In the 99th minute of action, forward Alina Müller fired off her third shot of the game.
This time, it sailed past Minnesota goaltender Nicole Hensley, to win Boston Game 4 of the Walter Cup Finals and send the best-of-five series to Game 5.
Müller found linemate Theresa Schafzahl’s pass with speed and sent the puck to the top right corner of the net, past Hensley for the game-winning goal.
“It was a good forecheck and then I tried to get it off as quick as I can as high as I can,” Müller said.
On the other side of the ice, Boston goaltender Aerin Frankel stopped all 33 shots she faced. Frankel has played in seven overtime periods so far in the playoffs, allowing zero goals.
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“She’s the Green Monster,” coach Courtney Kessel said postgame. “Tremendous.”
Just a minute earlier, Minnesota’s Sophia Jaques scored what was thought to be the game-winner, but the former Boston player’s goal was overturned for goaltender interference.
“Once it got overturned, we had more power, more speed, more legs,” Müller said. “(The momentum) was on our side.”
Boston’s penalty kill was perfect, allowing no goals on ten minutes of the kill, but its power play continued to struggle. Boston had four power play opportunities, two of which came in each of the overtime periods, but could not convert. Boston has gone 0-for-16 on the power play in the playoffs.
Boston and Minnesota each finished the game with 33 shots, but Minnesota held early possession and maintained offensive zone time with plenty of dangerous and quality chances to score throughout the game.
Frankel turned all of Minnesota shots away on Sunday.
“It starts with our goaltender, and it starts with [Frankel] and just her ability to stay calm in all these ups and downs and her ability to keep us in games and win games for us,” Kessel said. “That’s what you want heading into the championship. If you have a hot goalie, you can win.”
In the first sudden-death 5-on-5 overtime period, Boston earned a couple rebounds early and controlled the puck, but Hensley stood tall in her net to stave off Boston’s flurry of shots.
The opposite was true in the second overtime period, when Minnesota controlled the game more and had more dangerous opportunities, but after the overturned call, Minnesota collapsed.
“It’s obviously deflating when you are playing a game this long and you think you score a goal and then you’re celebrating on the ice and it gets called back,” Frankel said. “Right away, we just hit the reset … we just stuck to the systems that have been working for us this year.”
Müller’s season-saving goal sends Boston to the final game of the series, where the inaugural Walter Cup will be awarded to either Boston or Minnesota on Wednesday night in front of Boston’s home crowd.
“(Müller) is just a tremendous 200-foot hockey player that can put the pick in the back of net. We’ve been waiting for it all year,” Kessel said. “Just so happy to see that happen and just watch her grow this year and in the first year with this league.”
