The Walter Cup has finally been lifted, and it belongs to the State of Hockey.
PWHL Minnesota and Boston faced off on Wednesday night in a decisive Game 5 of the Walter Cup Finals at Tsongas Center in Lowell, Massachusetts. They played to a sold-out crowd of almost 7,000 people, where resale tickets were going for tens of thousands of dollars. While thousands of northeasterners came to support their home team PWHL Boston, they were not the ones to hoist the trophy.
Minnesota shut out Boston 3-0 at their home arena, yet loyal supporters of the PWHL and women’s hockey stayed to watch and applaud the making of history, as the first-ever Walter Cup was presented to the winning team.
The new era of women’s hockey is here, and it’s here to stay.
Star Player Named Playoff MVP
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The No.1 draft pick is the star that keeps on shining, and Minnesota has a lot to be thankful for in Taylor Heise. Heise was awarded the first-ever Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP Award shortly before the cup was presented to the winning Minnesota team.
Heise finished the inaugural PWHL season tied with her teammate Michela Cava for the most playoff points. Within eight points in the postseason, Heise scored five goals. She is a great reason why the Cup was able to go to the State of Hockey, and having teammates that are just as talented didn’t hurt either.
“It’s been a roller coaster of emotions, but I wouldn’t want to do it with any other team,” said Heise about her time with PWHL Minnesota so far.
Teammates Show Love For Minnesota Captain
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The Minnesota team captain, –as well as the oldest player on the roster at 32 years old– Kendall Coyne-Schofield was the first PWHL player to lay her hands on the Walter Cup.
Prior to the victory, the three-time Olympian netted an empty-net goal to solidify Minnesota’s win and extend the lead to 3-0. The first two goals were scored by Liz Schepers and Michela Cava, and Coyne-Schofield capped it off in the third period.
Taylor Heise recognizes the impact her captain has made on the team and the league as a whole, saying:
“It makes me want to tear up thinking about it. She’s done so much for this sport…She’s definitely one of the people that’s helped this sport grow and one of the reasons why this arena is sold out here tonight.”
Coyne-Schofield was a leader in the PWHPA and a great contributor to the founding of the new league, the PWHL. At 32 years old, she was able to share this moment of victory with her husband and 10-month-old son on the ice, which she reflected on as the most important part of her winning the Cup.
“What was so important about that moment wasn’t the skate itself. It’s what happened after.”
Boston Reflects On Wonderful Performance
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PWHL Boston had a lot to be proud of that Wednesday night, despite not being the ones to hoist the Walter Cup. Making history as the first PWHL team to sweep a playoff series in Round 1, all eyes were on them as they made a remarkable run to the finals. Not to mention, they have Aerin Frankel, who could be considered the best goaltender in the league.
Frankel made 41 saves in Game 5 and received chants from the sold-out crows at the Tsongas Center. After the final buzzer sounded, chants of “Thank you, Boston!” erupted from the crowd, as they saluted their extremely talented and resilient home team. The chants and applause continued as they met Minnesota in the handshake line.
Boston captain Hilary Knight commented on their historic season, saying, “This year was a historic year. We built it. We’re extremely ecstatic about where it is, Year 1. If anything, that reflection point is something we can take away from tonight and celebrate.”
If you build it, they will come. And people sure did.
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About the Author
River Caraballo (she/they) is a hockey writer for Total Apex Sports. Despite being based in Connecticut, she is a big fan of the New York Rangers and the Minnesota Wild. They host a weekly podcast and radio show, Round the Rink, where they discuss hockey from the NHL to the PWHL and college hockey. You can follow River on Twitter/X to keep up with her sports content.
