C Benwell discusses the best and worst goaltending in the PWHL With a lot of changes to netminding scenarios in the PWHL, the balance of power has shifted. From the unquestioned top goalies in Montreal's Ann-Renee Desbiens and Boston's Aerin Frankel to new #1's like Kayle Osborne and Elaine Chuli, how do the teams stack up going into next season? 1. Vancouver Emerance Maschmeyer and Kristen Campbell Two of the best goaltenders from the first two seasons of the PWHL. Maschmeyer was perhaps the top goalie before she was injured, with a .913 save percentage over 18 games. Her experience with the Canadian national team established her as a big-game goalie who can perform under pressure. While Campbell had hot and cold stretches in both seasons, she has shown an ability to stop the PWHL’s best shooters. Her confidence might have taken a hit in the playoffs, but if she can settle into a backup role and play well in specific situations, this could be a dynamite pair. 2. Montreal Ann-Renee Desbiens and Sandra Abstreiter Montreal will always be near the top of the list because of one factor: Ann-Renee Desbiens. Desbiens won Goaltender of the Year and had stretches where she was unbeatable last season (posting .932 and 1.86 overall). In Sandra Abstreiter, they might have a hidden gem since she is a top international netminder but hasn’t had many opportunities to show her form in the PWHL. 3. Minnesota Maddie Rooney and Nicole Hensley The Frost have the only intact goalie tandem from last year, and they happen to be Walter Cup winners with a ton of experience.Although their overall numbers were below average (both had save percentages around .900), when one is off their game, the other seems ready to step in and give the team a run of good performances. Hensley needs a bounceback season. 4. Ottawa Gwyneth Philips and Sanni Ahola Philips won playoff MVP and established herself as the best young goalie in the game. She won the #1 job with Ottawa over Emerance Maschmeyer when they chose to protect her and left Maschmeyer exposed (she was signed by PWHL Vancouver). She posted a .919 save percentage and 2.11 GAA in 15 games. In Ahola, Ottawa has a solid backup who has international experience and stood out in the NCAA already. She could get sheltered starts to help her find her form in the pros. 5. Toronto Elaine Chuli and Raygan Kirk Chuli was one of the best in season one, with better numbers than even Desbiens in Montreal (8 GP 1.61 .949). She was slightly worse in the second year, but still had a .910 save percentage (the same as Toronto’s starter Campbell) and has a championship pedigree (from the Toronto Six in the PHF). With Kirk, Toronto found a reliable young netminder who at times was better than their starter Kristen Campbell. She sustained a foot injury at the end of her rookie season, or else she would have been their playoff backstop. She posted a 2.26 GAA and .917 save percentage in 10 games. 6. Boston Aerin Frankel and Amanda Thiele Last season showed that when Frankel is injured, the Fleet aren’t the same team. They have one of the best in the world in their crease, but haven’t yet found a backup that can be relied upon. Frankel can win games singlehandedly, but she can’t play all 30 games, so the Fleet have a weakness. 7. Seattle Corinne Schroeder and Hannah Murphy As goalies do, Schroeder can be very hot and very cold. She has been very strong overall, and deserves this opportunity to shine for the expansion team. Her numbers last season of .919 save percentage and 2.43 GAA show that she was likely too exposed on the Sirens. She’ll be solid, and rookie Hannah Murphy is a good pickup to be the #2. Adding Carly Jackson to round out the trio of netminders is a fantastic choice as well. 8. New York Kayle Osborne and Callie Shanahan Unfortunately, the Sirens didn’t replace Schroeder after she was signed by Seattle, so they will promote sophomore Kayle Osborne to their #1 position. No other team except Ottawa has had to make that adjustment, and Osborne is less proven than Gwyneth Philips. She posted .916 and 2.22 in 10 games, decent numbers but she’ll have a lot more rubber coming at her next year. Callie Shanahan from Boston University had outstanding statistics (1.81 GAA, three shutouts and a .924 save percentage) so look for her to get a good portion of the starts.
