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Minnesota Frost Starting Lineup (Photo by /PWHL)

3 Takeaways From the Frost’s 2-1 Overtime Loss to the Charge in Game 1

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Mariah E. Stark | Last updated May 21, 2025 1:44 PM ET

The Minnesota Frost and Ottawa Charge faced each other in Game 1 of the Walter Cup Final on Tuesday evening, May 20, in Ottawa. Both teams had their same lineups as they did in their semi-finals. The Frost took down the Toronto Sceptres three games to one, while the Charge did the same to the Montréal Victoire to get to this game.

Nicole Hensley was back in the net for the Frost, and she worked hard all game to give her team a chance to win. The Frost had a strong jump, but the Charge got on the board first. They had to battle back, but they tied the game in the third period, and it took overtime to get it done. The Charge found a way through and took the win 2-1 overtime win to go up 1-0 in the series. In this article, we’ll look at how things went with the Frost, starting with the jump to their game.

Frost Had Great Pressure

The Frost had a great effort all game and despite their loss, they shouldn’t hang their heads. They started the game with strong energy and were battling from the drop of the first puck. They had many chances and kept it close from start to finish. They had the ability to win the game but the Charge found a way through.

The Frost have to keep this same pressure in Game 2 and the rest of the series if they want to win. The pucks will start to get through as long as they keep pushing and putting in a strong amount of effort. They did outshoot the Charge with the exception of the first period, and while they did start that period fast, there was a small lapse that allowed the Charge to get some motivation to put one on the board in the second.

However, the Frost bounced back and found that same pressure they had in the first. That is something they’ll have to focus on going forward, and being they’ve been steadily improving their game this whole postseason, it should be automatic in their next game.

Frost Capitalize on Mistakes

The Frost scored just one goal throughout the game, and that was a mistake on the Charge’s side that they capitalized on. The Charge goaltender made a play behind the net that fell apart, and Frost’s Klára Hymlárová shot it right over the goaltender, who had just gotten back into the net but wasn’t set.

There were a number of other mistakes the Frost could’ve converted on but failed to do so. Hopefully, they can look back on the film and see all of the opportunities they had to score and put that into their game plan. They can force the Charge to make those mistakes; they just need to know they can do so and play their game style.

One way they can continue to capitalize is by getting some of their players to take more shots like Grace Zumwinkle, Dominique Petrie, and Liz Schepers. If they can get more out of some of their depth players, they’ll have even more chances to capitalize on and get the win.

Frost Have Areas to Fix

Again, the Frost had a decent overall game, but they do have a couple of areas to fix going into Game 2. The first is staying out of the penalty box, although they did kill off both of the penalties they took, they can’t keep giving the Charge power plays that they have the chance to score on. They had to step up big to kill off the penalties, but the Charge had a few close calls that could’ve pulled the game away for them.

The other area they have to step up on is the power play. They had two solid chances throughout the game but couldn’t find the back of the net on either one. Had they been able to score on either or both, this could’ve been a win instead of a loss. The Frost had a strong power play in their series against the Sceptres, so they know they can score; they just need to find a way to do so consistently.

Frost Can Still Win

This position isn’t new for the Frost in the postseason; it’s the same way they started their series against the Sceptres. They dropped Game 1 but then came back and won the next three straight. Last season, they dropped the first two games in the semi-final, and then in the Final, they split but still had to go to Game 5.

The Frost are used to having to come from behind and having to win in must-win games. Hopefully, they can take the lessons from this game and apply them to the next and come out with the big win to potentially take the series on home ice.