Lee Stecklein leads Frost past Sceptres 5-3; best-of-five series tied 1-1

Minnesota Frost goaltender Maddie Rooney (35) makes a save against the Toronto Sceptres during second period PWHL playoff hockey action in Toronto on Friday, May 9, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

TORONTO — Defender Lee Stecklein enjoyed a two-goal, three-point outing and Sophie Jacques scored the winner to help the Minnesota Frost defeat the Toronto Sceptres 5-3 on Friday.

Jacques, who hails from Toronto, beat Sceptres goalie Kristin Campbell off the rush with 6:13 left to play to square the Professional Women’s Hockey League first-round best-of-five series at 1-1.

Michela Cava and Mellissa Channell-Wadkins had the other goals for the defending champion Frost.

Hayley Scamurra, Savanah Harmon and Allie Munroe scored the Sceptres’ goals.

Toronto outshot the visitors 30-25, but Maddie Rooney was solid in goal for the Frost with 27 saves. Campbell made 20 stops.

The Sceptres enjoyed a 1-0 lead on Scamurra’s shot from the side boards that deflected off Minnesota defender Channell-Wadkins in the first period.

Minnesota roared back with three goals to begin the second period, including a power-play marker from Stecklein, only to see the Sceptres tie the game with late-period goals from Harmon on the power play and Munroe from a bad angle on the next shift.

Channell-Wadkins added a power-play goal with 71 seconds remaining in Game 2.

Takeaways

Frost: The PWHL handed forward Britta Curl-Salemme a one-game suspension for her second-period head check on Toronto defender Renata Fast.

Sceptres: Head coach Troy Ryan added rookie defender Rylind MacKinnon in favour of forward Laura Kluge.

Key moment

Tennis trailblazer Billie Jean King was among the 7,659 at Coca-Cola Coliseum. The 81-year-old Hall of Famer received a lengthy standing ovation during a timeout midway through the second period for her part in helping launch the PWHL last year.

Key stat

Harmon and Munroe scored 27 seconds apart late in the second period to pull Toronto even at 3-3.

Up next

The series moves to Minnesota for Game 3 on Sunday. If necessary, the fourth game will be in Minnesota on Wednesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 9, 2025.

Tim Wharnsby, The Canadian Press