PWHL Minnesota signs Abby Boreen for Walter Cup Semifinals
An underdog team is bringing in reinforcements to help bolster their lineup for the playoffs.
Hours before Game 1 of the Walter Cup Semifinals against Toronto, Minnesota activated forward Abby Boreen for the playoffs. Under the conditions of her reserve player contract, Boreen is only eligible to play one series. Clearly, general manager Natalie Darwitz and the team feel like now is the best time to insert Boreen into the lineup.
As a result, Minnesota has placed goaltender Amanda Leveille on its reserve list.
During the regular season, Boreen signed two separate 10-day contracts, the maximum allowable under the current collective bargaining agreement. The 24-year-old certainly made an impact on the team, scoring four goals and an assist in nine games. She scored a goal in each of her last two games on March 3 and 5 against New York and Ottawa, respectively. In her last four games, Boreen averaged over 20 minutes a game, and has a plus/minus of +2.
Boreen was signed to Minnesota’s reserve list. She was unable to commit to the team, full-time, as she was finishing up her schooling. The Somerset, Wisconsin native came into the 2023-24 campaign having played five seasons at the University of Minnesota, where she captained the Golden Gophers last year. With her unique status, she is reportedly planning on re-entering the PWHL Draft next month.
Boreen will hopefully bring some needed offensive juice to a Minnesota team that has limped into the playoffs. After ending the regular season on a five-game losing streak, they were selected by Toronto to be their first-round opponent.
It has yet to be announced who Boreen will be on a line with. In her last stint, she was on a line with captain Kendall Coyne Schofield and former Gopher teammate Taylor Heise.
Minnesota scored just nine goals during the skid, and ended up fourth in the PWHL in goals scored (54). For a team that has offensive weapons like Schofield, Heise and Grace Zumwinkle, Minnesota’s inconsistencies on the offensive end have been eye-opening. It just goes to show how tough it is to score in the league’s first season.
Game 1 at Coca-Cola Coliseum is set for Wednesday night at 7 p.m. ET.