In a grueling series that saw every game go to overtime, the Minnesota Frost emerged victorious in Game 4 of the Walter Cup Finals, defeating the Ottawa Charge to capture their second consecutive title.

The Frost, who like last season clinched their playoff spot by the skin of their teeth on the final day of the season, upended Toronto in the semifinal for the second straight season. Unlike 2024, however, they faced the Walter Cup’s first ever Canadian finalist in Ottawa, who upset the Montréal Victoire – who selected them as their first round opponent, the second straight season the top-ranked regular season team failed to make the finals.

After Emily Clark notched a 2-1 overtime win in Game One, it was Britta Curl, who controversially knocked out Charge forward Kateřina Mrázová in Game One with a knee-on-knee collision, evening the series at one with a late overtime tally in Game Two. Game Three saw another marathon contest (although not as long as the Montréal-Ottawa four overtime matchup in the semifinals), with Katy Knoll ending things in a triple overtime victory.

And Game Four, which the Frost were desperate to win on home ice and avoid sending the series back to Ottawa, came to an end on a Liz Schepers overtime second-chance rebound, after conceding a late goal to Tereza Vanišová to send the game to a fourth straight overtime. The Frost sealed the victory in what was a far tighter series than the scoresheets indicated, with each game ending in a 2-1 score; Maddie Rooney ended the series for Minnesota only conceding five goals, with rookie phenom Gwenyth Philips, named playoff MVP in spite of the loss, conceding just six goals.

Minnesota saw thirteen IHLC champions from three countries (Canada, Finland, Czechia and the United States) on the roster hoist the Cup, including captain Kendall Coyne, and defensive standouts Sophie Jaques and Claire Thompson, the latter who becomes the sixth member (and first Canadian) of the women’s unofficial Triple Gold Club, adding the Walter Cup to her already captured World Championship (2021) and Olympic (2022) titles.

Our congratulations go out to the players, management and fans of the Minnesota Frost, with those on the roster that have also held the IHLC highlighted in bold:

Photo Credit: Steven Garcia – IIHF – HHOF – IOC