Minnesota Frost edges Victoire in OT after Stacey's historic hat trick
The Minnesota Frost kicked off their best-of-five semifinal series with a thrilling 5-4 overtime win against the Montreal Victoire. The game saw high drama, penalties, and a historic performance from one of the league’s top scorers.
Minnesota struck first when Katy Knoll opened the scoring in the first period. Shortly after, Kendall Coyne Schofield extended their lead with a power-play goal. Montreal responded in the second period, with Shiann Darkangelo cutting the deficit to 2-1.
The game took a heated turn when Britta Curl-Salemme of the Victoire received a five-minute major penalty and was ejected for misconduct. Despite being shorthanded, Montreal fought back as Laura Stacey scored her first goal to tie the game at 2-2. Grace Zumwinkle then put the Frost back ahead, making it 3-2 before the end of the second period. Stacey continued her dominance in the third, scoring her second goal on a power play to level the game at 3-3. She completed the first hat trick in PWHL postseason history, tying the match again at 4-4 and forcing overtime. Jincy Roese sealed the victory for Minnesota with the decisive goal in extra time.
The Frost now lead the series 1-0 after a back-and-forth battle. Stacey’s three-goal performance marked a league milestone, while Minnesota’s overtime winner set the tone for the semifinal. The two teams will face off again in game two as the Victoire look to even the series.
