PWHL Players of the Week: Coyne Schofield, two Goldeneyes thrive in Week 3
We’re a few weeks into the 2025-26 PWHL season, and there’s been no shortage of elite performances in the league, with fans being treated to hat tricks, shutouts and offensive bursts from the blue line.
As the season progresses, Tyler Kuehl, Ben Steiner and yours truly will rotate with who we think are the players of the week. In case you missed it, read Ben’s player rankings from Week 2.
Now it’s my turn, and in the latest edition, we look to the defending champs and Canada’s newest expansion franchise for the top performances from Week 3 of the PWHL season.
Kendall Coyne Schofield (F, Minnesota Frost)
Kendall Coyne Schofield scored four minutes into the season and hasn’t looked back. The Minnesota Frost captain has been a dominant force for the two-time defending Walter Cup champions, and that was on full display last Tuesday when she scored her first-career PWHL hat trick in a 5-1 Frost win over the Ottawa Charge.
Coyne Schofield wasted no time getting the offense going, scoring just 24 seconds into the game against the Charge. But it was early in the third period on her second goal that really showcased how talented the Minnesota forward is: Coyne Schofield entered the zone with speed, turned Charge defender Stephanie Markowski inside out, then beat Gwyneth Philips glove side to seal the win for the Frost.
A thing of beauty. Kendall Coyne Schofield with her ✌️ of the night!
Coyne Schofield now has a league-leading four goals and is tied with several players for the most points in the PWHL with five. The Frost are now 2-0-0-1 and it doesn’t look like this group will slow down anytime soon.
Sophie Jaques (D, Vancouver Goldeneyes)
The Vancouver Goldeneyes struggled to start the season, losing three of four and being held to one or no goals in those defeats. One moment that encapsulated those early issues was the second goal the Goldeneyes gave up against the Boston Fleet last Wednesday, when Vancouver defender Sophie Jaques bobbled a puck that Fleet forward Jill Saulnier grabbed and took the other way, scoring her first of the season to solidify a 2-0 win.
But the best players follow a loss with great efforts, and that’s what we saw in the Goldeneyes’ 4-0 win over the New York Sirens on Saturday. Jaques was all over the ice, recording two assists, a shot and a hit in 17:39 of ice time. Her passes out of the Vancouver zone were tape-to-tape and at no point did it feel like the Goldeneyes were ever in trouble.
2 for #22 🚨🚨
Now with a goal and two assists for three points in five games, Jaques’ 16 shots are the most among PWHL defenders, doubling second-place Ronja Savolainen. While her minus-four plus-minus rating is near the bottom of the league, expect that number to turn the other way once Jaques and her teammates find more chemistry.
Emerance Maschmeyer (G, Vancouver Goldeneyes)
Speaking of Vancouver, goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer saw some early-season struggles, giving up seven goals on 61 shots in her first two games. But after a 29-save effort in a 2-0 loss to the Fleet, Maschmeyer played her best game as a Goldeneye, stopping 28 shots and earning her first shutout of the season in a 4-0 win over the Sirens.
MASCH MONSTER HAS ENTERED THE CHAT 🥵
Not only was Maschmeyer’s paddle stop on New York forward Sarah Fillier an early save-of-the-year candidate, but there’s a case to be made that it saved the win for the Goldeneyes, as a potential game-tying goal from Fillier would have given the Sirens momentum and put Vancouver on their heels.
But like she did in Ottawa, and like she’s done for the Canadian National Team, Maschmeyer stood tall and helped the Goldeneyes earn their first regulation win in franchise history.