The Seattle Torrent came into their most recent home game with a lot going against them. They were on a four-game losing streak, down two of their top players with Hilary Knight on LTIR and Hannah Bilka deemed out for the season, and they were playing against the first-place Boston Fleet, a team that they haven’t been able to overcome all season.

In the end, the Torrent came away with a come from behind win, but the team has much work to be done to get back into the playoff picture as they're set to embark on a five game road trip.

Fans were treated to a surprise in an exciting win that included a ‘jailbreak’ goal, the most shots on goal for the Torrent in a single period with 19, and the most shots on goal for the Torrent in a single game with 38. In keeping with what seems to be Seattle’s brand, the goals came with just six seconds remaining in the first, and then with just over five and three minutes remaining in the game.

“I thought we did a great job of pushing on them. We know they had a game yesterday and would maybe be a bit tired, so we just wanted to keep on them. We were getting a lot of chances too. To have that ‘jailbreak’ goal and just to continue to push was really crucial for us,” said Danielle Serdachny. “I’m super proud of our group and how we handled that. Obviously, it seems we really like to keep things very exciting for the crowds here so another good one for them for sure.”

It’s hard to talk about a ‘jailbreak’ goal without discussing the overall penalty kill in this game as well. Aside from getting a goal while on the penalty kill, the team also killed off the other two penalties.

“I thought our penalty kill was excellent,” said Serdachny. “That’s been a big focus for our group and to see the ‘jailbreak’ goal, but just to see how well they did against a very good power play unit was huge for our team and gave us a lot of momentum. That was a really crucial aspect for our team.”

With the next five games on the road, including a Takeover Tour game, the team needs to take what worked from this game- including the stellar penalty kill- and capitalize on it moving forward. The 38 shots were the Torrent’s season-high shots, but it was also the most shots the Fleet have allowed in a game this season as well.

While it was an exciting win with a lot of positives, the team has a lot of ground to make up if there are any hopes of moving past their current last-place ranking. Most games are decided with a thin margin, but there are moments when the momentum can easily swing one way or another.

Alex Carpenter’s goal in the dying seconds of the first period represents one of those moments. What was almost a breakaway goal from Boston turned into an incredible stop by Corinne Schroeder, the gathering of the rebound by Aneta Tejralová to get the puck to Carpenter who took it down ice and made an amazing, backhanded shot into the net. That goal tied the game, stopping a potential two goal lead.

Throughout the season, Head Coach Steve O’Rourke has spoken a lot about communication, particularly among the defensive core of the team. That also appears to be clicking into place for the team. Tejralová was able to save the Torrent being from down two goals when Schroeder’s pass from behind the net was picked up by the Fleet.

The three points earned by the Torrent in this win took them from 16 total points to 19. That also puts them just one point behind Vancouver who has played one more game than Seattle.

“We’ve seen in the PWHL that every game is so close and, honestly, any team can win any given game. I think that’s kind of been our mindset moving forward - continuing to focus on that, but also continuing to push forward,” said Serdachny. “We all know that the PWHL standings change so quickly, and, yes, we’re in last place right now, but every time you get three points, it’s a big jump in the standings.”

The team is still very much a positive force, and one that never gives up. A win certainly helps keep the spirits high, but this has been a notable trait of the team all season.

“For the most part of our season, there’s been very little poor body language if we’re down. They’re always up and ready to go and it just shows we keep fighting one way or another- up or down- we just keep going,” said O’Rourke. “We’re still striving for perfection and it’s a work in progress. Our goal is to try to push into that playoff and, if we can get there, this resilience that you’re building and the character that were building will be a big advantage.”

Another advantage, particularly with chemistry-building, is the fact that the team is made up of players from so many different places. They come from teams they now compete against, they come from other leagues, they come from the collegiate level, but one uniting factor is that all of this is new- the team, the location, the building, the coach, the systems.

“Our group is super close off the ice, so I think that part helps us out a lot,” said Serdachny. “There’s a lot of love in the room, and we have lots of fun together, so that definitely helps too.”

It’s not just the players who still have belief, it’s the fanbase. Another loud Climate Pledge Arena with over 13,000 fans fully engaged from start to finish proves exactly that. Could it have been due to a Cayla Barnes Bobblehead night? Or the inaugural Sports Bra toss benefitting Bras for Girls for Women in Sports night? Perhaps it was that the players walked in with adoptable dogs from the Seattle Animal Shelter? Whatever the magic sauce was, if only it could be bottled up and taken with the team.

“For me, now the focus is onto Minnesota and they’re a handful at home,” said O’Rourke. “They’re a high-octane team. Last time there, we did not play well, so, really, our focus is to get ready from tonight, tomorrow when we travel and just get our mindset to come and play for 60 minutes. Whatever that looks like- compete for that 60 full minutes.”

The Torrent travel to Minnesota to take on the Frost on Friday, March 13 and have a quick turnaround to Toronto for their game on Sunday, March 15.