most outstanding ability at the position throughout the regular season.
Campbell lead the league with 16 wins, seven more than the second-ranking netminder. She also paced the PWHL with three shutouts and finished with a 1.99 goals-against average, ranking second in the league, and a .927 save percentage, which ranked fourth. Frankel was third in the leauge with a 2.00 GAA, in wins with eight and in save percentage at .929. Schroeder placed second among league tenders with a .930 save percentage, was fourth in wins with seven and posted a solid 2.40 GAA.
Forward of the Year Finalists Presented
The PWHL announced that Toronto's Natalie Spooner, Montréal's Marie-Philip Poulin and New York's Alex Carpenter had been named finalists for the league's Forward of the Year award. The award is presented to the player who showed the most outstanding ability at the position throughout the season.
Spooner led the league in goals and scoring, finishing with 27 points in 24 games. Poulin concluded the year tied for second in scoring with 23 points in 21 outings. Carpenter also totaled 23 points in 24 games and tied for the league lead in assists with 15.
Coach of the Year Finalists Announced
Three coaches were named finalists for the PWHL's first Coach of the Year award, which is presented to the coach whose contributions most impacted his or her team's on-ice success during the regular season. Montréal's Kori Cheverie, Boston's Courtney Kessel and Toronto's Troy Ryan are the 2024 finalists.
Cheverie guided Montréal to a 10-3-5-6 record and 41 points, finishing the season in second place with 10 regulation wins, the second-highest total in the league. Kessel led Boston to an 8-4-3-9 record and earned the third seed for the playoffs by leading the team to a 4-0-1-0 record – all one-goal decisions after the World Championship Break. Ryan's Toronto team went 13-4-0-7 and earned a league-best 47 points thanks to 13 regulation wins, three more than the next-best team.
Rookie of the Year Finalists Tabbed
Toronto left wing Emma Maltais, Boston center/left wing Alina Müller and Minnesota right wing Grace Zumwinkle are the three finalists for the first PWHL Rookie of the Year award. The Rookie of the Year is given to the player who showcases the most outstanding ability throughout her first regular season of professional play. Players eligible to be Rookie of the Year must have been competing in their first season of professional hockey in North America and have begun the season in their 25th birth year or younger. For the inaugural season, players born 1998 and later were eligible.
The 24-year-old Maltais tallied 19 points (4G, 15A) in 24 games to tie for the scoring lead among rookies. In 24 games, Müller recorded 16 points (5G, 11A) to lead her team in scoring and rank third among all PWHL rookies. Zumwinkle played in all 24 regular-season games, averaging more than 18 minutes per outing. She led her team and tied for the league rookie lead with 19 points on 11 goals and 8 assists.
Defender of the Year Finalists Released
Montréal's Erin Ambrose, Boston's Megan Keller and New York's Ella Shelton are the three finalists for the PWHL Defender of the Year award. This award is presented to the defender who showcases the most outstanding ability at the position throughout the regular season.
Ambrose was one of the league's top two-way threats while patrolling the blue line for Montréal. She finished the season with 18 points in 24 games to rank second among all defenders. Her 14 assists tied for the lead for her position and ranked third overall in the PWHL. Keller ranked third among defenders in scoring with 15 points and third in assists with 11 while ranking second in overall scoring for Boston in 25-plus minutes per game. Shelton scored the first-ever PWHL goal on New Year's Day and continued to produce on both ends of the ice throughout the season. She was the league's top-scoring defender with 21 points in 24 outings and ranked second on her team in overall scoring. Her seven goals were most among all defensive players.
Season Standings for Three Stars of the Week:
1. Natalie Spooner (TOR) = 100 Points
T2. Kristen Campbell (TOR) = 70 Points
T2. Brianne Jenner (OTT) = 70 Points
T3. Marie-Philip Poulin (MTL) = 60 Points
T3. Sarah Nurse (TOR) = 60 Points
T6. Ella Shelton (NY) = 50 Points
T6. Daryl Watts (OTT) = 50 Points
Final League Standings
The PWHL standings are based on a three-point system in which teams are awarded three points for a win, two points for an overtime or shootout win, one point for an overtime or shootout loss and no points for a regulation loss.
- Toronto 13W 4OTW 7L – 47 pts
- Montréal 10W 3OTW 5OTL 6L – 41 pts
- Boston 8W 4 OTW 3OTL 9L – 35 pts
- Minnesota 8W 4OTW 3OTL 9L – 35 pts
- Ottawa 8W 1 OTW 6OTL 9L – 32 pts
- New York 5W 4OTW 3OTL 102L – 26 pts
Goals Leaders
Natalie Spooner TOR – 20
Grace Zumwinkle MIN – 11
Sarah Nurse TOR – 11
Laura Stacey MON – 10
Marie-Philip Poulin MON – 10
Daryl Watts OTT – 10
Assist Leaders
Alex Carpenter NY – 15
Emma Maltais TOR – 15
Erin Ambrose MON – 14
Ella Shelton NY – 14
Marie-Philip Poulin MON – 13
Points Leaders
Natalie Spooner TOR – 27
Sarah Nurse TOR – 23
Marie-Philip Poulin MON – 23
Alex Carpenter NY – 23
Ella Shelton NY – 21
Save Percentage Leaders
Elaine Chuli MTL – .949
Corinne Schroeder NY – .930
Aerin Frankel BOS – .929
Kristen Campbell TOR – .927
Ann-Renée Desbiens – .923
Visit thepwhl.com to purchase tickets and merchandise, and subscribe to the PWHL e-newsletter to receive the latest league updates. Follow the league on all social media platforms @thepwhlofficial plus all six team accounts @pwhl_boston, @pwhl_minnesota, @pwhl_montreal, @pwhl_newyork, @pwhl_ottawa, and @pwhl_toronto.
