PWHL notebook: Vancouver and Seattle GMs named, and Minnesota's Curl-Salemme plays the villain in Cup final
Series tied 1-1 as Game 3 is set for Saturday in Minnesota
With less than two weeks to go before the league's expansion draft process begins, the two incoming teams in Vancouver and Seattle now have leaders to start building the puzzle from scratch.
Cara Gardner Morey, who's been head coach of the Princeton University women's hockey team since 2017, was named PWHL Vancouver's general manager on Friday.
Gardner Morey was the second-winningest coach in Princeton history, winning an Ivy League championship and the Tigers' first Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) title. She played at both Brown University and in the original National Women's Hockey League with Montreal and Brampton in the early 2000s.
"Cara brings exceptional experience at all levels of the game, a deep understanding of player development, and an unwavering passion for advancing women's sports," Jayna Hefford, the league's executive vice-president of hockey operations, said in a statement.
"Her track record at Princeton speaks for itself — instilling a strong culture, recruiting top talent, developing elite athletes, and winning championships."
Some of the players she coached and developed at Princeton include Sarah Fillier (New York), Claire Thompson (Minnesota), Maggie Connors (Toronto) and Mariah Keopple (Montreal).
Earlier this week, Meghan Turner was named general manager of PWHL Seattle. She's been the Boston Fleet's assistant general manager for the last two seasons, which means she's already put in lots of time scouting players across the league.
Like Gardner Morey, Turner is a former player, suiting up for Quinnipiac University in the NCAA, and professionally in the Canadian Women's Hockey League and Professional Women's Hockey Players Association.
WATCH | Hockey North: Who will be protected in the PWHL expansion draft?
"Meghan brings an extraordinary combination of hockey experience, strategic vision, and professionalism to PWHL Seattle," Hefford said. "During her time in Boston, Meghan distinguished herself as a big-picture thinker who quickly earned the respect of players and staff alike. She's the ideal person to lead this exciting new chapter in Seattle."
Six of eight teams in the league are now led by women as general managers.
Gardner Morey and Turner won't have much time to get settled. The six existing teams have to submit their expansion draft protection lists in less than two weeks, and after that, the new GMs will have a window to negotiate with unprotected players and free agents.
The expansion draft is set for June 9 at 8:30 p.m. ET. Here's an explainer on how it will all work.
'Minnesota Frost versus the world'
It looked like the Ottawa Charge would take a commanding 2-0 series lead over the Minnesota Frost, as the seconds ticked down on Game 2 of the PWHL Finals.
But with less than 16 seconds left to kill, Minnesota on a power play and Frost goaltender Maddie Rooney pulled, Britta Curl-Salemme tied the game.
It was Curl-Salemme who came up clutch again in overtime, scoring as she fell to the ice and securing a 2-1 win for the Frost.
In the dressing room after the game, footage posted by the Frost shows Curl-Salemme addressing her teammates. Her message was simple.
"It's Minnesota Frost versus the world," Curl-Salemme said to cheers throughout the room.
WATCH | Frost beat the Charge to tie series 1-1:
It's been a complicated rookie season for Curl-Salemme. On the ice, her size and skill have made her a key component of Minnesota's top six. She's described her game as hard-nosed, and said she likes to play physical and with grit.
But she's also crossed the line at times, earning three suspensions, including one for a hit to the head of Toronto defender Renata Fast in the semifinals.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Curl-Salemme said finding that line has been "tough at times."
"I was excited just to be able to play in a league that allows more physicality because I think it suits me," she said.
"It also is kind of like letting you go, but also holding you back a little bit. You've got to be able to find that line of how do I stay in control and do it in a way that's not going to hurt my team or an opponent."
The forward said it will take "a little bit of maturity" in her game to figure out how to play that way.
Off the ice, Curl-Salemme's social media activity, including liking a post that called Target a "perverted company" for selling LGBTQ-themed merchandise, drew criticism prior to the draft last year. In a league where a significant portion of fans are part of the LGBTQ+ community, it cut deep.
The anger from fans prompted Curl-Salemme to issue an apology, acknowledging in a video that her activity online "resulted in hurt being felt across communities including LGBTQ+ and BIPOC individuals."
Despite the apology, it's not uncommon to hear Curl-Salemme booed when she touches the puck. Those boos were loud and clear on the broadcast on Thursday, when Curl-Salemme did an interview inside Ottawa's TD Place after scoring the tying goal.
Asked on Friday if she feels like she is the league's first villain, Curl-Salemme said she's "sure some people think that."
"I try not to get too involved with outside noise or perspectives. I just don't think that's helpful for me, for our team or for what I'm trying to do on the ice. If that's the way it shakes out and I'm doing my job, and I'm doing what I'm proud of and the things that I'm supposed to be doing, then that may be it. I'm not too worried about it."
"No one's happier for her than our entire team," Klee said. "She's obviously had to deal with some adversity and stuff, and she rises above it and she just goes out and competes hard. She's a great person, a great player. We're lucky to have her."
Beyond Curl-Salemme, Maddie Rooney had spectacular night, proving that, once again, Minnesota has two solid options in net.
Rooney made 37 saves, including 16 in a second period where Minnesota was outshot 16-6.
"I think it just says a lot about our team, being down and being able to tie it with 15 seconds left, and getting the win in overtime," Rooney said.
Finding positives
Even though her team was seconds away from taking a 2-0 series lead, head coach Carla MacLeod saw a lot of positives in the loss.
Her team outshot MInnesota, propelled by players like Emily Clark, who seemed to will her way into time and space, even while on the penalty kill. A third line of Anna Meixner, Taylor House and Rebecca Leslie, with House a new addition after Kateřina Mrázová out due to injury, seemed to click well.
Veteran defender Jocelyne Larocque drew a parallel with the team's quadruple-overtime loss to Montreal in the first round. Despite the loss, there was a lot to build on, and Ottawa went on to win the series.
"It's disappointing but it doesn't break our confidence," Larocque said. "We are a confident group. We know that when we take away the other team's time and space, when we're physical, when we put pucks on net, when we let the puck do the work, that we're a great team."
Larocque, who arrived in Ottawa in December in a trade from Toronto, scored the Charge's lone goal. It was her first in an Ottawa jersey.
MacLeod, who played with Larocque and now coaches her, pointed to the defender's leadership and consistency.
"Her longevity in this industry is because everywhere she goes, she positively impacts it," MacLeod said. "She's always evolving her game."
The series now moves to Minnesota, where the Frost have an all-time 5-1 record in the postseason.
Game 3 is set for Saturday at 5 p.m. ET and Game 4 for the same time on a holiday Monday in the U.S.
Game 5, if necessary, will be in Ottawa on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
