Your Boston Fleet traveled to St. Louis (as the home team) to take on the Ottawa Charge in the last stop of the PWHL’s Takeover Tour. In front of more than 8500 enthusiastic fans, the Charge got the 2-1 regulation win over the Fleet, which enabled the Montreal Victoire to be the first team to clinch a playoff berth this season. As if the loss isn’t bad enough, this helps MTL too? Sheesh.
Today was billed as a goalie’s duel heading into the matinee, and it lived up to the prediction as the 2 net-minders from Northeastern put on quite a show. Aerin Frankel (.935%SV this afternoon) ended up on the short end of this matchup but was sparkling throughout, making a number of 10-bell saves. Roughly 178 feet away Gwyneth Philips (.964 this afternoon) made some big saves of her own and ended up an easy choice as the Canadian Tire player of the game.
Ottawa came out with the pressure in the early going, but like I said.. Frankel. If only the Fleet media team would share big saves, we’d be loaded with highlights of the Green Monstah. Apparently leg saves and flashes of the leather don’t move the needle like goals and assists do.
The Fleet didn’t get much going until they finally got some sustained pressure in the OTT zone roughly 6mins into the game. But it was the forecheck that got them on the board. Some heavy pressure behind the OTT net (and in the RW corner) transformed an easy outlet into OTT serving a pizza up the middle and Susanna Tapani was perfectly positioned as F3 to eat a slice. Gathering the puck off her skate she quickly put the puck on her blade and moved laterally to her left (using an OTT defender as a screen), before beating Philips blocker side from the high slot.
BOS ended the period with the edge in SOG, but that was due to some undisciplined play from OTT. The Charge took 3 penalties in the first, but the Fleet were unable to take advantage.
In the 2nd the play was more even as the sides traded chances, but neither goalie would blink. The best chance for either team was when Megan Keller dented the post to Philips blocker side, but the puck didn’t fall. I mean if you’ve been to Historic Matthews Arena anytime in the last 8 years or so you’d know about these 2 studs in the net. They don’t call Northeastern Goalie U for nothing. I mean look at these numbers: and shout out Paris.
In the third, the pace picked up a tick and the thought had to be creeping in if this was going to be a one-goal game? And that’s when Tereza Vanišová entered the chat. With less than 4mins to play, the Czechian Olympian tied it up. Jincy Roese kept the puck in the BOS zone at the left point and steered it into the slot. Shiann Darkangelo got a stick blade on the puck in the slot sending it up in the air and Vanišová showed off her sick eye/hand coordination in catching the puck on her blade before dropping it down and one-timing it on net to beat Frankel 5-hole.
Tie game.
Shout out to Brianne Jenner for her work on the forecheck to initiate this sequence. That type of hustle and effort doesn’t show up on the scoresheet, but what an example to set.
The Fleet challenged the play, contending that Vanišová touched the puck with a high stick, but it was ruled that it was a good goal and BOS went on the PK. A tough call, with a big swing in momentum (and as it turned out the game), but what a gutsy play by the coaching staff to even make that call. The angles weren’t great, so it was tough to tell, but the play was certainly close.
And then it was the nightmare scenario. On the ensuing power play, who else would put the Charge ahead? Yup, you guessed it. Vanišová again just 32 seconds later. Vanišová possessed the puck on the RW and put it cross-ice to Gabbie Hughes on the LW. Hughes put the puck to Jenner at the goalmouth and Frankel made the in-tight save but the puck tumbled to Vanišová coming in from the RW and she tucked it home for the go-ahead.
As time wound down in regulation, the Fleet did all they could do to get the tying goal. Frankel was out of net with 2mins to play and a MONSTER backcheck from Shay Maloney kept OTT from tacking on an ENG. In that same sequence Hannah Brandt drew a penalty that sent Jenner to the box which felt like the chance the Fleet needed. With one minute left BOS got Frankel out again for a 6:4 power play but it was no dice as Philips kept the door shut (and gave Tapani a taste of her blocker). Not sure if that should have been a penalty or not, but that was a legit overhand left from the Charge goalie to Tapani’s shield.
I wanted to take a minute to shout out Jamie Lee Rattray who was noticeable in all phases of the game today. She took a 1:4 into the OTT zone in the first and got a shot on net (she hit a toe-drag at full speed for separation, not a big deal), she was a Labrador on the forecheck and she was huge on the PK late in the game. Just an all-out hustle game from the Alternate Captain.
Both teams are off until they meet again on Wednesday at the Tsongas Arena. Let’s see if that bad blood at the end boils over next game.
Also, on Breaking The Glass Hockey Podcast we were able to talk with Wisconsin Asst. Coach (and National Champion) Jackie Crum. She spoke about her playing career at Wisconsin and in Europe, coming back to coach at her alma mater and balancing young kids with a coaching career. It’s available on all platforms so please subscribe, like (and as we say) share with 100 of your closest friends! We’re @BTGHockeyPod on all social media platforms.
And lastly, from the some things are bigger than hockey department: good on the Charge to have Laila Anderson into the room to do the lineup read prior to puck drop. Laila was a huge part of the St. Louis Blues run to the Cup in 2019 (tough memory for this Bruins fan) and it was great to see her healthy and actually playing hockey. Go Laila, play Gloria!
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The Morning Skate 