ST. PAUL (Interstat) — Kelly Pannek had two goals and two assists, and the Minnesota Frost held off a late Vancouver charge to beat the Goldeneyes 6-5 at Grand Casino Arena on April 4. Minnesota improved to 16-11 with the win, while Vancouver dropped to 9-18.

The game turned into an opening-period track meet, with all 11 goals scored before the first intermission. Minnesota built a 6-2 lead before Vancouver scored three times in the final minutes of the period. Pannek was the top star for the Frost, finishing with two goals, two assists and two shots on goal. Sophie Jaques led Vancouver with a goal, two assists and four shots.

Grace Zumwinkle added a goal, an assist and three shots for Minnesota. Lee Stecklein had three assists and five shots. Taylor Fox contributed a goal, an assist and six shots. Mae Batherson scored once with two shots. Kendall Coyne Schofield recorded two assists and two shots. Katy Knoll also scored. Nicole Hensley made 16 saves in the win.

For Vancouver, Claire Thompson had three assists. Sarah Nurse scored and had two shots. Tereza Vanisova, Jenn Gardiner and Izzy Daniel also scored. Hannah Miller added two assists, and Mannon McMahon had one assist.

Vancouver opened with two quick goals. Nurse scored 1:18 into the first period, with Jaques and Miller assisting. Gardiner made it 2-0 at 3:30, with Jaques and Thompson setting up the goal. The Goldeneyes then took a delay-of-game penalty at 3:43 when Abby Boreen was sent off, giving Minnesota its first power play.

Minnesota answered at 4:17 when Pannek scored from Kendall Cooper and Fox. The Frost tied the game at 9:05 when Zumwinkle scored from Pannek and Jincy Roese. Batherson gave Minnesota its first lead at 12:07, finishing with assists from Zumwinkle and Coyne Schofield.

Vancouver’s discipline became a problem later in the period. Michelle Karvinen was called for cross checking at 12:31, and Vanisova was sent off for hooking at 12:57, giving Minnesota a two-man advantage. The Frost seized control during that power play. Fox scored at 13:25 from Stecklein and Cooper, and Pannek scored again at 13:44 from Stecklein and Coyne Schofield.

That burst put Minnesota ahead 5-2 and marked the decisive stretch of the game. After Cooper was called for tripping at 14:59 and Elizabeth Giguere was whistled for slashing at 17:23, Minnesota scored short-handed at 17:39 when Knoll finished from Stecklein and Pannek. The goal made it 6-2 and gave Stecklein her third assist of the period.

Vancouver did not fold. Vanisova scored unassisted at 17:46 to make it 6-3. After Britta Curl-Salemme took a roughing penalty at 18:01, Jaques scored for Vancouver at 18:19 from Thompson and McMahon. Daniel pulled the Goldeneyes within one at 19:07, scoring from Miller and Thompson. The rally ended there, and neither team scored again.

The late push came after Minnesota had controlled much of the middle of the period. Pannek’s two goals and two assists paced the Frost, while Stecklein’s three assists helped drive the offense from the blue line. Fox’s six shots led Minnesota, and Batherson and Zumwinkle each provided timely finishes. Hensley held on after Vancouver’s three-goal flurry.

Minnesota entered the game having lost three straight. The Frost fell at New York in overtime on April 1, lost at home to Boston on March 29 and dropped a home game to Montreal on March 25. Vancouver had lost at Montreal on April 1 after beating Toronto on March 29 and losing at Boston on March 24.

Vancouver’s season has included a 0-3 loss at Montreal on April 1, a 3-2 win at Toronto on March 29, a 0-2 loss at Boston on March 24, a 1-3 home loss to Minnesota on March 21, a 5-2 home win over New York on March 18, a 2-3 overtime home loss to Ottawa on March 14, a 1-2 overtime home loss to Boston on March 10 and a 1-2 home loss to Toronto on March 1.

Minnesota had lost 3-4 in overtime at New York on April 1, 2-4 at home to Boston on March 29 and 0-3 at home to Montreal on March 25. Before that, the Frost won 3-1 at Vancouver on March 21, 5-0 at home over Ottawa on March 18, 4-3 at home over New York on March 15, 4-1 at home over Seattle on March 13 and 3-2 in overtime at Toronto on March 8.

The Frost have now won all four meetings between the teams this season. Minnesota beat Vancouver 4-1 on Jan. 28, 3-1 on March 21 and 2-1 in overtime on Dec. 27 before winning again on April 4. Vancouver will get another chance against Minnesota on April 25.

Minnesota’s six goals matched a season high set against New York on Jan. 25 and Seattle on Jan. 11. Vancouver’s five goals matched a season high set against New York on March 18 and Toronto on Jan. 22.

Vancouver next faces Boston on April 7 in Edmonton. After that, the Goldeneyes host Seattle on April 14, visit Seattle on April 18, host Montreal on April 21 and host Minnesota on April 25. Minnesota hosts New York on April 11, visits Boston on April 15, hosts Toronto on April 19, visits Seattle on April 22, visits Vancouver on April 25, visits Montreal on May 2 and May 5, hosts Montreal on May 7 and May 8, and visits Montreal on May 12. Vancouver will look to rebound against Boston, while Minnesota will try to build on the win against New York.

Interstat’s ELO system had projected Minnesota with a 65.1 percent probability to win.