Stecklein stars as the Frost beat the Sceptres 5-3 in Game 2 of their PWHL playoff series

TORONTO (AP) — Lee Stecklein had two goals and an assist to help the Minnesota Frost beat the Toronto Sceptres 5-3 on Friday night in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.

Sophie Jacques, who hails from Toronto, snapped a 3-3 tie when she beat Sceptres goalie Kristin Campbell off the rush with 6:13 left to play. Mellissa Channell-Watkins added a power-play goal with 71 seconds remaining.

The Frost bounced back nicely after losing 3-2 in Game 1 on Wednesday night. Game 3 of the best-of-five PWHL semifinal series is at Minnesota on Sunday night.

Michela Cava also scored for the defending champion Frost. Maddie Rooney made 27 saves.

Hayley Scamurra, Savanah Harmon and Allie Munroe scored for the Sceptres. Campbell stopped 20 shots.

The Sceptres grabbed a 1-0 lead on Scamurra’s shot from the side boards that deflected off Channell-Watkins in the first period.

Minnesota roared back with three goals to begin the second period, including a power-play marker from Stecklein. But the Sceptres tied the game on late-period goals from Harmon on the power play and Munroe from a bad angle on the next shift.

Takeaways

Frost: The PWHL handed forward Britta Curl-Salemme a one-game suspension for her second-period head check on Toronto defender Renata Fast.

Sceptres: Coach Troy Ryan added rookie defender Rylind MacKinnon in favor of forward Laura Kluge.

Key moment

Tennis trailblazer Billie Jean King was among the 7,659 at Coca-Cola Coliseum. The 81-year-old Hall of Famer received a lengthy standing ovation during a timeout midway through the second period for her part in helping launch the PWHL last year.

Key stat

Harmon and Munroe scored 27 seconds apart late in the second period to pull Toronto even.

Up next

The series moves to Minnesota for Game 3.

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AP Women’s Hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey