The Boston Fleet celebrate their win on Women's Empowerment Night - Photo @ PWHLIt was Women’s Empowerment Night at Tsongas Center on Wednesday March 8th, as the Boston Fleet faced the New York Sirens.
Fans piled in to see the Fleet make history, but there were a few other special guests in attendance as well.
The Fleet had Professional Lacrosse League's Charlotte North participate in a ceremonial puck drop ahead of the game.
The team also invited several other professional female athletes and teams to the game. Including the newly formed Boston Guard, a part of the Women’s Lacrosse League (WLL), a sled team and a rugby team.
Captain Hilary Knight said, “What they're doing at the WLL is just amazing, and so much fun to watch. It’s really important, and to be able to honor and applaud individuals that are doing tremendous things in their own industry, is just so fun."
For many players in the PWHL, growing up they only had two options for professional play: the NHL or the Olympics. Knight said, “to be able to be these role models doing this work that we love and just have a small impact on someone's life is it's so cool.”
The team’s growth and the leagues growth over the past two years has been tremendous. The Boston Fleet in Lowell drew the third largest crowd in franchise history bringing in 5,908 fans on February 2nd.
Alternative Captain Alina Muller said about the fans that show up for them, “I feel like they're they're part of our team. They're part of our organization. It's so much fun playing in front of them. It's an honor, and we want to give back the best we can with product on the ice and taking time for them off the ice."
The team is in a good position to make playoffs at this point in the season. The five-to-two win Wednesday over the Sirens put them in second place in the league.
Knight said the win is a part of a bigger goal, “a young girl, a young boy, can grow up and have this dream to play at a professional level. I think that's just so important, and means everything to be a part of it."
The Boston Fleet will play next on Saturday March 8th at 2 p.m. ET. when they host the Montreal Victoire at Agganis Arena in Boston. The game can be viewed on NESN, CBC and Radio Canada.