Hustler's Power-Play Winner Lifts Frost Past Sirens 4-1 in Final Regular-Season Meeting

ST. PAUL, Minn. — For two periods on Saturday afternoon, the Minnesota Frost and New York Sirens traded chances and not much else. Then a New York penalty opened the door in the third, and rookie Abby Hustler walked through it. Hustler's power-play goal at 5:30 of the third period broke a 1-1 tie, Taylor Heise added a breakaway goal three minutes later, and Britta Curl-Salemme sealed a 4-1 Frost win with an empty-netter in front of 9,159 fans at Grand Casino Arena.

It was the fifth and final regular-season meeting between the teams, and it ended the way most of them did. Minnesota won four of the five games and outscored New York 20-12 across the series. The win moved the Frost to 13-3-4-6 with 49 points, while the loss left the Sirens on the wrong side of the playoff line with only four games to play.

Two Goals, 41 Seconds Apart

The first period's only scoring came in one short burst. Frost defender Lee Stecklein opened it at 7:05 with a shot from the point that, according to Sportsnaut, deflected off Allyson Simpson on the way in. New York needed just 41 seconds to answer. Sirens captain Micah Zandee-Hart stepped into a one-timer from the blue line at 7:46 for her first goal of the season, with Denisa Křížová credited with the primary assist.

Neither goaltender was beaten again for more than 37 minutes. Maddie Rooney settled in for Minnesota and finished with 23 saves on 24 shots, earning first-star honors. At the other end, Kayle Osborne made 22 saves for New York and kept the Sirens level deep into the afternoon.

A Long, Even Middle

The second period came and went without a goal, and the game stayed tight and physical. New York's power play could not find a breakthrough. The Sirens went 0-for-3 with the advantage, including a chance early in the third after Heise was called for high-sticking, and Sportsnaut counted that as 16 straight unsuccessful power-play opportunities for New York.

Sirens coach Greg Fargo saw the missed early chances as the story. "I thought it was a good game. Both teams had some chances," Fargo said after the game, according to Sportsnaut. "Had we been able to bury one early on, might have been a different outcome, but it wasn't the case tonight." He still liked what he saw from his power play. "We could have used a goal, and that may have been the difference, but lot of good things to take away," he said.

Hustler Breaks the Tie

The opening Minnesota needed came early in the third, when Kristin O'Neill went to the box for slashing. The Frost converted. Curl-Salemme set up Hustler for a tap-in at 5:30, giving Minnesota a 2-1 lead and the rookie the game-winning goal.

Heise doubled the margin at 8:34, breaking in alone and beating Osborne to make it 3-1. For a Frost team that had already been through a pair of overtime games against this opponent, the two-goal cushion was a welcome change of pace.

Tempers and an Empty Net

The game took a sharper turn at 11:15 of the third. Zandee-Hart caught Frost forward Katy Knoll with a high check in open ice and, after a review, was assessed a five-minute major for an illegal check to the head and an automatic game misconduct. The PWHL's Player Safety Committee later suspended her for one game.

Frost coach Ken Klee kept his assessment of the physical stretch short. "It's a rough game. Both teams are obviously competing extremely hard. Sometimes those things happen," he said, according to Sportsnaut.

New York eventually pulled Osborne for an extra attacker, and Curl-Salemme put the game away with an empty-net goal at 18:39, capping a two-point afternoon. Kelly Pannek picked up an assist on the play for her 29th point of the season, which KSTP reported ties a PWHL record. Grace Zumwinkle had two assists and reached 50 career points, and the victory gave Minnesota a team-record 16th win of the season, per Sportsnaut.

The Playoff Picture

For Minnesota, the afternoon was mostly about position. The Frost moved into third place with 49 points, and KSTP noted they sat five points behind second-place Boston and six behind first-place Montréal with the regular season winding down. It was also Minnesota's second straight home win.

For New York, the math got harder. The Sirens fell to 8-2-3-13 with 31 points, ending a two-game winning streak. Sportsnaut reported they sit five points behind Ottawa for the final playoff spot with four games remaining and one game in hand, and that the loss was New York's seventh straight on the road. Their next three games all come against teams in that race: Toronto at home, then at Ottawa on April 18 and at Toronto on April 21.

The season series as a whole tilted heavily toward Minnesota, which took 12 of a possible 15 points from the five meetings. New York's lone win came on April 1, a 4-3 overtime decision on home ice, and the Sirens had hoped to build on it. Instead, they managed one goal on 24 shots and spent the final minutes chasing.

What's Next

Both teams return to action on Wednesday. The Sirens host the Toronto Sceptres at Prudential Center, while the Frost travel to face the Boston Fleet.

Minnesota leaves St. Paul with a clean third period, a big moment for a rookie and another reminder of what Rooney can do when the game stays tight. New York leaves with a decent effort and a shrinking margin for error. As Fargo put it, one goal might have changed everything. On Saturday, the Frost were the team that found it.

Photo Credit: Abby Reinstein/Undrafted