In February, Minnesota and Boston traded players. In the first two games of the PWHL Finals, the two teams have traded wins with the players in the league’s first trade making a difference for each team.

Minnesota avenged a game one loss to Boston to even the PWHL Finals at a game apiece with a 3-0 victory Tuesday night.

Michela Cava scored her second goal in as many games and Sophie Jacques scored twice to lead Minnesota to the Game 2 win. Jacques was acquired from Boston in February in the PWHL’s first-ever trade when Minnesota sent Susanna Tapani and Abby Cook. Jacques was the 2023 Patty Kazmaier Award winner, given to college hockey’s top player. Since joining Minnesota, she scored two goals and added eight assists in 17 games. She doubled that total with a pair of tallies Tuesday night. More importantly, she helped even the series.

“Coming in here we knew we had to get one win on the road. And I think we played really well today coming back from Sunday’s game,” Jacques said following the game. 

Tapani scored a big goal in the opening game as Boston edged Minnesota 4-3 to take a 1-0 series lead. But Tapani and the rest of her team couldn’t solve Minnesota goalie Nicole Hensley, who stopped all 20 shots that came her way on Tuesday.

Minnesota has three shutouts in their seven playoff games. Maddie Rooney had started the previous four games for Minnesota.

“We have two great goalies,” said Minnesota Head Coach Ken Klee. “All year we’ve kind of rotated back and forth. Obviously, Maddie [Rooney] got hot in the first round so it was tough to take her out, but we knew we could go back to Nicole [Hensley] at any point, and she would be ready to go. And obviously, she played fantastic for us tonight.” 

Cava and Jacques scored first-period goals two minutes apart for a 2-0 lead. Neither team could find the back of the net for the second period and much of the third. Finally, Jacques scored an empty-netter to seal the win and send the series back to Minnesota Friday tied 1-1.

“I thought it was a great game,” said Boston head Coach Courtney Kessel. “They capitalized and we didn’t. You can’t come into a championship thinking you’re just going to sweep, so we’re ready for a battle and that’s what we saw tonight.” 

Game 3 will be at the XCEL Energy Center. Puck drop is 6 p.m. With Minnesota’s win, there is also a guarantee of of a Game 4 which will also be played at the XCEL Energy Center on Sunday at 5 p.m.

Tickets for Friday’s game can be purchased at: https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0600607BD47F5D74?utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8-vHgAgemrtU7rQqID9qxqZHhePNSYpbj4JhSaKuvGyfoPGgl_CgCRCbEOEPkhmMV0OLPJfcEE3Et6WuCqCR4jGmkdRQ&_hsmi=308161301&utm_content=308161301&utm_source=hs_email

Michela Cava and Sophie Jaques scored less than two minutes apart late in the first period and Minnesota beat Boston 3-0 on Tuesday night to even the PWHL championship series at a game apiece.

Nicole Hensley made 20 saves in relief of Maddie Rooney, who was in net the previous five games, two of them shutouts.

“It feels amazing (to get the shutout),” Hensley said. “Obviously Maddie has been carrying our team, it’s nice to be able to help out our team and give her a little break. It’s huge to get a split on the road, that’s what you’re looking to do in the playoffs. I’m excited to get back to Minnesota and our fans.”

The Walter Cup series moves to Minnesota for the next two games, the first on Friday night.

Cava opened the scoring at 14:25 with her second playoff goal. That was quickly followed by Jaques skating in from the point before letting a wrist shot fly from the faceoff circle to beat Aerin Frankel at 16:21.

Jaques added an empty-netter with 2 1/2 minutes left as Minnesota ended Boston’s streak of six-straight wins and 12-straight one-goal games, including four in the playoffs.

Frankel made 20 saves.

It’s not that “Find Your True North” isn’t a fine tourism slogan. It’s just that the NBA’s Anthony Edwards has Minnesotans thinking about a three-word alternative: “Bring ya ass.” The Minnesota Timberwolves star inadvertently created a viral sensation when talking with NBA TV analyst Charles Barkley after a playoff series win Sunday night:

• Barkley: “I have not been to Minnesota in probably 20 years.”
• Edwards: “Bring ya ass.” (Watch the moment here, via TNT.)

The phrase then took off on social media, notes the Minneapolis Star Tribune. The agency Explore Minnesota Tourism quickly made use of it (with asterisks) in a tweet, and the URL BringYaAss.com now redirects to Explore Minnesota’s website, reports USA Today and Axios. Even Gov. Tim Walz jokingly took notice.

This isn’t the first time Edwards has sung the praises of his adopted state. In an interview with Vanity Fair earlier this year, he said New York and Los Angeles were “cool,” but “they ain’t better than Minnesota.” Meanwhile, Edwards and the Timberwolves will remain in the spotlight a little longer: They play Dallas in the Western Conference finals starting Wednesday night, per NBA.com. (More Minnesota stories.)