PWHL notebook: Vancouver and Seattle GMs named, and Minnesota's Curl-Salemme plays the villain in Cup final

With little than 2 weeks to spell earlier the league's enlargement draught process begins, the 2 incoming teams successful Vancouver and Seattle present person leaders to commencement gathering the puzzle from scratch.

Cara Gardner Morey, who's been caput manager of the Princeton University women's hockey squad since 2017, was named PWHL Vancouver's wide manager connected Friday.

Gardner Morey was the second-winningest coach successful Princeton history, winning an Ivy League title and the Tigers' archetypal Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) title. She played astatine some Brown University and successful the archetypal National Women's Hockey League with Montreal and Brampton successful the aboriginal 2000s.

"Cara brings exceptional acquisition astatine each levels of the game, a heavy knowing of subordinate development, and an unwavering passionateness for advancing women's sports," Jayna Hefford, the league's enforcement vice-president of hockey operations, said successful a statement.

"Her way grounds astatine Princeton speaks for itself — instilling a beardown culture, recruiting apical talent, processing elite athletes, and winning championships."

Some of the players she coached and developed astatine Princeton see Sarah Fillier (New York), Claire Thompson (Minnesota), Maggie Connors (Toronto) and Mariah Keopple (Montreal).

Earlier this week, Meghan Turner was named wide manager of PWHL Seattle. She's been the Boston Fleet's adjunct wide manager for the past 2 seasons, which means she's already enactment successful tons of clip scouting players crossed the league.

Like Gardner Morey, Turner is simply a erstwhile player, suiting up for Quinnipiac University successful the NCAA, and professionally successful the Canadian Women's Hockey League and Professional Women's Hockey Players Association. 

WATCH | Hockey North: Who volition beryllium protected successful the PWHL enlargement draft?

"Meghan brings an bonzer operation of hockey experience, strategical vision, and professionalism to PWHL Seattle," Hefford said. "During her clip successful Boston, Meghan distinguished herself arsenic a big-picture thinker who rapidly earned the respect of players and unit alike. She's the perfect idiosyncratic to pb this breathtaking caller section successful Seattle." 

Six of 8 teams successful the league are present led by women arsenic wide managers.

Gardner Morey and Turner won't person overmuch clip to get settled. The six existing teams person to taxable their enlargement draught extortion lists successful little than 2 weeks, and aft that, the caller GMs volition person a model to negociate with unprotected players and escaped agents.

The enlargement draught is acceptable for June 9 astatine 8:30 p.m. ET. Here's an explainer connected however it volition each work.

'Minnesota Frost versus the world'

It looked similar the Ottawa Charge would instrumentality a commanding 2-0 bid pb implicit the Minnesota Frost, arsenic the seconds ticked down connected Game 2 of the PWHL Finals.

But with little than 16 seconds near to kill, Minnesota connected a powerfulness play and Frost goaltender Maddie Rooney pulled, Britta Curl-Salemme tied the game.

It was Curl-Salemme who came up clutch again successful overtime, scoring arsenic she fell to the crystal and securing a 2-1 triumph for the Frost.

In the dressing country aft the game, footage posted by the Frost shows Curl-Salemme addressing her teammates. Her connection was simple.

"It's Minnesota Frost versus the world," Curl-Salemme said to cheers passim the room.

WATCH | Frost bushed the Charge to necktie bid 1-1:

It's been a analyzable rookie play for Curl-Salemme. On the ice, her size and accomplishment have made her a cardinal constituent of Minnesota's apical six. She's described her crippled arsenic hard-nosed, and said she likes to play carnal and with grit.

But she's besides crossed the enactment astatine times, earning 3 suspensions, including 1 for a deed to the caput of Toronto defender Renata Fast successful the semifinals.

Speaking to reporters connected Friday, Curl-Salemme said uncovering that enactment has been "tough astatine times."

"I was excited conscionable to beryllium capable to play successful a league that allows much physicality due to the fact that I deliberation it suits me," she said.

"It besides is benignant of similar letting you go, but besides holding you backmost a small bit. You've got to beryllium capable to find that enactment of however bash I enactment successful power and bash it successful a mode that's not going to wounded my squad oregon an opponent."

The guardant said it volition instrumentality "a small spot of maturity" successful her crippled to fig retired however to play that way.

Off the ice, Curl-Salemme's societal media activity, including liking a station that called Target a "perverted company" for selling LGBTQ-themed merchandise, drew disapproval anterior to the draught past year. In a league wherever a important information of fans are portion of the LGBTQ+ community, it chopped deep.

The choler from fans prompted Curl-Salemme to contented an apology, acknowledging successful a video that her enactment online "resulted successful wounded being felt crossed communities including LGBTQ+ and BIPOC individuals."

Despite the apology, it's not uncommon to perceive Curl-Salemme booed erstwhile she touches the puck. Those boos were large and wide connected the broadcast connected Thursday, erstwhile Curl-Salemme did an interrogation wrong Ottawa's TD Place aft scoring the tying goal.

Asked connected Friday if she feels similar she is the league's archetypal villain, Curl-Salemme said she's "sure immoderate radical deliberation that."

"I effort not to get excessively progressive with extracurricular sound oregon perspectives. I conscionable don't deliberation that's adjuvant for me, for our squad oregon for what I'm trying to bash connected the ice. If that's the mode it shakes retired and I'm doing my job, and I'm doing what I'm arrogant of and the things that I'm expected to beryllium doing, past that whitethorn beryllium it. I'm not excessively disquieted astir it."

"No one's happier for her than our full team," Klee said. "She's evidently had to woody with immoderate adversity and stuff, and she rises supra it and she conscionable goes retired and competes hard. She's a large person, a large player. We're fortunate to person her."

Beyond Curl-Salemme, Maddie Rooney had spectacular night, proving that, erstwhile again, Minnesota has 2 coagulated options successful net.

Rooney made 37 saves, including 16 successful a 2nd play wherever Minnesota was outshot 16-6.

"I deliberation it conscionable says a batch astir our team, being down and being capable to necktie it with 15 seconds left, and getting the triumph successful overtime," Rooney said.

Finding positives

Even though her squad was seconds distant from taking a 2-0 bid lead, caput manager Carla MacLeod saw a batch of positives successful the loss.

Her squad outshot MInnesota, propelled by players similar Emily Clark, who seemed to volition her mode into clip and space, adjacent portion connected the punishment kill. A 3rd enactment of Anna Meixner, Taylor House and Rebecca Leslie, with House a caller summation aft Kateřina Mrázová out owed to injury, seemed to click well.

Veteran defender Jocelyne Larocque drew a parallel with the team's quadruple-overtime nonaccomplishment to Montreal successful the archetypal round. Despite the loss, determination was a batch to physique on, and Ottawa went connected to triumph the series.

"It's disappointing but it doesn't interruption our confidence," Larocque said. "We are a assured group. We cognize that erstwhile we instrumentality distant 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."

Larocque, who arrived successful Ottawa successful December successful a commercialized from Toronto, scored the Charge's lone goal. It was her archetypal successful an Ottawa jersey.

MacLeod, who played with Larocque and present coaches her, pointed to the defender's enactment and consistency.

"Her longevity successful this manufacture is due to the fact that everyplace she goes, she positively impacts it," MacLeod said. "She's ever evolving her game."

The bid present moves to Minnesota, wherever the Frost person an all-time 5-1 grounds successful the postseason.

Game 3 is acceptable for Saturday astatine 5 p.m. ET and Game 4 for the aforesaid clip connected a vacation Monday successful the U.S.

Game 5, if necessary, volition beryllium successful Ottawa connected Wednesday astatine 7 p.m. ET.