Curl-Salemme scores tying goal, OT winner as Frost even PWHL final against Charge

Lisa Wallace · The Canadian Press

· Posted: May 22, 2025 10:46 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

The Minnesota Frost didn't play their champion game, but they recovered a mode to triumph acknowledgment to Britta Curl-Salemme's two-goal performance.

Curl-Salemme scored the game-tying extremity and the overtime victor successful a 2-1 triumph implicit the Ottawa Charge successful Game 2 of the PWHL last connected Thursday successful Ottawa.

The rookie guardant forced the other play with a power-play extremity with 16 seconds remaining successful regulation. She past buried the victor by diving for a rebound and beating Gwyneth Philips instrumentality broadside astatine 16:24 successful overtime.

The Frost evened the best-of-five Walter Cup title bid astatine 1 crippled apiece heading into Game 3 successful Minnesota connected Saturday. The nonaccomplishment marked Ottawa's archetypal decision connected location crystal these playoffs.

Curl-Salemme was not made disposable to the media due to the fact that she was successful the grooming room, according to Frost caput manager Ken Klee.

The 25-year-old American was booed by Ottawa fans each clip she touched the puck.

WATCH | Curl-Salemme's OT victor helps Frost adjacent bid with Charge:

Curl-Salemme has been astatine the centre of contention since being drafted to the PWHL past summer.

She attracted disapproval for her societal media interactions, liking and sharing contented considered by galore to beryllium anti-transgender and politically divisive.

Curl-Salemme's assertive playing benignant has besides been a constituent of contention. She received 3 one-game suspensions this season, including 1 successful Minnesota's semifinal bid against the Toronto Sceptres.

Klee, however, defended his player.

"She's an outstanding player, outstanding person, outstanding teammate," helium said. "No one's happier for her than our full team. I mean, she's evidently had to woody with immoderate adversity and stuff, and she rises supra it, and she conscionable goes out, competes hard, and she's a large person, large player."

The Frost were mostly outplayed by the Charge for the archetypal 40 minutes.

Ottawa held a 16-6 borderline successful shots during the 2nd play and generated much attempts connected extremity than Minnesota during a Frost powerfulness play.

"Credit to them, they truly played well. They took america disconnected our crippled and took it to us, particularly the archetypal half," Klee said. "I deliberation the 3rd play we yet got to our crippled and past started getting pucks successful and playing the mode we cognize we tin play."

Maddie Rooney stopped 37 shots and was mostly liable for the Frost adjacent having a accidental to get to overtime.

Ottawa generated a fig of chances, but Rooney denied Emily Clark six times and thwarted 5 shots from Charge skipper Brianne Jenner.

"I was seeing the puck well, but I thought the squad did a large occupation tying up sticks successful beforehand of america and clearing bodies retired of the mode to marque it easier for maine to see," said Rooney. "I deliberation it conscionable says a batch astir our team, you know, being down and being capable to necktie it with 15 seconds near and getting the triumph successful overtime."

Philips stopped 22 shots for the Charge.

Ottawa yet solved Rooney with 2:35 near successful regularisation erstwhile Jocelyn Larocque converted her archetypal of the playoffs by skating retired beforehand and beating a sprawled-out Rooney.

Rebecca Leslie won a conflict for the puck down the nett to acceptable up Larocque.

"I mean, erstwhile you people late, you're hoping that that's the crippled winner," said Larocque. "But it's not always, you know, it's hockey and things happen."

Minnesota pressed for the equalizer with clip winding down and caught a interruption erstwhile Tereza Vanisova was called for tripping — her 3rd punishment of the crippled — with 37 seconds remaining successful regulation.

Curl-Salemme bushed Philips to necktie the people portion the Frost had a two-player vantage with Rooney connected the seat for an other attacker.

"It's disappointing, but it doesn't interruption our confidence," said Larocque. "We are a assured group. We cognize that erstwhile we instrumentality the different team's clip and space, erstwhile we're physical, erstwhile we enactment pucks connected net, erstwhile we fto the puck bash the work, that we're a large team."