McQuigge and Cava each score 2 goals, Frost beat Sceptres 7-5, take 2-1 series lead

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Brooke McQuigge and Michela Cava scored two goals apiece on Sunday night and the Minnesota Frost beat the Toronto Sceptres 7-5 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five semifinal series.

The Frost, who tied the series with a 5-3 win in Game 2, can advance to the PWHL championship with a win in Game 4 on Wednesday.

Liz Schepers, Lee Stecklein and Sophie Jaques also scored goals for Minnesota, and Taylor Heise had three assists.

Anna Kjellbin scored her first PWHL goal with 14:13 left in the game to cut Toronto’s deficit to 5-4, but Cava answered with a back-hand goal less than two minutes later and then scored a power-play goal to make it 7-4 with 10:39 to go.

Maddie Rooney had 18 saves in her second consecutive win for the Frost

Daryl Watts scored for the Sceptres with about five minutes left in the first period. Maggie Connors added a goal early in the second and Kali Flanagan's goal made it 5-3 going into the third.

Blayre Turnbull capped the scoring with 7:56 to left in the game.

Kristen Campbell had 17 saves for Toronto.

After Schepers opened the scoring 2:33 into the game, McQuigge and Stecklein scored 52 seconds apart to make it 3-0 a little more than five minutes later and the Frost never trailed.

The Frost was 2 for 4 on power plays while Toronto was 0 for 2. Minnesota has converted 5 of 9 power-play opportunities in the series compared to 2 of 6 for the Sceptres.

The series remains at Xcel Energy Center for Game 4 on Wednesday.

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

Toronto Sceptres goaltender Kristen Campbell watches the puck go past her for a goal by Minnesota Frost's Lee Stecklein in the first period of a PWHL hockey playoff game Sunday, May 11, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

Toronto Sceptres defender Kali Flanagan, second from right, scores past Minnesota Frost goaltender Maddie Rooney, front left, in the second period of a PWHL hockey playoff game Sunday, May 11, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

Minnesota Frost forward Liz Schepers celebrates after her goal against the Toronto Sceptres in the first period of a PWHL hockey playoff game Sunday, May 11, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

Minnesota Frost forward Michela Cava (86) shoots against Toronto Sceptres goaltender Kristen Campbell, right, in the first period of a PWHL hockey playoff game on Sunday, May 11, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - A medical worker transports a patient at Mount Sinai Hospital, April 1, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)