Maine Celtics coach Phil Pressey on growth of Max Shulga this season
Maine Celtics Coach Phil Pressey Discusses Max Shulga's Development
Sidney Morin is having a standout playoff performance for the Minnesota Frost, similar to last year's MVP Lee Stecklein. The Frost are trending upward as they compete for the Walter Cup.
Last year, it was Lee Stecklein. This year, it seems to be Sidney Morin.
When the Minnesota Frost won the Walter Cup in 2025, I was invited to vote for playoff MVP for the first time — and my pick was Lee Stecklein.
Already regarded as one of the best defensive defenders in the league, Stecklein surprised everyone offensively, putting up eight points in eight playoff games to lead all scorers. That kind of production was far from her norm after recording just nine points in 30 regular-season games.
This year, another American defender, Sidney Morin, seems to be having that same kind of breakout playoff run.
The 2018 Olympic gold medalist leads all players with four points — and all four are goals.
In 92 PWHL games, playoffs included, Sidney Morin had scored just four goals. She now has four goals in four playoff games.
The only times she showed this kind of offensive production were during her years playing in Sweden and Switzerland. Even at Minnesota-Duluth in the NCAA, she never put up numbers like these.
To quote my colleague Ian Kennedy: “Who is Sidney Morin, and what has she done with Sidney Morin?”
Friday night, it took her just four minutes to completely flip the game and give Minnesota the lead.
And while Montreal was only 12 minutes away from reaching its first PWHL Final, Morin decided otherwise.
Montreal may be known for its traffic these days, but on Friday night, Minnesota created its own kind in front of Desbiens’ net.
At any hour of the day, on any highway in Montreal, getting stuck in traffic for long stretches can be frustrating. Frustrated is probably exactly how Ann-Renee Desbiens felt after those two goals.
Minnesota understood the assignment: create chaos in front of the net, shoot through bodies, and make life difficult for the Montreal goalie.
On Sidney Morin’s first goal, I counted no fewer than eight players between her and Desbiens, including three Frost players screening the goalie.
Sidney Morin is a defender for the Minnesota Frost, recognized for her breakout performance in the playoffs, drawing comparisons to last year's MVP Lee Stecklein.
Lee Stecklein led all scorers with eight points in eight playoff games, despite having a modest regular season with only nine points in 30 games.
The Minnesota Frost are trending upward in the playoffs, showcasing strong performances from players like Sidney Morin.
The Walter Cup is the championship trophy awarded in the Premier Women's Hockey League (PWHL) playoffs.
Maine Celtics Coach Phil Pressey Discusses Max Shulga's Development

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Four minutes later, on the power play following a costly penalty by Laura Stacey, Sidney Morin fired another shot with Nicole Gosling and Abby Hustler planted in front of the crease. The puck deflected and fooled Desbiens, giving Minnesota the lead — and ultimately the game.
Montreal had the series on a silver platter, but couldn’t finish the job.
Of Minnesota’s eight goals in the series, only four have come from forwards. That’s a far cry from the regular season, when forwards scored 84 of the team’s 91 goals.
Point-per-game player like Taylor Heise has just two points in the series. PWHL leading goal scorer Kelly Pannek has only one goal — an empty-netter Friday night.
Even with 14 shots on goal, Pannek has felt oddly invisible against Montreal. At times, fourth-liner Elizabeth Giguere has generated more dangerous scoring chances.
Heise is skating well and creating speed through the neutral zone, but she hasn’t been able to to turn those rushes into goals or points. Kendall Coyne Schofield has probably been Minnesota’s best forward overall, playing an energetic and dynamic game every shift.
And then there’s Britta Curl-Salemme, whose physical style is clearly getting under Montreal’s skin. Laura Stacey’s third-period penalty against her was proof of that.
But overall, because of Minnesota’s lack of depth up front, the top two lines haven’t quite lived up to expectations — at least not yet.
Not only did Sidney Morin step up for Minnesota, but Maddie Rooney did as well.
Before the playoffs started, many people — myself included — believed Montreal had a clear advantage in net because of Ann-Renee Desbiens.
But that was without fully considering what Rooney has done in the postseason over the last two years.
In 2024 against Toronto, she allowed just two goals in four games, including an 84-minute shutout. Last year, she started the final three games of the Walter Cup Final against Ottawa and gave up only three goals total, with Minnesota winning all three games by 2-1 scores.
And now, here we are again against Montreal.
Through four games, Rooney and Desbiens have both allowed eight goals. Desbiens owns a 1.67 goals-against average, Rooney a 1.68. Desbiens has a .936 save percentage, Rooney a .937.
Very similar numbers for what feels like a very different perception of the series, don’t you think?
At the start of the series, I predicted Minnesota would win in five games.
That prediction still stands.
The scary part for Montreal? Minnesota’s offense still hasn’t played its best hockey.
When the Frost are fully skating and attacking the way they’re capable of, they become extremely difficult to contain. We saw it in Game 1. They need to keep moving their feet, crash the net, create traffic, and capitalize on rebounds. That’s how you beat Ann-Renee Desbiens.
On the other side, Montreal absolutely needs to stay out of the penalty box, even if Minnesota hasn’t fully capitalized on the power play throughout the series.
When the Victoire have time and space, they’re much better at controlling the pace of the game. But they need to make those stretches count. And above all, they need to be more intense and more consistent.
They can’t afford another first period like Game 1 or another third period like Game 3.
One of Montreal’s biggest issues all season has been putting together a complete, consistent 60-minute effort.
And if there’s ever been a moment to finally do it, it’ll be Monday night.