Fleet look to avenge finals loss in second season
Published
The Boston Fleet were close to being the inaugural Professional Women’s Hockey League champions but a 3-0 loss in Game 5 to the Minnesota Frost sent the Fleet home for the summer empty handed.
While Toronto’s Kristen Campbell walked away with the PWHL Goaltender of the Year award, Fleet goaltender Aerin Frankel had just as strong a case. While Campbell’s 16 wins were double of Frankel’s eight, Frankel had a sparkling .929 save percentage and 2.00 GAA.
Frankel is the biggest reason why the Fleet went as far they did last season. She was stellar in Games 1 and 2 against Montreal in the opening round, stopping over 53 and 56 shots respectively as the games went to overtime and was crucial in Boston forcing a Game 5 in the finals.
Up front, Swiss forward Alina Muller led the team in scoring with five goals and 16 points in 24 games as a rookie, finishing as runner-up to Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle.
Forwards Susanna Tapani and Lexie Adzija were midseason additions and found roles in the lineup. Tapani had two goals and eight points in 17 games after being acquired from Minnesota while Adzija had one goal and three points in seven games after coming over from Ottawa.
While captain Hilary Knight led the team in goals with six, more will be expected from her offensively this season after finishing with just 11 points in 24 games.
On defence, Megan Keller finished second in team scoring with four goals and 15 points in 24 games and logged a lot of ice time, never dipping below 21 minutes in all 24 games she played in. She was the runner-up along with New York’s Ella Shelton to Montreal’s Erin Ambrose for defender of the year.
In the draft, the Fleet selected forward Hannah Bilka with the fourth-overall pick before nabbing Czech defender Daniela Pejsova with the seventh overall pick.
Bilka, 23, transferred to Ohio State for her senior season in 2023-24, scoring 22 goals and 48 points in 39 games, helping the Buckeyes win the national championship. She also helped Team USA win gold at the 2023 Women’s Worlds.
Pejsova has been a big part in helping Czechia break through at the Women’s Worlds, helping the program claim back-to-back bronze medals in 2022 and 2023.
The 22-year-old was named best defender at the 2022 Women’s Worlds and led all defenders in scoring with five goals and nine points. With Lulea last season in Sweden, she had four goals and 12 points in 34 games.
Like Minnesota, Boston had trouble on special teams during the regular season. The Fleet had the league’s worst power play at 7.5 per cent and the second-worst penalty kill at 80 per cent.
Having a goaltender of Frankel’s calibre will keep the Fleet competitive all season long but it’s the growth of a player like Muller and Knight finding her best self again that will determine how far Boston will go.