The PWHL playoffs are heating up, and the Minnesota Frost are making a serious statement. After claiming the Walter Cup last season, this team is trending upward once again—and a new star is emerging on the blue line.
Last year, it was Lee Stecklein who stole the show. Already known as one of the league's top defensive defenders, she surprised everyone by leading all playoff scorers with eight points in eight games—a huge leap from her regular-season production of just nine points in 30 games. That performance earned her serious MVP consideration.
This season, it's Sidney Morin's turn to shine.
The 2018 Olympic gold medalist has been on an absolute tear. Through four playoff games, she leads all players with four points—and all four are goals. To put that in perspective: in 92 career PWHL games (regular season and playoffs combined), Morin had scored just four goals total. Now she's matched that mark in just four postseason games.
Her offensive outburst is reminiscent of her time playing in Sweden and Switzerland, where she showed flashes of this scoring touch. Even during her NCAA days at Minnesota-Duluth, she never put up numbers like these. As my colleague Ian Kennedy put it: "Who is Sidney Morin, and what has she done with Sidney Morin?"
Friday night was a perfect example of her impact. Just four minutes into the game, she completely flipped the momentum, giving Minnesota the lead. Montreal was only 12 minutes away from reaching its first PWHL Final, but Morin had other plans.
Montreal is famous for its traffic jams, but on Friday night, the Frost created their own kind of congestion—right in front of Ann-Renee Desbiens' net. The Montreal goaltender looked visibly frustrated as Minnesota executed their game plan to perfection: create chaos in front of the net, fire pucks through bodies, and make life miserable for the opposing goalie.
On Morin's first goal alone, there were at least eight players between her and Desbiens, including three Frost forwards screening the goalie. It was a masterclass in playoff hockey, and a clear sign that the Minnesota Frost are built to challenge for their third straight Walter Cup.