Your Boston Fleet traveled to the Prudential Center to take on the New York Sirens yesterday afternoon. In a game that’s typically thought of as a “scheduled loss” at the pro level, the Fleet won in regulation for the second time in as many days (BOS beat MIN 4-2 Sunday). For those keeping score at home; that’s a quick 6 points in the standings after they dispatched the Sirens 4-1 in front of an energetic and star-studded crowd which included Billie Jean King, Ilana Kloss, Eli Manning and soccer star Kelly O’Hara . Those successive wins vaulted BOS into a 3 way tie with TOR and MIN for 2nd place in the PWHL standings (albeit with a game in hand for the Fleet)
Friend of the podcast, Alina Müller got the Fleet on the board when she finished off a Hilary Knight rebound on a Fleet power play. Müller put the puck in the RW corner, (smartly away from the clutches of Kayle Osborne in the NYC net). When the Siren defender went to rim the puck out of the NYC zone, Jessica Digirolama pinched down the wall and got the puck to Knight in the slot. The Captain put the puck on net and Osborne couldn’t smother the shot and the rebound went to Müller in the slot. Do you think that the 3x Olympian was missing from there? Me neither, and the Fleet are off and running.
In the opening minutes of the second, Jessie Eldridge got the Sirens back into the game. The Fleet took one of the worst changes I’ve ever seen (and that includes in beer league), leaving Eldridge all alone with no one in a Fleet sweater visible in the camera frame. Heads up play by Osborne who put it on Eldgridge’s tape from a different time-zone. Eldridge came down the LW on her backhand and pulled the puck across and beat Aerin Frankel 5-hole to tie the game. Eldridge had time to think of her move, return some emails and file her taxes on this one.
And then just past midway in the middle frame, Knight called game. A sublime outlet pass from Müller sent Knight off to the races as she flew into the NY zone. Busting down the LW, Knight held the puck on her forehand until Osborne opened up and then stashed it far side over the glove. Game winner! Great play by Müller moving laterally in her def zone before banking the pass to catch Knight in stride. And quick side note: whoever was doing the color commentary on this game, be better. Saying “#11 with a great pass to Knight” is doing the bare minimum.
In the 3rd the Fleet blew it open. First it was Jamie Lee Rattray with one of the most bizarre goals you’ve ever seen. I’ve watched his at least 10x and I’m still stunned that this puck found home. Rattray plays the game hard and the right way and sometimes The Hockey Gods give you a gift for all your hard work.
Knight added an ENG with less than 3mins to play to ice this one and the Fleet roll out of town with another win over the Sirens. That makes it 4 straight for BOS over NY, with 2 more games to play between the 2 clubs.
Coaching Matters Example #1: Great call by Amanda Kessel and her staff to give Frankel the night prior completely off. Frankel wasn’t even dressed for the win over MIN and she was lights out yesterday with 35 saves on 36 shots. Frankel made some ridiculous saves to keep the Sirens off the board when the Fleet looked a step slow at times throughout this contest. Oh yeah, that’s a .972%SV for Frankel yesterday – I’m no stats guy, but I’d say that’s pretty, pretty good.
Coaching Matters Example #2: I want to give some stick taps to whomever put Müller back on a line with Knight. Müller is a pass-first player who likes to carry the puck and is never in a bad spot, and Knight unloads the puck in a blink of an eye and creates space for her linemates. In the last 2GP together they’ve combined for 5-3-8 (and Müller should have had the secondary apple on Knight’s ENG yesterday) with a bucketload of chances.
New York hosts Toronto on Wednesday while Boston heads North of the border to play Ottawa on Thursday night. It’s heating up as the league has officially crossed the halfway point in the schedule and the playoff stretch run is underway!
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