LOWELL, MA --- Hilary Knight recorded a career night at Tsongas Center, with three goals and one assist in the Fleet’s 5-2 win against the New York Sirens. 

The captain made history as she scored both her first PWHL hat trick along with the Fleet’s first hat trick in team history.

As for her performance she remained humble, referring to the whole team’s contributions saying, “I think every team in this league is really good, and so when you can come out of the night with three points, it's a tremendous effort”.

How it went down

The first point of the night for Knight came at 14:48 in the first period, when she passed the puck to Alina Muller to get the Fleet on the board. 

Just 1:36 into the second period, Knight recorded her first goal of the night. 

A little under eleven minutes later, Knight scored her second goal of the period 12:16 into the frame. 

Her final goal came with eight seconds left in the period. 

Following the hat trick Knight said, “I just saw that the puck go, and I was like, ‘let's not get an icing call. Let's just go for it.’ [I am] really fortunate to be able to get a hat trick. I think it's my first in the league, so really exciting”.

What Knight didn’t see was as hats were flying from the crowd, her teammate Shay Maloney was going around picking up some of the hats off of the ice. 

When asked about it she said, “She's a sweetheart. It's been really fun getting to know Shay. I did not know Shay at all before, and she’s a great kid. It's really encouraging to come to the rink every day with someone like that,” Knight continued. “It's really cute that she was picking up the hats, helping out.”

Knight's empty net goal secured the Fleet a 5-2 win against the Sirens, making history this season shutting out the Sirens for the entirety of the 2024-25 regular season. 

The Fleet get ready for their next game against the Montreal Victoire on Saturday. For Knight, she will return to the arena where she won a National Championship with the University of Wisconsin in 2009. 

When asked about her return to Agganis Arena, where the teams will be matched up, she said,  “I think being close to the city, it's gonna be interesting to see how the crowd shows up. It's been years since either of us [herself and Muller] have played in it, but really fortunate to be able to be a part of the PWHL and be able to play in the city of Boston."

It was a historic night for both Hilary and the Fleet, as they move into second place in the PWHL regular season standings. The team’s success, according to Knight, is what got them there. 

She said, “The room is so strong, and so anybody on any night can go out there and have an incredible performance, but it's the team that gets you there.That's why you sign up for the sport. It's really about the people that you do it with, and it's really special.”