PWHL Players of the Week: Heise, Morin, Ahola shine in exciting week of action
In another thrilling week of play across the PWHL, a few players stood out with some significant performances.
From piling up points to racking up big saves, these three players were difference-makers for their teams over the past seven days, as the battles for playoff positioning continue to heat up heading toward the Olympic break.
Taylor Heise, F (Minnesota Frost)
It can be tough to stand out on a team that has the best offense in the league. However, Taylor Heise did her part to help power the Frost to a couple of big victories last week.
In Minnesota’s 6-2 beating of the Seattle Torrent last Sunday, the PWHL’s first-ever draft pick had a significant hand in the win. Her second goal of the season was part of a three-goal third period of the two-time defending Walter Cup champions. Heise also added a pair of assists in the contest.
A nice play along the boards by Abby Hustler and some great neutral zone puck support by Taylor Heise and Britta Curl-Salemme spring Heise for a partial breakaway. She did not miss. 4-1 Frost
Then, on Friday night in Newark, Heise had two more helpers in a hard-fought overtime victory over the New York Sirens, with Heise feeding captain Kendall Coyne Schofield for the game-winner.
Taylor Heise feeds Kendall Coyne Schofield for the OT winner in NY!
Heise led all skaters with five points in the week that was, giving her four multi-point performances this season. With six points in her past three games, the 25-year-old now sits tied for third in the league with 12 points.
Sidney Morin, D (Minnesota Frost)
In that sizeable win over the Torrent last week, Sidney Morin made an impact at both ends of the rink. Along with being a solid presence in her own zone, the Minnetonka, Minn. native helped out on the offensive end as well. Morin picked up three assists in the victory, two of which were primary helpers, including a nice long pass to set up Katy Knoll’s second goal of the game.
Katy Knoll with another highlight reel goal, this time sneaking behind the #SeaTorrent and finding herself alone in front. The Frost are pouring it on. 5-1 now. Woof.
Last Sunday marked just the second multi-point game of Morin’s career, and her first since last January with the Boston Fleet. The outing more than doubled Morin’s point total on the season, as she now has five assists in 12 games. She’s on pace to at least match her career-best performance from last season, where she posted three goals and eight points in 30 games with the Fleet.
Sanni Ahola, G (Ottawa Charge)
It hasn’t been a thrilling rookie season so far for Sanni Ahola, but she was definitely feeling better after last Sunday. The Finnish netminder was playing just her second game of the season and first since being activated off long-term injured reserve. After battling injury and illness for weeks, Ahola delivered a performance against the league-leading Fleet that showed why she’s been Suomi’s No. 1 netminder for years.
Ahola met Boston’s best chances head-on, including facing 12 shots in the third period. Yet, she only gave up one goal in 60 minutes, enough to give the Charge a point. However, that wasn’t enough. After a couple of stops in overtime, the 25-year-old came up clutch in the shootout, helping the Charge grab a 2-1 win, extending the team’s win streak to six.
While Gwyneth Philips is still the consensus starter in Ottawa, it has to be assuring for head coach Carla MacLeod to know she can rely on Ahola to steal a game when the American star needs a night off.