PWHL MINNESOTA GAMEDAY

3 p.m., Saturday at Boston at Tsongas Center

TV: BSNX

Pregame reading: Kendall Coyne Schofield, seeking a league of her own, made the call that led to the PWHL.

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Jerry Zgoda's preview:

Opening bell: The teams get another look at each other after the Jan. 3 season opener at Boston. Minnesota won that first one 3-2, holding on when the home team's Megan Keller scored with fewer than three minutes left to get within a goal. No. 1 overall pick Taylor Heise, Sophia Kunin and Grace Zumwinkle scored for Minnesota. ... The Minnesota team fell out of first place into second place after Montreal leapfrogged them with Wednesday's 2-1 loss at Xcel Energy Center. ... Theresa Schafzahl's goal with 52 seconds left in regulation beat Ottawa 3-2 on the road to Boston in third place on Wednesday. ... Minnesota's goaltender tandem of Maddie Rooney and Nicole Hensley are third and fourth in save percentage, at .943 for Hensley and .941 for Rooney. Boston's Aerin Frankel is fifth at .925. Hensley is 3-1 in her four games started. Rooney has started twice. ... Minnesota concludes a quick two-day road trip Sunday at noon in New York.

Watch them: Boston forward Alina Müller leads the league in assists with six and is tied for second in scoring with seven points in five games. She's a Swiss national-team member and two-time Olympian (2014, 2018). ... Minnesota captain Kendall Coyne Schofield played collegiate hockey not far away at Northeastern University in Boston. She is one of six Patty Kazmaier trophy winners among the two rosters. The others: Boston's Jamie Lee Rattray (2014), Loren Gabel (2019) and Frankel (2021) and Minnesota's Taylor Heise (2022). ... Minnesota's Denisa Krizová played at Northeastern as well.

Forecast: There are five Minnesotans on the Boston roster looking for payback from that season-opening loss to their home state team: Warroad's Gigi Martin, playing on Hockey Day in Minnesota, Vadnais Heights' Hannah Brandt, Blaine's Emily Brown and Minnetonka's Sidney Morin. Will that give them the edge this time?