Heise scores 2 goals as Minnesota beats Toronto 4
TORONTO (AP) — Taylor Heise scored twice, including tiebreaking goal in the third period, as Minnesota beat Toronto 4-1 on Friday night to advance to the PWHL’s Walter Cup final.
Denisa Krizova and Sophia Kunin also scored for Minnesota, which fell behind 2-0 in the series before winning three straight. Maddie Rooney stopped 27 shots.
Minnesota will take on Boston in the six-team league’s inaugural Walter Cup final. The best-of-five series opens Sunday in Boston.
Rebecca Leslie scored for Toronto, which finished first in the standings, 12 points clear of Minnesota. Kristen Campbell made 27 saves.
Toronto was missing veteran star forward Natalie Spooner, who led the league in both goals and points in the regular season, after she suffered a season-ending knee injury in Game 3.
Heise, the top pick in September’s first-ever PWHL draft, scored the winner past Campbell’s glove on a power play at 8:30 of the third after Canadian national team defender Jocelyne Larocque was penalized for hooking.