LOWELL, Mass. — Kendall Coyne Schofield once showed off her speed racing against the men in an NHL skills competition at All-Star Weekend.
On Wednesday night, she made a mad dash into women’s hockey history.
The three-time Olympian chased down a rolling puck and knocked it into an empty net to seal Minnesota’s 3-0 victory over Boston in the winner-take-all Game 5 to claim the inaugural championship of the Professional Women’s Hockey League.
Liz Schepers scored to break a scoreless, second-period tie, Michela Cava made it 2-0 midway through the third period and Nicole Hensley stopped 17 shots for Minnesota. Coyne Schofield added the empty netter with two minutes left, and then the captain and oldest member of the roster took the first lap on the ice with the Walter Cup.
“It makes me want to tear up thinking about it. She’s done so much for this sport,” forward Taylor Heise said of Coyne Schofield, who was named the playoff MVP. “She’s definitely one of the people that’s helped this sport grow and one of the reasons why this arena is sold out here tonight.”
Three nights after prematurely celebrating a would-be game-winner in double overtime that was waved off for goaltender interference, Hensley earned her second shutout of the playoffs. The…
