Hockey News Roundup 05/21/25
I want to apologize this was supposed to be out on Monday, but things offline keep happening, so I have had to keep pushing this article back. The big hang-up was finishing off the section on the 2018 Canada WJC trial. It’s a very important story and I wanted to make I covered it correctly. Unfortunately, I have had zero time to just sit down and do so. As a result of that, and the fact that I don’t want to keep pushing this article back more days, I will not be covering it. Especially because I once again don’t have time to do much writing today. I’m sorry. If you want to know what you missed, here are links to articles covering the trial:
May 5, May 6, May 7, May 8, May 9, May 12, May 13, May 14 (pt. 1), May 14 (pt. 2), May 15, Details on a old story, Jury discharged again, what the jury didn’t hear
PWHL Playoffs
The first round of the PWHL playoffs is over. Starting with the series featuring the #1 seed, Montréal Victoire, they chose to face off against the Ottawa Charge. Unfortunately for them, they would lose to the Charge in four games (it was a best-of-5 series). Their only win was in game two, which required four overtime periods to achieve. It was the longest game in PWHL history at 135:33 minutes. This achievement happened exactly one year after the record was first set: May 11, 2024, in a semifinal match between Boston and Montréal. That match lasted 111:44, or three overtime periods. Ann-Renée Desbiens of the Victoire made a league record of 63 in the game.
Now, how about the Charge? They took game one, 3-2, in their first-ever playoff appearance. Shiann Darkangelo scored the game-winner about halfway through the third period. Game three ended in a 1-0 win, Gwyneth Philips getting the 26-save shutout win. She is the first rookie goaltender in league history to get a shutout in the playoffs. Mannon McMahon scored the sole goal in the match. In game four, the Charge won 2-1 in front of their fans to clinch a spot in the PWHL Finals. Rebecca Leslie and Emily Clark were the two goal scorers for the Charge.
The other series was between the Minnesota Frost and Toronto Sceptres. It also took four games and resulted in an underdog win. The Frost will get the chance to defend their title after winning three straight games to eliminate the Sceptres. So, as you probably guess, Toronto won game one largely due to Julia Gosling scoring twice in a 3-2 win. That wasn’t the big story to come out of the game, though. Frost forward Britta Curl-Salemme committed an illegal check to the head against Toronto’s Renata Fast and would be suspended for game two. As it turns out, Curl-Salemme wouldn’t be needed anyway, as the Frost would win 5-3. It was defender Lee Stecklein who led them to victory, scoring twice and having an assist. Taylor Heise also pitched in with two assists. Game three was not a good one for those who enjoy watching good defense. The final score was 7-5, Minnesota won. Michela Cava and Brooke McQuigge both had multiple goals for the Frost, while Taylor Heise had three assists. Game four would require overtime, but ended in a 4-3 Minnesota win. Taylor Heise scored the game-winner. This came after a strong comeback effort as the Sceptres had a 2-0 lead halfway through regulation. Kendall Coyne Schofield scored twice in the win.
Adam Foote was hired as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks…Former Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet was hired to be head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers…Joel Quenneville was hired as head coach of the Anaheim Ducks…The LA Kings fired general manager Rob Blake and replaced him with Ken Holland…The New York Islanders will pick #1 overall in the 2025 NHL Draft…The Greensboro Gargoyles will be the ECHL affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes…The Utah Hockey Club has been renamed as the Utah Mammoth and will retain the same color scheme…Matt Turek will be the new general manager of the Belleville Senators in the AHL…The AHL division finals are underway, and the matchups are: Texas vs. Milwaukee, Abbotsford vs. Colorado, Charlotte vs. Hershey, and Rochester vs. Laval…In the ECHL, the Allen Americans are bringing back Steve Martinson as head coach and general manager, the winningest coach in team history…Kelly Cup conference finals underway, and in the East it’s Florida vs. Trois-Rivières and in the West it’s Toledo vs. Kansas City…In the IIHF Men’s World Championship, Sven Andrighetto of Switzerland scored four straight goals in a match against Germany…Another impressive feat was Teuvo Teräväinen of Finland making six assists in a match against Slovenia…The 2025 PWHL Awards ceremony will be held on June 25 at 11:30 am EDT.
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