Kelly Pannek has 2 goals, 2 assists as Frost clinch playoff spot with 6-5 victory over Goldeneyes
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) โ Kelly Pannek had two goals and two assists to pad her PWHL-leading points total and help the Minnesota Frost hold off the Vancouver Goldeneyes 6-5 on Saturday, snapping a three-match losing streak and clinching a spot in the postseason for the two-time defending champions.
Pannek scored twice on power plays in the third period to give Minnesota (12-3-4-6) a 6-4 lead. She tops the league with 14 goals and 28 points with five matches left in the regular season. Pannek had seven goals through her first two seasons.
Sarah Nurse redirected a shot by former Frost standout Sophie Jacques just 1:18 into the match to give Vancouver a 1-0 lead. It was the earliest goal this season for the Goldeneyes, who had posted regulation victories the previous five times they scored first. Pannek used a no-look backward pass to set up Grace Zumwinkle in front of the net for her career-high 12th goal of the season, tying it 1-1 at 9:05.
Pannek's 14 assists this season is a career high. Minnesota took a 2-1 lead with 2:21 left in the first when Katy Knoll scored her seventh goal โ with assists from Lee Stecklein and Pannek. But Tereza Vaniลกovรก beat Frost goaltender Nicole Hensley one on one to tie it and Jacques gave the Goldeneyes a 3-2 lead when she scored on a power play.
The two clubs combined for three goals in 40 seconds. Vancouver took a two-goal lead 3:30 into the second period on Jenn Gardiner's fourth goal. Mae Batherson scored her third goal, and Taylor Heise followed with her 10th โ on a power-play 1:18 later โ to even it 4-4 at 13:25 and the tie stood heading to the final period.