Minnesota tops Boston 4-1, grabs 2-1 lead in inaugural PWHL championship series

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Michela Cava and Taylor Heise both had a goal and an assist to lead Minnesota to a 4-1 victory over Boston on Friday night, giving their team a 2-1 lead in the inaugural championship series of the Professional Women's Hockey League.

Minnesota will host Game 4 in the best-of-five series on Sunday. Game 5, if necessary, would be played in Boston on Wednesday.

It took just 59 seconds for Heise to slip a shot past Boston goaltender Aerin Frankel and give Minnesota the lead for good. Cava notched an assist on Heise's fifth goal in eight postseason games. Heise had four goals and nine assists during the regular season.

Minnesota took a 2-0 lead with 2:22 left in the first period when Sydney Brodt used assists from Brittyn Fleming and Kelly Pannek to score her first goal this season.

Boston's goal came with two seconds left in the second period when Alina Müller found the net. Susanna Tapani and Jamie Lee Rattray had assists. It was Müller's first goal of the postseason after scoring five times during the regular season.

Minnesota regained its two-goal lead 3:29 into the final period when Cava scored her third of the postseason — off an assist from Heise. Grace Zumwinkle scored into an empty net after Boston pulled Frankel for an extra skater with 3:50 remaining. Zumwinkle's goal was her first this postseason.

Minnesota goalie Nicole Hensley finished with 18 saves. Frankel saved 21 shots for Boston.

Minnesota, the fourth seed, beat top-seeded Toronto 3-2 in a first-round series. Toronto had its choice of who to play between Minnesota and Boston after a first-place finish during the regular season. Boston swept No. 2 seed Montreal to advance to the finals.

Minnesota sported the best record in the league before a nearly month-long break for international play. The club lost all five of its matches after returning but still managed to grab the final playoff spot.

Boston split a pair of home matches to begin the series, winning the opener 4-3 before losing 3-0.

AP Women’s Hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey

Boston forward Samantha Isbell (55) vies for the puck during a tangle with Minnesota players during the second period of Game 3 of the PWHL hockey championship series, Friday, May 24, 2024, in St. Paul, Minn. (Angelina Katsanis/Star Tribune via AP)

Minnesota forward Taylor Heise (27) scores a goal against Boston during the first period of Game 3 of the PWHL hockey championship series Friday, May 24, 2024, in St. Paul, Minn. (Angelina Katsanis/Star Tribune via AP)

Minnesota forward Taylor Heise celebrates her goal against Boston during the first period of Game 3 of the PWHL hockey championship series, Friday, May 24, 2024, in St. Paul, Minn. (Angelina Katsanis/Star Tribune via AP)

PHOENIX (AP) — A judge on Friday rejected an effort by GOP lawmakers to use the term “unborn human being” to refer to a fetus in the pamphlet that Arizona voters will use to weigh a ballot measure that would expand abortion access in the state.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Christopher Whitten said the wording the legislative council suggested is “packed with emotion and partisan meaning” and asked for what he called more “neutral” language. The measure aims to expand abortion access from 15 weeks to 24 weeks – the point at which a fetus can survive outside the womb.

It would allow exemptions to save the woman’s life or to protect her physical or mental health. It would also prevent the state from adopting or enforcing laws that would forbid access to the procedure.

Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma, who is a co-chair of the legislative council, said the group will appeal the court’s decision to the state Supreme Court.

“The ruling is just plain wrong and clearly partisan,” said Toma, a Republican.

Aaron Thacker, communications director for Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, noted that the final decision on the ballot itself remains in the air.

“There’s still a lot of scenarios at play," he said. "Even after the secretary certifies the signatures, the courts have to decide if counties can put it on the ballot or not."

Arizona for Abortion Access, the organization leading the ballot measure campaign, sued the council earlier this month over the suggested language and advocated for the term “fetus,” which the council rejected.

Attorney General Kris Mayes wrote in a motion to submit an amicus brief that “fetus" and “pregnancy” are both neutral terms that the council could adopt.

“It’s incredibly important to us that Arizona voters get to learn more about and weigh our measure in objective and accurate terminology,” said Dawn Penich, communications director for the abortion access group.

Democrats have centered abortion rights in their campaigns in this year’s elections. Organizers in five other states have also proposed similar measures that would codify abortion access in their state constitutions: Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Nevada and South Dakota.

Arizona organizers submitted more than double the amount of signatures needed for the measure to appear on the ballot.

FILE - Arizona abortion-rights supporters deliver over 800,000 petition signatures to the capitol to get abortion rights on the November general election ballot July 3, 2024, in Phoenix. A judge on Friday, July 26, rejected an effort by GOP lawmakers to use the term “unborn human being” to refer to a fetus in the pamphlet that Arizona voters will use to decide on a ballot measure that would expand abortion access in the state. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)