The Minnesota Frost must navigate a crucial playoff stretch without Britta Curl-Salemme following a one-game suspension for a dangerous head hit.The Professional Women’s Hockey League has taken disciplinary action against Britta Curl-Salemme following two separate incidents.

During the game, Curl-Salemme hit Kaitlin Willoughby of Montreal in the head area with a high hit. Because of this, officials ejected her from the game.

As per the report by The Hockey News, the PWHL Player Safety Committee then gave her a one-game suspension. This happened in Playoff Game 1, so she will miss Game 2.

The league explained she got a major penalty and misconduct for a dangerous head hit on Kaitlin Willoughby late in the second period.

"The suspension is a result of the major penalty and game misconduct assessed to Curl-Salemme for an illegal check to the head on opponent Kaitlin Willoughby at 19:12 of the second period," the PWHL's news release read.

It is also learnt from the league’s news release that the review found she did not play puck and made avoidable direct head contact with her forearm.

"In their review, the Player Safety Committee determined that Curl-Salemme made no attempt to play the puck as she raised her forearm to make direct contact with the head of her opponent, where such contact to the head was avoidable."

But the issue did not end there. In the same game, she also received a $250 fine. At 4:47 of the second period, she got into an altercation with Abby Roque. During the review, officials found that she grabbed Roque’s face shield and pulled her down to the ice. That is why they gave her the fine.

Britta Curl-Salemme does not have a clean discipline record. This is her 5th time getting a fine or suspension. In her rookie season, she got suspended 3 times.

“She is not out there to hurt someone”, Minnesota Frost Coach defends Britta Curl-Salemme

The Minnesota Frost coach, Ken Klee, defended Britta Curl-Salemme, saying she plays hard and physical, but does not try to injure opponents.

"Yeah, I mean, it's tough; Britta's awesome. She's a great, great player, great person in our room, plays hard, plays the right way, plays physical," said Klee. "I mean, she's not out there obviously trying to hurt anyone. She's out there just trying to play hard."

As said earlier, Britta Curl-Salemme did not have a clean record. Recently, she also got a fine for a cross-check. That’s why fans sometimes boo her as well. 

Britta Curl-Salemme is an important forward. Without her, the Minnesota Frost attack becomes weaker. The team will miss her services in Game 2.

She has played 58 regular-season games in the PWHL, scoring 20 goals and having 24 assists. She also helped Team USA win gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

As the series moves forward, all eyes will be on how Minnesota adjusts without one of its key contributors. It will also be interesting to see whether Curl-Salemme can return with a more controlled approach to her physical game.

Read more at NHL Fan Central!

Written by

Kapil Manghnani

Edited by

Kaamna Dwivedi