Boston Fleet Defeat the Minnesota Frost 4-2 – The Hockey Writers PWHL Latest News, Analysis & More

The Boston Fleet hosted the Minnesota Frost for their fifth matchup of the 2024-25 Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) season. The Frost have taken the win in all four previous games. The Fleet were not letting them repeat their earlier success, defeating the Frost 4-2.

Game Recap

At 10:54, the Frost kicked off the scoring for the two teams. Lee Stecklein sent the puck around the boards, where it found Sophie Jaques. She sent the puck through the neutral zone, where it found Kendall Coyne Schofield. She was able to speed past the Fleet and shot the puck into the back of Emma Soderberg’s net.

Two minutes later, the Frost increased their lead. Once again, Jacques sent a pass to Kelly Panneck at the blue line. She took a shot, which bounced off of Brooke McQuigge’s skate. There was some debate about it, but it was considered a good goal and the Frost were up by two.

A minute later, there was some roughing on the ice. A scrum broke out between Brooke Bryant and Jamie Lee Rattray after the pair got into it by the boards. Bryant received two minors, one for holding and one for roughing. Rattray earned two minutes for roughing. The score remained the same and the period ended with a 2-0 score.

Boston pulled Soderberg from the net, and Klara Peslarova was in, marking her PWHL debut. In the first half of the second, it appeared the Frost got their third goal of the game. However, after reviewing the play, the puck did not cross the line and the score remained 2-0.

Halfway into the second, the Fleet took charge, literally. Sophie Shirley sent a pass to Susanna Tapani through the neutral zone. She passed up to Jill Saulnier as she came crashing towards the net and was able to tip the puck in to score the first of the game for Boston. This was Saulnier’s first goal for the Fleet since she was traded by the New York Sirens to Boston.

A minute and a half into the third, the game was tied up. Once again it was the duo of Saulnier and Tapani. The Frost gained control of the puck, but Saulnier battled it back. She passed to Tapani, who put the puck behind Maddie Rooney with a backhand shot.

The Fleet were not giving up their momentum now that the game was tied. 13 minutes in, Sydney Bard sent the puck through the neutral zone, where it found Alina Muller. She skated up with Hilary Knight. On a two-on-one, Muller passed the puck to Knight. The captain let the puck fly into the back of the net to break the tie.

Peslarova was able to stop all 15 shots between periods two and three, earning a perfect save percentage in her PWHL debut.

The Frost were trying to make a comeback, so they pulled Rooney from the net. This worked out in Boston’s favor, as Muller sent the puck into the empty net to secure the 4-2 victory for Boston.

Next Up

The Fleet will look to repeat their success tomorrow, on Feb. 17. They play the New York Sirens in the second half of a back-to-back. The Frost are back at it on Tuesday, Feb. 18 when they travel to Montreal to face off against the Victoire.