Sidney Morin’s 2 goals, Kelly Pannek’s empty-netter help Frost beat Victoire 3-1 to force Game 5

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Defender Sidney Morin scored two goals in the third period, Kelly Pannek added an empty-netter with 1:07 left, and the Minnesota Frost beat the Montreal Victoire 3-1 on Friday night to force a winner-take-all Game 5 in the PWHL playoffs.

Minnesota improved to 5-0 in the playoffs when facing elimination, with the previous four coming in its 2024 Walter Cup run. The Frost are also 4-1 in Game 4 history.

Morin’s shot from near the blue line got past Ann-Renée Desbiens for the second game in a row to tie it at 1-all with 11:55 left in the third.

Then Minnesota scored a power-play goal for the first time since Game 1 to take a 2-1 lead. Morin’s fourth goal of the playoffs came from the top of the left faceoff circle with 7:59 left.

Morin entered the playoffs with just four career goals in 84 regular-season games — none coming this season.

Pannek, the leading goal scorer during the regular season with 33, scored from the Minnesota’s end of the rink.

Montreal scored the first goal of the game just 1:13 into the third on Maureen Murphy’s first goal of the playoffs. Hayley Scamurra sent a wraparound shot off the pads of goaltender Maddie Rooney and Murphy knocked in the rebound.

Montreal entered 19-3 this season when scoring first.

Up next

Montreal hosts Minnesota on Monday for a spot in the Walter Cup finals.

___

AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey

The Associated Press