Taylor Heise scores game-winning goal as Frost defeat Boston 2-1 in overtime

With the Minnesota Frost and Boston Fleet deadlocked at 1-1, a video flashed onto the Xcel Energy Center Jumbotron, asking Frost players about their favorite hockey slang.

“It’s all dumb,” goalie Maddie Rooney said. “Top cheddar. Who even says that?”

Pucks rarely get past Rooney “top cheddar.” Minnesota’s goalie had 26 saves — her highest total this season — to help the Frost beat Boston 2-1 in overtime Wednesday night.

Taylor Heise netted the game-winner just over three minutes into OT, vaulting the Frost (3-3-1-2) two points clear of Montreal for first place in the PWHL. Later Wednesday night, Montreal (4-2-1-1) defeated Toronto 4-2 in a game played in Vancouver to pick up three points for a regulation win and move one point ahead of Minnesota in the standings.

Rooney returned after missing Minnesota’s 5-0 shutout against New York, as an illness made its way through the Frost locker room after Christmas. Still sick, Rooney was summoned from her nearby home 10 minutes before puck drop, told over the phone that goalie Nicole Hensley picked up a groin injury in warmups and Rooney was needed on the bench.

When Rooney was asked whether she felt any lingering sickness, Heise butted in to add, “Clearly not.”

“I felt 75% on that last game,” Rooney said. “So I knew I was going to be back at practice Monday.”

In overtime, when Heise broke into the offensive zone with the puck, she had no one to pass to — her usual choice. She said teammate Kelly Pannek often pesters her to shoot more.

So, Heise took a snipe from the right faceoff circle.

“I had a really good warmup shot that looked just like that, and I was getting déjà vu,” Heise said. “That’s the shot I practice a lot.”

BOXSCORE: Frost 2, Boston 1 (OT)

PWHL standings

Heise’s second goal of the season ended the stalemate of scoreless second and third periods, with Fleet (2-1-2-4) goalie Emma Söderberg making 27 saves.

Minnesota nearly faced an early uphill battle, after Boston’s Hannah Bilka scored and the Fleet had a goal overturned for goaltender interference, less than five minutes in.

Instead, Minnesota equalized with 8:20 left in the first period. Söderberg swatted a shot from Pannek, and the puck hadn’t yet touched the ice before Denisa Křížová tidied up the rebound for the Czech vet’s first goal this season.

“When I had [Křížová] playing with [injured forward] Dominique Petrie, Dom was getting goals because of how hard Denny was working,” coach Ken Klee said. “She creates stuff, so it’s nice to see her rewarded.”

Minnesota is now 3-0 against last year’s Walter Cup foe.

After averaging 3.71 goals through seven games, Minnesota had another quieter night offensively, with passes sailing through the crease with no one to put the puck away. The Frost finished 0-for-3 on power plays — two with no shots.

“We looked for a lot of back-door plays that Boston defended well,” Klee said. And in power plays, “we just didn’t seem to find a groove where we were getting a lot of setup time to run the progressions we wanted to run.”

The Frost were without Grace Zumwinkle, out “one to three weeks” with an upper-body injury picked up against New York, per Klee, and defender Sophie Jaques.

Next, Minnesota heads to Denver to face Montreal as part of the PWHL’s neutral-site Takeover Tour. Klee is hopeful Jaques will feature on Minnesota’s road trip.