The 2025 PWHL Finals was the championship series of the Professional Women's Hockey League 2024–25 PWHL season and the culmination of the 2025 PWHL playoffs. The winners of the semifinals, the Ottawa Charge and the Minnesota Frost competed in a best-of-five series to determine the league's champion and winner of the Walter Cup. The Frost defeated the Charge in four games to win their second consecutive Walter Cup, with each game going into overtime, and the score being 2–1.
The series began on May 20. The Charge had home-ice advantage in the series as the team with the better regular season record. Both teams had 44 points in the regular season, however Ottawa earned a higher ranking due to having more regulation wins than Minnesota.
It was the second straight season that both teams heading into the final were the lower ranked seeds in the semifinals.
In the regular season, the two teams played each other six times, with both teams winning three games.
Paths to the Finals Minnesota Frost
This was Minnesota's second straight Finals appearance, having won the Walter Cup in 2024 in the league's inaugural season. In 2024, they defeated PWHL Boston 3 games to 2 to win the league's championship.
The Frost finished the regular season with 44 points, with a record 10 regulation wins, 5 overtime wins, 4 overtime losses and 11 regulation losses. This earned them the fourth and final playoff spot, which they earned in their final regular season game against the Boston Fleet, whom they defeated 8–1.
Despite finishing fourth in the regular season, the Frost played off against the second place Toronto Sceptres in the semifinal, as the number one Montreal Victoire chose the third place Ottawa Charge as their playoff opponents. In the semifinals, the Frost defeated the Sceptres three games to one to earn their trip to the Finals.
Ottawa Charge
The Ottawa Charge made the playoffs for the first time in 2025, having failed to make it in the league's inaugural season.
The Charge finished the season with 44 points, with a record of 12 regulation wins, 2 overtime wins, 4 overtime losses and 12 regulation losses. This earned them third place in the regular season standings. The team earned their playoff spot in their final regular season game against the Toronto Sceptres, thanks to an overtime goal by Kateřina Mrázová, giving the Charge a 2–1 victory.
Despite the Charge finishing third in the regular season, the first place Montreal Victoire chose Ottawa as their semifinal opponents. The Charge went on to upset the Victoire in four games. The Charge's only loss was in a marathon game held on Mother's Day, which Montreal won at 15:54 in the fourth overtime, the longest game in PWHL history.
Game summaries Game one
Ottawa's Rebecca Leslie got the series' first goal midway through the second period of game 1 to give the Charge a 1–0 lead. She scored on Minnesota net minder Nicole Hensley who was partially screened by teammate Lee Stecklein. In the third, Ottawa's goaltender Gwyneth Philips mishandled the puck, turning it over to Minnesota's Katy Knoll, who quickly passed it to Klára Hymlárová who scored in the vacant net to tie the game. The game then headed into overtime with both teams knotted at one. In overtime, Ottawa's Emily Clark came down the wing, scoring the game winner, just 2:47 into the frame. With the win, the Charge extended their perfect playoff record on home ice, having won all three games. For Minnesota, it was the fourth time they had lost a series opener, having never won a game 1 in franchise history.
Scoring summary Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score 1st None 2nd OTT Rebecca Leslie (2) Tereza Vanišová (3), Jocelyne Larocque (2) 11:34 1–0 OTT 3rd MIN Klára Hymlárová (1) Katy Knoll (2) 05:24 1–1 OT OTT Emily Clark (2) Unassisted 02:47 2–1 OTT
Penalty summary Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM 1st OTT Stephanie Markowski Slashing 07:45 2:00 MIN Michela Cava Hooking 13:23 2:00 2nd OTT Tereza Vanišová Illegal body checking 09:23 2:00 MIN Dominique Petrie Hooking 18:24 2:00 3rd MIN Kelly Pannek Holding 13:52 2:00 OTT Rebecca Leslie Cross-checking 13:52 2:00 OT None
Shots by period Team 1 2 3 OT Total 4 11 10 1 26 9 6 3 1 19 Power play opportunities Team Goals/Opportunities Minnesota 0/2 Ottawa 0/2 Three star selectionsTeamPlayerStatistics 1st OTT Emily Clark 1 goal 2nd OTT Gwyneth Philips 25 saves 3rd OTT Rebecca Leslie 1 goal
Game two
Scoring summary Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score 1st None 2nd None 3rd OTT Jocelyne Larocque (1) Anna Meixner (2), Rebecca Leslie (1) 17:25 1–0 OTT MIN Britta Curl-Salemme (2) – pp Claire Thompson (3), Lee Stecklein (4) 19:44 1–1 OT MIN Britta Curl-Salemme (3) Mellissa Channell-Watkins (4), Claire Thompson (4) 16:24 2–1 MIN
Penalty summary Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM 1st OTT Tereza Vanišová Holding 04:32 2:00 2nd OTT Ronja Savolainen Illegal body checking 09:09 2:00 MIN Michela Cava Tripping 11:16 2:00 OTT Taylor House Tripping 14:22 2:00 3rd MIN Claire Thompson Interference 01:42 2:00 OTT Tereza Vanišová Hooking 06:34 2:00 OTT Tereza Vanišová Tripping 19:23 2:00 OT None
Shots by period Team 1 2 3 OT Total 3 6 10 5 24 8 16 6 8 38 Power play opportunities Team Goals/Opportunities Minnesota 1/5 Ottawa 0/2 Three star selectionsTeamPlayerStatistics 1st MIN Britta Curl-Salemme 2 goals 2nd MIN Maddie Rooney 37 saves 3rd OTT Jocelyne Larocque 1 goal
Game three
Scoring summary Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score 1st OTT Emily Clark (3) Gabbie Hughes (3), Ashton Bell (1) 11:38 1–0 OTT 2nd MIN Lee Stecklein (4) Claire Thompson (5) 02:58 1–1 3rd None OT None 2OT None 3OT MIN Katy Knoll (2) Klára Hymlárová (3), Sophie Jaques (5) 09:57 2–1 MIN
Penalty summary Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM 1st OTT Brianne Jenner Holding the stick 14:49 2:00 2nd MIN Grace Zumwinkle Roughing 08:06 2:00 3rd MIN Lee Stecklein Holding 03:56 2:00 OTT Jocelyne Larocque Roughing 06:32 2:00 MIN Liz Schepers Cross-checking 09:17 2:00 OT None 2OT OTT Rebecca Leslie Hooking 08:37 2:00 3OT MIN Claire Thompson Cross-checking 06:51 2:00
Shots by period Team 1 2 3 OT 2OT 3OT Total 2 7 6 5 11 5 36 10 10 4 8 11 4 47 Power play opportunities Team Goals/Opportunities Ottawa 0/4 Minnesota 0/3 Three star selectionsTeamPlayerStatistics 1st MIN Katy Knoll 1 goal 2nd MIN Maddie Rooney 35 saves 3rd OTT Gwyneth Philips 45 saves
Game four
After a scoreless first period, Minnesota's Kelly Pannek put the Frost on the board midway through the second, slotting a goal over the left shoulder of Ottawa goaltender Gwyneth Philips from close range, receiving a cross-ice feed from Claire Thompson. In the third period, the Charge staved off elimination with a goal from Tereza Vanišová, after Danielle Serdachny drove behind the Frost's net and centered the puck, giving Vanišová a chance which she capitalized on, tying the game 1–1 with just under ten minutes to play. In overtime, both teams had chances. 12 minutes into the extra period, Liz Schepers fired a shot from close range that found the net past Philips and secured the Minnesota Frost's second PWHL title in a row.
Scoring summary Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score 1st None 2nd MIN Kelly Pannek (2) Claire Thompson (6), Grace Zumwinkle (3) 10:10 1–0 MIN 3rd OTT Tereza Vanišová (1) Danielle Serdachny (2), Jocelyne Larocque (3) 10:09 1–1 OT MIN Liz Schepers (2) Katy Knoll (3), Klára Hymlárová (4) 12:00 2–1 MIN
Penalty summary Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM 1st MIN Dominique Petrie Tripping 12:05 2:00 OTT Ronja Savolainen Cross-checking 19:42 2:00 2nd None 3rd None OT OTT Gabbie Hughes Roughing 08:01 2:00 MIN Natalie Buchbinder Roughing 08:01 2:00
Shots by period Team 1 2 3 OT Total 12 11 7 4 34 12 14 10 2 38 Power play opportunities Team Goals/Opportunities Ottawa 0/1 Minnesota 0/1 Three star selectionsTeamPlayerStatistics 1st MIN Liz Schepers 1 goal 2nd MIN Maddie Rooney 33 saves 3rd MIN Kelly Pannek 1 goal
Team rosters Minnesota Frost
Ottawa Charge
Media In Canada, the series aired on TSN in English and RDS in French. In the U.S., the series was shown on FanDuel Sports Network North.
References