Over the years, Mike and Lori Zumwinkle have gotten used to watching their daughter Grace play hockey on the biggest stages in the biggest moments.
But that doesn’t make it any less exciting … or nerve-wracking.
And this season’s Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) Finals may have been the most dramatic stretch of games yet.
Grace, a forward for the Minnesota Frost, helped lead her team past the Ottawa Charge three games to one in a best-of-five series in which all four games were decided in overtime.
That included a 2-1 Frost victory in triple overtime before a crowd of over 8,000 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul in Game 3 on May 24, and a 2-1 overtime win to wrap up the title before a crowd of over 11,000 at home on May 26.
The Frost, who were honored with a parade on May 28, have now won back-to-back titles in each of the league’s first two seasons.
“We were definitely on the edge of our seats the whole time,” said Mike, a 1986 Saint John’s University graduate. “They were playing against a hot goalie (in Ottawa’s Gwyneth Philips, who won the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP Award). But they got the job done.”
Thanks in part to Grace, who had an assist and a career-best 10 shots-on-goal in the Game 4 win. She played college hockey at the University of Minnesota, where she was a two-time All-American and four-time All-WCHA selection who ended her career eighth on the program’s all-time scoring list with 209 points (109 goals, 100 assists).
But her father was a two-time All-MIAC pick for the Johnnie football team and was named the 2022 winner of the Bob Basten Award, which is bestowed annually upon a former SJU football player who has exhibited outstanding leadership traits. He also has been involved in his community and with his alma mater, has carried a sense of fair play beyond the football field, and has demonstrated an overall commitment to excellence.
Her mother, meanwhile, is a 1987 College of Saint Benedict graduate who played tennis for the Bennies and is a former member of the CSB Board of Trustees.
So, Grace said the CSB and SJU community has had a big impact on the family – which also includes her two sisters – over the years.
“My sisters and I credit all of our success to our parents and the way they raised us,” she said. “The values they instilled and the way they’ve lived their lives. The experience they had at CSB and SJU helped shape a lot of that. Those schools hold a special place in our family.”
Grace – who was named PWHL rookie of the year in the league’s first season in 2024-25 – is not the only Frost player with ties to CSB and SJU. Defender Lee Stecklein is the sister of 2017 SJU graduate Ross Stecklein, who played four years of hockey for the Johnnies. Lee, a three-time Olympian and a teammate of Grace’s at the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, was the Frost’s postseason scoring leader this season with eight points (four goals, four assists) in eight games played.
The two were also part of Team USA, which took home a gold medal at the 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championships in April – beating Canada 4-3 in overtime in the championship game.
“You never get sick of winning,” Grace said of the Frost’s success. “Each year (of the PWHL) has been different and unique, but it’s been such an exciting time to be part of women’s hockey and to see the growth this league has experienced these past two seasons.
“I know I’ll look back 10 or 15 years from now and be so grateful to have been part of this first group.”
The PWHL’s success has been part of a boom period for women’s professional athletics, going hand-in-hand with increased interest in the WNBA and newcomers like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Minnesota-native Paige Bueckers.
“It’s been really gratifying to see women’s sports finally getting the recognition it’s always deserved,” Grace said. “The support we’ve gotten has really meant a lot to us.”
Given her parents’ athletic backgrounds, it’s not surprising Grace and her sisters were drawn to sports at an early age. Older sibling Anna Zumwinkle played hockey and golf at Division III Middlebury (Vermont) while Emily Zumwinkle played three seasons at the University of Minnesota before transferring to Ohio State for her senior season this past year.
“Sports were always big around our house,” said Grace, whose cousin Jane Bodensteiner also played tennis at CSB before graduating in 2024.
“In fact, it can still get a little competitive when we’re all on the golf course or the pickleball court. Everyone wants to win.”
Grace has done plenty of that throughout her hockey career and her parents couldn’t be prouder.
“Being a female in the workforce, I’ve tried to be a leader for other women,” Lori said. “I look at her and she’s doing the same thing, paving the way for all these little girls who come to the games. It’s so adorable to watch them run up to her with their signs and merchandise and want her autograph. It’s so impressive and rewarding to think she’s giving these girls something to aspire to.”
