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The Sceptres’ five goals were the first road goals in team history. 

Only five Minnesota players failed to make the scoresheet in a contest that broke the PWHL record for most goals in a game. The Frost’s fourth line started things off when centre Liz Schepers scored on a breakaway two and a half minutes into the game. 

The Frost blitzed º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøearly with heavy forechecks and speedy breakouts. Minnesota scored their second seven minutes into the game when Brooke McQuigge tucked one in from the right hash marks. Then Lee Stecklein, the defender that potted two goals in Game 2, jumped up in the rush and wired a wrist shot past Sceptres goalie Kristen Campbell. Three of the Frost’s first five shots found the back of the net.

“If you’re putting yourself in a situation where you’ve gotta chase them, it’s an uphill battle,” Sceptres coach Troy Ryan said.

After getting jumped on early, Ryan jumbled the lines, which led to goals from Daryl Watts at the end of the first period and Maggie Connors at the start of the second.

º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøwas able to get within one goal on two occasions but could never draw even as the Frost kept finding goals off sloppy defensive play. 

Campbell struggles

Campbell looked solid in the Sceptres’ Game 1 win but has struggled to find that form in the two losses. She stopped just 17 of 24 shots after allowing five goals in Game 2, including three in the third period. 

Just as the Sceptres were crawling back Sunday, Sophie Jacques’ shot from the blue line fluttered past Campbell after the puck hit her glove. 

“Obviously we’d like (Campbell) to make a save and bail us out on some of those,” Ryan said, blaming teamwide errors for the flurry of goals.

Nothing special 

One of the keys going into the playoff battle was the Sceptres’ league leading power-play. º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøscored nearly a third of its goals while up a man this season, while Minnesota was the league’s worst penalty-killing team at 78.4 per cent. But the Sceptres failed to convert on two power plays Sunday.

Road woes

º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøhas yet to win a playoff game away from home. The Sceptres limped to the finish last season, losing both games in Minnesota and scoring just one goal in the final three games of the series. They now have to beat the ghosts of their playoff past and win Game 4 in Minnesota to extend their season.