When the Frost score early in games, they typically find themselves in the win column, with a 5-2-1-1 record entering Wednesday night’s matchup against the Vancouver Goldeneyes.

Not only would the Frost be the first to score in this one, but they’d score big in their 4-1 victory over the Goldeneyes, giving themselves a mini winning streak going into the Winter Olympics break.

“We’re going to have a month break now, so it’s huge for us to get the points and finish the first half off the right way,” said Frost head coach Ken Klee. “I think we had a really strong first half but we know there’s a lot of work to be done.”

The Frost scoring kicked off with defender Kendall Cooper’s first career PWHL goal, just under five minutes into the game. Cooper shot the puck right past the hand of Goldeneyes goalie, Kristen Campbell, and was welcomed with a warm embrace from her teammates on the ice to celebrate the first goal in her career.

“You think about it, and as the games go on and I felt like I had a lot of chances in other games and it just wasn’t going in,” Cooper said on the pressure of getting her first goal. “So obviously you feel that internal pressure, but at the same time my teammates are great. They’re just all about growth.”

“She’s been playing really well. She’s had opportunities, hit posts, different things. I think she’s been right there. For her, I think it’s just a weight off her back and I hope she can relax a little bit, have fun and shoot pucks,” Klee said.

The Frost wouldn’t get another goal until closer to the end of the 1st period, with Britta Curl-Salemme getting her sixth goal of the season at with just over two and half minutes left. Then with a second left in the 1st period, Kelly Pannek scored her seventh goal of the year on a power play, to make it 3-0 Frost at the buzzer.

Despite allowing a goal in the second period, Frost goalie Maddie Rooney had an impressive save, after an impressive save in this one, preventing 19 of 20 shots on goal from getting past her. Goals have slipped here and there past Rooney all season, but the help from her lines has helped her state of mind.

“I wasn’t happy where I started in the season, which as goal support I take some of that on my shoulders too,” said Rooney. “But these past few games, like he [Klee] alluded to, it’s a lot easier to play when we get up three goals like today. But I think just having that confidence in myself and knowing there’s going to be ups and downs and just having confidence in my team as they do in me.”

The Frost fans kept cheering her name, ‘Rooney, Rooney,’ after every highlight reel save at the net. Even without any goals from the Frost in the second period, it gave them the momentum they needed to keep the lead and get another goal from Curl-Salemme to cap off the 4-1 win.

“It’s awesome. The chant makes me laugh a little bit, but it’s so fun to play at Grand Casino Arena, and the fans we have are great. The energy is just unmatched,” said Rooney.

With a mini-two game wining streak secured going into the break, the Frost feel good about where things are set going into the second half of the PWHL season. They entered Wednesday night’s game in second place and kept their position with the four goals putting them at 28 on the season.

The Frost only trail the Boston Fleet for the top spot in the league by two points. The Frost also presented three of their 2024-25 teammates now on the Goldeneyes, Sophie Jaques, Claire Thompson, and Mellissa Channell-Watkins, with their Walter Cup Championship rings in a pre-game ceremony.

“It’s been awesome being back and just having the fans still support us,” said Jaques. “It was a really nice video and everything they did for us before the game, to be able to get our rings in person is really special.”

The Frost resume game action on March 1, and will open the second half in Montreal.

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