While the Boston Fleet's home in Lowell, the Tsongas Center, wasn't sold out for the opening game of the 2026 Walter Cup playoffs, it felt like it to fans and players with a loud and supportive atmosphere.
The Boston Fleet and Ottawa Charge opened up the 2025-26 PWHL playoffs on Thursday, the Fleet securing a 2-1 win over the Charge.
It was hard to tell whether the arena had sold out, as crowd noise erupted throughout the entire game.
The Tsongas Center seats 6,496 fans. 4,285 fans were in attendance on Thursday night.
The fans' noise could be heard on the livestream and echoed throughout the Tsongas Center.
Following the game, Jamie Lee Rattray spoke about the atmosphere throughout.
“It was a lot of fun in the building tonight. For a Thursday night in Lowell, I thought it was pretty loud. Honestly, great start for us,” Rattray said. “Obviously, a weird first period with a lot of special teams, but I thought our group really stuck together, did all the little things right and got it done.”
The game was a physical battle, with two strong goaltenders facing off.
25 penalty minutes were assessed in the first 20 minutes of play.
There were nine penalties in total, in addition to one major and one game misconduct.
Every time a Charge player headed to the box, there was an eruption of ‘to the brig’ chants.
Even the opposing team felt the excitement in the building. Charge defender Rory Guilday spoke about how she felt in her first playoff game.
“It was super fun,” Guilday said. “Everything is kind of intensified; the speed of the game, physicality, and just overall energy in the building.”
As the Boston Fleet head into the next game of the series, the Tsongas Center atmosphere is an important part of their success.
Fans will once again head to Lowell on Saturday to watch the two teams battle for the second game of the series.