PWHL Boston’s season is on the brink after losing Game 3 of the Walter Cup Final to PWHL Minnesota on Friday night.
Boston has been through adversity in the inaugural PWHL season after dropping five of seven contests before heading into the international break in late March.
“I feel like our backs had been up against the wall for quite some time,” PWHL Boston head coach Courtney Kessel said after the loss on a video press conference. “We were down five points heading into that World’s break, and I think the run we went on to get where we’re at is something. It’s an accomplishment for sure. I think we know what it’s like to fight back and we’re going to continue to fight.”
Boston swept PWHL Montreal in the first round of the playoffs, but all three games needed extra time, including a triple-overtime thriller in Game 2.
“I think all year long it’s been a journey for this team,” PWHL Boston defender Megan Keller told reporters in a video press conference. “We’re used to having to fight for everything, for every inch in the playoffs and this finals. It’s a series, so we have to find a way to turn the page here and learn from this game. We’ve got two more games coming up.”
Keller stressed the importance of having two more games, knowing that Minnesota is one win away from winning the first PWHL championship in league history. The team has not lost confidence in itself and Kessel explained an area it needed to improve on.
“I think Minnesota has done a great job of setting up a trap after they score,” Kessel said. “They’ve done it in all three games. We got to find a way to beat it, to get pucks in (the offensive zone) with possession and not chase the game.”
After registering just 19 shots on Minnesota goaltender Nicole Hensley, Boston captain Hilary Knight knows the team has to create more space in the offensive zone in order to generate more scoring chances.
“I’d say a lot of our forechecks are broken,” Knight told reporters during the press conference. “It’s that second quick support and making sure that we’re replacing pucks in a position to help us play into our speed that we have, and we have a handful of talented players. Just having that disconnect really bit us tonight.”
PWHL Boston will look to level the series and force a decisive Game 5 when they play Minnesota on Sunday night. Puck drop from Xcel Energy Center is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game on NESN.
