Boston holds off Minnesota 4-3 in Game 1 of PWHL finals

Jess Healey scored the tiebreaking goal late in the second period as Boston held off Minnesota 4-3 in Game 1 of the inaugural best-of-five PWHL finals in Lowell, Mass.

Taylor Wenczkowski, Hannah Brandt and Susanna Tapani also scored for Boston, while Megan Keller and Emily Brown each chipped in a pair of assists. Goaltender Aerin Frankel made 30 saves on 33 shots in the win.

Taylor Heise posted three points (two goals, one assist) for Minnesota, which will try to even the finals in Game 2 on Tuesday in Lowell. Michela Cava finished with a goal and two assists and goaltender Maddie Rooney stopped 18 of 22 shots for Minnesota.

Fifteen seconds after Heise tied the game at 3-3, Healey notched an unassisted goal from the point with 2:35 left in the second period.

Minnesota struck first as Cava, who took a backhand pass from Heise, went behind Boston's net and put a wraparound goal in past Frankel 4:38 into the game.

Just 2 1/2 minutes later, Tapani -- who scored a pair of overtime goals in the first round - gathered the rebound of Brown's shot from the point and backhanded it past Rooney to tie it at 1-1.

Minnesota again took the lead in the second as Cava found Heise, who skated in from the high slot and wristed one in eight minutes into the period. Once again, Boston evened it up as Wenczkowski scored from the slot.

Boston took its first lead of the game at 15:11 of the second on Brandt's goal. Heise pulled the visitors even at 3-3 less than two minutes later, setting the stage for Healey's eventual game-winner.

--Field Level Media