Boston got goals from four different players to earn a 4-3 win over Minnesota in Game 1 of the PWHL Finals on Sunday night in front of their home crowd at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, Mass.

And if Game 1 was any indication, this five-game series is going to be a back-and-forth doozy.

Minnesota was paced by Taylor Heise, who scored twice and added an assist.

The No. 4 seed, Minnesota headed into this game after winning three straight to oust top-ranked Toronto with a reverse sweep, while Boston pulled off a traditional sweep over No. 2 Montreal. With the win on Sunday, Boston is now a perfect 4-0 in the post-season.

For these last five games, players are sporting an emblem on their jerseys of the Walter Cup, which will be awarded for the first time to whoever gets to three wins first.

Here are our takeaways from Game 1:

Cava’s backhand wrapper

Minnesota opened the scoring 4:38 in, when Heise — the No. 1 draft pick, author of the Game 5 winner against Toronto to get her team to this final — made a pretty backhand pass to Michela Cava, in tight. Cava made like she was going to shoot, then skated around the net and deposited the backhand wrap-around just before a sprawling Aerin Frankel could get her skate against the post to close the door.

It was the first goal of the playoffs for Cava, who’s one of five Canadians on Minnesota’s roster, and is playing on the top unit alongside Heise and Kendall Coyne-Schofield.

The assist was the third point of the post-season for Heise, and she was just getting started on this Sunday night.

Tapani ties things up

Minnesota’s lead was pretty short-lived — the story of the game, those short-lived leads — and it was Finnish forward Susanna Tapani who potted her third of this post-season to tie things up at the 12:52 mark. Boston’s first goal came off the rush and a second chance, and Tapani’s backhand deflected off the post and in.

That sent most of these 4,508 fans to their feet, and the “Let’s go Boston!” chants started going in the hometown crowd.

Tapani scored that goal on her former team. The quick-skating Finn was drafted by Minnesota, and then involved in the first trade in PWHL history a little more than a month into the season, when Boston sent defender Sophie Jaques to Minnesota in return for Tapani and defender Abby Cook.

Jaques leads Minnesota in average playoff ice time, while Tapani scored two of her team’s overtime winners in these playoffs — including the winner that clinched their berth in the finals.

Her three playoff goals are the second-most registered in the post-season.

King in the house

The legendary Billie Jean King was in attendance at Game 1, and got a big cheer when she was shown on the big screen, wearing purple-rimmed glasses and a smile.

King was central in getting this league started, and now serves on the PWHL’s advisory board.

Heise’s strong play continues

The Minnesotan scored her third in two games, and it was a rocket. Her wrister found the corner, glove-side, to give Minnesota the 2-1 lead. Cava earned the primary assist on the goal.

Boston strikes back and takes the lead

Boston forward Taylor Wenczkowski laid a big hit in the neutral zone, then followed the puck down into Minnesota’s end, jumped on a rebound in the slot and fired the puck past Maddie Rooney to tie things up, with her second of these playoffs.

A couple of minutes later in the second period, Hannah Brandt gave the home team the lead, beating Rooney five-hole on a goal the netminder no doubt wants back.

No. 1 pick finds the back of the net again

Heise tied things up on a one-timer that beat Frankel as the goaltender was moving side-to-side. It was Heise’s fourth in two games, her second of the night. Cava earned the assist for her third point of the game.

It was all tied up again, 3-3, and Heise took over as the leading goal-scorer in the post-season, with four goals.

All the goals

These playoffs had been pretty light on goals and heavy on shutouts — until Game 1.

Boston took the lead again off a turnover when Jess Healey’s point shot through traffic was redirected. Rooney dropped her arms in defeat after that one, which gave Boston the 4-3 lead, and it held until the final buzzer.

When that buzzer went, Boston fans rose to their feet to cheer on their team.

Game 2 of the Final goes Tuesday night in Lowell, Mass.

PWHL Finals Takeaways: Depth leads Boston over Minnesota in Game 1

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