The Frost’s three-game homestand got off to a tough start.
Marie-Philip Poulin scored a goal in overtime and the Montreal Victoire beat the Frost 2-1 on Wednesday, Jan. 21, at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul.
Maureen Murphy also scored a goal, and Ann-Renée Desbiens had 23 saves for Montreal (5-3-0-5).
After the Frost pulled goaltender Nicole Hensley, Kelly Pannek scored a goal that made it 1-1 with 1:02 left in regulation for Minnesota (5-2-3-3), which has lost four of its last five.
The Frost host New York on Jan. 25 and Vancouver on Jan. 28 before their Olympic break. Six players from the Frost will be participating in the 2026 Games in Italy.
“I think our team can just come out with a little bit more energy,” Pannek said in a postgame news conference. “I felt like this game and in our last game in New York, we just weren’t quite as sharp as [Coach Ken Klee] alluded to, and I don’t think we had the jump that we wished we had. So again, we have a nice little chunk of time here at home where we can hopefully get a little bit of a routine. I think these next two games — six points on the line — are going to be really important ahead of the international break.”
Poulin, working from right to left, turned her back to the net and flicked a backhand shot inside the post with 1:57 left in overtime. Poulin also scored in overtime to help Montreal beat the Frost 3-2 at home Jan. 4.
Murphy scored her first goal of the season to give Montreal a 1-0 lead with 1:31 left in the second period. Nicole Gosling, low along the left board, flicked a shot on goal that Murphy redirected into the net.
