The Boston Fleet and Seattle Torrent met up for the second time this season on Wednesday night (Jan. 7) and for the first time in Boston, Massachusetts. The game took place at Agganis Arena with one team looking to build off a win, and the other looking to get back on track. The Fleet had lost two in a row, each by one goal. On the other hand, the Torrent just picked up a big win over the Toronto Sceptres and needed to start a string of wins to keep scaling the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) standings.
Related: Fleet Hold Off Torrent For Hard-Fought 2-1 Victory
The Fleet got their goals from Jamie Lee Rattray and captain Megan Keller in this one. Despite some power play struggles (which we’ll get into), they got out in front and played good defensive hockey towards the end despite a strong push from Seattle. The final score was 2-1 for the home team.
Rattray Stays Hot With Goals in Two Straight
The first goal on the board last night was, as mentioned, the veteran Rattray. After two Torrent defenders collided during a scramble for a puck, it left Rattray and linemate Laura Kluge all alone in a two-on-zero. After some beautiful back-and-forth passing, the puck found the back of the net for an early lead for Boston. This is the second time in as many games she has scored one.
Rattray’s two goals in two games are her first ones of the season, which is a good sign moving forward for the Fleet. She’s a huge part of the team’s bottom-six, and she can be placed on a line with anyone. This team will be dangerous if their depth can continue contributing and generating chances in close games like this.
Fleet Power Play Floundering
Boston did get one of their goals on special teams, but there’s a bigger picture at play there. The team was one for five in the game with Seattle in the box. That’s not a great percentage, and it’s part of a trend that has been developing over the past few games. The Fleet were one for their past 11 power plays coming into the game on Wednesday night, and that’s despite being among the best in the league in terms of power-play percentage (PP%) before the start of the game.
They are winning games, but this is still an area of concern moving forward. Getting power plays, especially five of them in one game, is something the best teams need to take advantage of to separate themselves as the season progresses. If this team really is the top dog they have been winning like, special teams need to come into focus in the coming weeks.
Aerin Frankel Might Have an Early MVP Case
Goalies don’t regularly win the MVP award in hockey, but it does happen. Connor Hellebuyck just won the NHL’s Hart Trophy in the 2024-25 season, and Carey Price won it back in 2014-15. I believe Aerin Frankel has a case so far this season to be the PWHL’s first goalie MVP, and she proved it last night. She stopped 14/15 shots, and when her team was up one late in the game, she was the steady hand in the crease that guided her team to victory.
Frankel’s 1.36 goals-against average (GAA) is the best among goalies with multiple starts, and her .947 save percentage (SV%) lands her inside the top five of all goalies. There are so many stats that you can put up that show just how good she has been, and there are a couple hundred saves on tape to look at as well. The fact is, if she keeps this up and the Fleet keep winning, Frankel will have a true case as the most valuable across the entire league this season.
The Fleet will play their next game against the Ottawa Charge this Sunday (Jan. 11) as part of the PWHL’s Takeover Tour. The game is set to take place at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia starting at 10 a.m. MDT.
