The 2025 PWHL Finals was the championship series of the Professional Women's Hockey League 2024–25 PWHL season and the culmination of the 2025 PWHL playoffs. The winners of the semifinals, the Ottawa Charge and the Minnesota Frost competed in a best-of-five series to determine the league's champion and winner of the Walter Cup. The Frost defeated the Charge in four games to win their second consecutive Walter Cup, with each game going into overtime, and the score being 2–1.[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]
Paths to the Finals
Minnesota Frost
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 defeated PWHL 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 the Boston Fleet, whom they defeated 8–1.
Despite finishing fourth in the regular season, the Frost played off against the second place Toronto Sceptres in the semifinal, as the number one Montreal 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]
Ottawa Charge
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 by Kateřina 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]
Game summaries
Game one
Ottawa's Rebecca 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 minder Nicole Hensley who was partially screened by teammate Lee Stecklein. In the third, Ottawa's goaltender Gwyneth Philips mishandled the puck, turning it over to Minnesota's Katy Knoll, who quickly passed it to Klára 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's Emily 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]
| 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
|
| Power play opportunities
|
| Team
|
Goals/Opportunities
|
| Minnesota |
0/2
|
| Ottawa |
0/2
|
| Three star selections
|
|
|
Team
|
Player
|
Statistics
|
| 1st
|
OTT
|
Emily Clark
|
1 goal
|
| 2nd
|
OTT
|
Gwyneth Philips
|
25 saves
|
| 3rd
|
OTT
|
Rebecca Leslie
|
1 goal
|
Game two
| 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
|
| Power play opportunities
|
| Team
|
Goals/Opportunities
|
| Minnesota |
1/5
|
| Ottawa |
0/2
|
| Three star selections
|
|
|
Team
|
Player
|
Statistics
|
| 1st
|
MIN
|
Britta Curl-Salemme
|
2 goals
|
| 2nd
|
MIN
|
Maddie Rooney
|
37 saves
|
| 3rd
|
OTT
|
Jocelyne Larocque
|
1 goal
|
Game three
| 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
|
| Power play opportunities
|
| Team
|
Goals/Opportunities
|
| Ottawa |
0/4
|
| Minnesota |
0/3
|
Game four
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.
| Shots by period
|
| Team
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
OT
|
Total
|
| OTT
|
12 |
11 |
7 |
4 |
34
|
| MIN
|
12 |
14 |
10 |
2 |
38
|
| Power play opportunities
|
| Team
|
Goals/Opportunities
|
| Ottawa |
0/1
|
| Minnesota |
0/1
|
| Three star selections
|
|
|
Team
|
Player
|
Statistics
|
| 1st
|
MIN
|
Liz Schepers
|
1 goal
|
| 2nd
|
MIN
|
Maddie Rooney
|
33 saves
|
| 3rd
|
MIN
|
Kelly Pannek
|
1 goal
|
Team rosters
Minnesota Frost
Ottawa Charge
In Canada, the series aired on TSN in English and RDS in French. In the U.S., the series was shown on FanDuel Sports Network North.[3]
References
- ^ "Minnesota Frost capture second Walter Cup title". Sportsnet. May 26, 2025. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
- ^ a b c "Ottawa Charge eliminate Montreal Victoire in Game 4 to reach PWHL Finals: Takeaways". New York Times. May 16, 2025. Retrieved May 17, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e "2025 PWHL Finals Presented by Scotiabank To Begin Tuesday". PWHL. May 16, 2025. Retrieved May 17, 2025.
- ^ "Here's what you need to know about the Ottawa Charge-Minnesota Frost PWHL final series". CTV. May 20, 2025. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
- ^ a b "PWHL playoff notebook: 1st line driving Minnesota's quest to repeat as champions". CBC Sports. May 15, 2025. Retrieved May 17, 2025.
- ^ "Heise's OT winner helps Frost sink Sceptres, sending Minnesota back to PWHL final". CBC Sports. May 14, 2025. Retrieved May 17, 2025.
- ^ "Mrázová's overtime winner sends Charge to PWHL postseason for 1st time". CBC. May 3, 2025.
- ^ "Ottawa Charge advance to PWHL final after eliminating Montreal Victoire". CBC Sports. May 16, 2025. Retrieved May 17, 2025.
- ^ "Charge moving on from 4OT loss to Victoire as PWHL playoff hockey makes Ottawa debut". TSN. May 13, 2025. Retrieved May 17, 2025.
- ^ "Emily Clark scores OT winner as Charge edge Frost in Game 1 of PWHL Finals". CBC.
- ^ "Clark scores OT winner as Charge edge Frost in PWHL Finals opener". TSN.