The Vancouver Goldeneyes lost their last game before the Olympic break on Wednesday (Jan. 28).
The Minnesota Frost defeated Vancouver 4-1 at the Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, MN, in front of a crowd of 5,249.
The Frost secured the lead early with three goals in the first period, with goals by rookie Kendall Cooper, Britta Curl-Salemme and Kelly Pannek. Curl-Salemme scored again in the third period on an empty net, while goaltender Maddie Rooney saved 31 of 32 shots on goal.
Kendall Cooper said, “It feels good to score my first goal. It started with a great forecheck from Katy [Knoll] and her line getting going. For some reason I was down low and it just bounced to me, so it was nice to get the goal and get that off my back.”
Vancouver’s Michelle Karvinen scored the lone goal for the Goldeneyes in the second period, with an assist by Sarah Nurse.
Goldeneyes Head Coach Brian Idalski said about the goal, “Nurse made a great pass and [Karvinen] was able to cash in on that. I’m looking forward to that group post-Olympics and as they build more chemistry and get a little bit more comfortable with each other.”
Nurse has now matched her career-points streak with her “second assist and sixth point of the season across five consecutive games.”
Goldeneyes goaltender Kristen Campbell saved 18 of 21 shots on net.
The Goldeneyes now sit in 6th place in the standings with 19 points (5-1-2-8).
Vancouver’s next game is on March 1 at home against the Toronto Sceptres.
Three Vancouver players, Mellissa Channell-Watkins, Sophie Jaques and Claire Thompson, were presented with their championship rings before the game, as they were members of the 2024-25 Walter Cup winning team, the Minnesota Frost.
The PWHL is now on a break for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, with 61 PWHL players named to Olympic rosters.
Eight Goldeneyes players will represent four countries at the Olympics.
Nina Jobst-Smith will play for Germany, Tereza Vanišová for Czechia, Michelle Karvinen for Finland, and Jenn Gardiner, Claire Thompson, Emerance Maschmeyer, Sophie Jaques, and Sarah Nurse for Canada.
The PWHL entered its third season on Nov. 21 with its original six teams: Toronto Sceptres, Montreal Victoire, Ottawa Charge, Minnesota Frost, Boston Fleet, and New York Sirens, along with the two new teams, Vancouver Goldeneyes and Seattle Torrent.
About the Author: Anna Burns
I cover breaking news, health care, court, Vancouver Rise FC, Vancouver Goldeneyes and social issues-related topics for the Surrey Now-Leader. anna.burns@surreynowleader.com Follow Anna on Twitter.