Boston Wins Chaotic and Physical Game Over New York

The Boston Fleet held on for a 3-2 shootout win over the New York Sirens in a physical contest in front of 5,912 fans at Tsongas Center in Lowell.

The New York Sirens and the Boston Fleet faced one another for the second time this season on Friday January 31st. In a thrilling, aggressive, and intense game, the Fleet came out victorious in a shootout, beating New York 3-2..

The game was filled with excitement as the two teams racked up 30 penalty minutes, the Sirens scored their only goals in a matter of three minutes, Frankel made history as the first goalie to hit 1,000 saves, Girard returned to Boston after being traded and there was a heated moment between Knight, Levis and Frankel.

Despite all the chaos, the Fleet pulled off the win leaving a packed Tsongas Center with two points. The win bumps them up in the standings. Now, the Fleet are fourth in the league and the Sceptres are in last place with the Charge separating the two. 

The game started off with a jailbreak goal from Boston’s Alina Muller. The Fleet were shorthanded after Hannah Brandt went into the box for boarding. Muller was able to break past defenders and put one in the net.

As for how she got through the defenders so smoothly, she said “we practice that in practice… just taking away that lane, almost like [a] one-on-one, [and] just trying to get body positioning”.

Muller’s goal gave the Fleet a nice one goal lead with just 12 seconds remaining in the period.

The Fleet were dominant on the ice, outshooting the Sirens 16-6 in the first period.

The second period can only be described as physical as both teams came out aggressive. There were a total of eight penalties in the second period alone.

Here’s the penalty summary:

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The period was scoreless however there were two important penalties to point out.

First, chaos ensued as Paetyn Levis fell into the net with Knight. It then appeared that Levis tried to instigate something with Frankel, which was unsuccessful, but rattled the usually stone-cold goalie.

“I normally try to stay out of that stuff. I just didn't like how she was hitting Hil (Hilary Knight), and that's our captain, and then…she literally pushed me into the net, just kind of interfering with my positioning, so I guess I got a little feisty,” said Frankel.

As a result of the Levis/Frankel interaction, Knight swooped in and crosschecked Levis to the ice. Both Levis and Knight skated to the box while exchanging heated words. Knight to the box for cross-checking. Levis to the box for roughing. Two minutes each.

The other important penalty in the second was on Jade Downie-Landry. She was initially charged with a two minute minor for slashing, but after further review the call was changed to a double minor for spearing. 

Although both teams left the period without scoring, it was an eventful second. They headed into the locker room with the Fleet up 1-0.

The Fleet came out hot during the third period. Hannah Bilka wasted no time putting another one in the net for Boston. Her shot went over Corinne Schroeder's left shoulder and gave the Fleet a comfortable two-goal lead just 2:48 into the period.

As in the second period, the third was filled with six more. penalties including a pair to Sarah Filler for roughing, a cross checking call to Hannah Bilka, and an unsportsmanlike conduct to Abby Roque.   .

The two teams were given a total of fifteen penalties combined, and spent a total of thirty minutes in the box during the sixty minute game. 

As for the high penalty minutes and physicality, Fleet Head Coach Courtney Kessel said, “I'm not sure why it was feisty. I think it's tough to manage the energy, especially the highs and lows.” 

She continued, “You have two teams going head to head that both need points. I think that's where the physicality comes from”.

The Sirens got hot with fourteen minutes remaining in regulation. They thought they had scored their first goal off a shot from Levis. However the call on the ice was no goal. That didn’t stop the Sirens however, in just three minutes Ella Shelton scored twice to tie the game.

The first goal came at 14:36 and the second goal came at 17:49 after the Sirens had decided to pull their goalie. The second goal was assisted by Taylor Girard, who was  returning to Boston less than two weeks after being traded to the Sirens.

As for her return to Boston, Girard said, “it was fun to be able to play against them and be with a new team. [I] have a new perspective, and to be able to do something different and kind of prove myself.”

Shelton’s two goals tied up the game and forced overtime.

The two teams played five minutes of three-on-three overtime. Neither team was able to score in the extra period, and the game wound up heading to a shootout, where the Fleet left victorious. Boston scored two shootout goals to give them the win, while Aerin Frankel denied all the Siren’s attempts during the overtime and shootout.

She also reached a personal milestone during the game: Frankel became the first goalie to reach 1,000 saves in the PWHL.

Frankel has played majority of the games for the Fleet this season, and most of last season as well. Her reliability in net has contributed to the Fleet’s success. How she continues to perform well each game? For her, her heath is key.

“Last year, I learned really what it takes to be a professional player. You have to take such good care of your body and mentally have to take care of yourself” Frankel said.

Although it may not have been the most glamorous win, the Fleet ended the night on a good note in front of 5912 fans at Tsongas Center.

This was the third highest attendance to date for the Fleet at Tsongas Center. The first was last season’s playoffs game five, the second was the last regular season home game last year. 

“We felt the energy. It's a big difference. The building is loud, and you know you have the whole stadium behind you,”  said Alina Muller when asked about the full arena.

As for the Fleet, they now stand in fourth place in the league, trailing the Sirens by three points.

It was a good night for the Fleet. Head Coach Courney Kessel however is already looking ahead. She summarized Friday night’s matchup when she said, “[it was] two teams that are looking for some points, and we're battling for the playoff spot already, right? You can't wait until the end of the year to worry about battling for a playoff spot.”

The Fleet play again on February 12, 2025 at the Prudential Center where they will once again face the New York Sirens.