Minnesota Frost's Michela Cava (86) shoots on Toronto Sceptres goaltender Kristen Campbell (50) during first period PWHL hockey action on Saturday, December 7, 2024.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

TORONTO - The Minnesota Frost delivered an early-season message to opponents that they're poised to defend the Walter Cup.

The Frost doubled the host Toronto Sceptres 6-3 on Saturday for their second win in three games to start the second Professional Women's Hockey League season.

The Sceptres twice tied the game and pulled ahead briefly in the second period, but the Frost countered with four unanswered goals in front of 7,584 at Coca-Cola Coliseum.

Britta Curl-Salemme and Michaela Cava each scored twice for Minnesota in its first meeting with Toronto since rallying from an 0-2 deficit in last season's playoffs to win a semifinal series three games to two.

The Frost went on to beat the Boston Fleet for the inaugural Walter Cup.

"We've seen what it takes to win now and we want that feeling again," Frost forward Taylor Heise said.

Curl-Salemme produced both the tying goal a minute after Toronto grabbed a 3-2 lead late in the second period, and the game-winner in the third period.

Cava added two more goals, including the empty-netter.

"Britta scored a couple of big goals, but we had a lot of players making plays," Frost coach Ken Klee said. "Every line was making plays. Every line was going, so it's a lot of fun."

It was less fun for the Sceptres after Daryl Watts scored a spectacular goal with a deke to put Toronto in front 3-2 with 2:19 remaining in the second period.

Curl-Salemme knocked in a shot from the slot to tie the game a minute later and then deposited the winner when she drifted a shot from the sideboards midway through the third period after her initial attempt was blocked.

"I tried to make a centring pass to the back door," Curl-Salemme said. "I believe it hit a skate. Then I just whacked it at the net. It got a good bounce, so you take it."

Minnesota goalie Maddie Rooney stopped 21 shots for the win. Her Toronto counterpart Kristen Campbell made 30 saves as the Frost outshot the Sceptres 36-24.

"The way the end of that second period went with us scoring a goal and getting high and then them scoring a goal, that's ultimately where the game was won for them and lost for us, not able to rebound and respond from that shift in momentum," Toronto coach Troy Ryan said. "And a lot of times that can cost you a game."

Claire Butorac and Dominique Petrie also scored for Minnesota (2-0-1).

Watts, Victoria Bach and Jesse Compher countered for the Sceptres (1-0-2).

Cava's first of the game gave the visitors a two-goal advantage with just over five minutes remaining before she added the empty-net goal.

Minnesota grabbed a 1-0 lead when a loose puck squirted to Butorac at the side of Sceptres' goal at 2:50 of the first period.

Compher evened the score at 8:23 when she knocked in a rebound from Rylind MacKinnon's point shot.

Petrie pounced on a loose puck in front for a second-period power-play goal at 5:35. Sceptres forward Victoria Bach drew the hosts even again at 12:05 when she tipped a Renata Fast shot by Rooney.

The left-shooting Watts made a spectacular deke to her forehand to score after a giveaway by Frost defender Sophie Jacques, but then Curl-Salemme went to work.

Former University of British Columbia defender MacKinnon, one of only two Canadian university players in the PWHL (New York Emmy Fecteau from Concordia is the other), has two assists in her first three games.

Minnesota defender Maggie Flaherty serving the first of a two-game suspension for a headshot on Boston’s Alina Mueller opened the door for Mae Batherson to make her PWHL debut. The younger sister of Ottawa Senators forward Drake Batherson grew up in Nova Scotia, but was born in Germany where her father Norm finished his pro career.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 7, 2024.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2024