LOWELL, MA (February 16, 2025) – The Boston Fleet scored four unanswered goals to come back and beat the Minnesota Frost 4-2 at a sold-out Tsongas Center on Sunday afternoon. The 6,032 fans in attendance watched the Fleet defeat the Frost for the first time in five games this season and extend their home winning streak to six games. Minnesota has now lost five straight road games, including three on their current trip. Jill Saulnier began the four-goal sequence for Boston at 11:09 in the second period. The Fleet tallied their last three goals in the third period with an early start from Susanna Tapani less than two minutes into the frame. Hilary Knight followed with her second-career game-winner to bump Boston into their first lead of the game at 3-2. Alina Müller finished the scoring with an empty netter to seal the deal. Halfway through the first period, the Frost scored their only two goals of the game with Kendall Coyne Schofield and Brooke McQuigge tallying within two minutes of each other. Klára Peslarová stopped all 15 shots she faced in relief of Emma Söderberg to record her first career PWHL win in her Fleet debut. Maddie Rooney suffered the loss in goal for the Frost with 17 saves. With the win, Boston moved into sole possession of fourth place with 23 points, just three points back of second-place Minnesota.
QUOTES
Fleet forward Jill Saulnier on her time in Boston so far: “Honestly, it's been amazing. I don't think I have stopped smiling since I got here. I said to the girls and the staff, I've felt at home since I stepped foot down here. It just shows tonight with the chemistry that everybody has together, just the heart. That was a good team win with a bunch of heart and those are the best wins to go on the road with.”
Fleet Head Coach Courtney Kessel on preparing for the back-to-back games: “I think we've been preparing since day one. You look at the schedule and you know what's ahead and know it's going to be a little bit of a grind. I said this to the media earlier, you've got to embrace this. This is professional hockey, and this is why we're professionals. Their fitness, the way they take care of their bodies has prepared them for these moments. We're going to jump on the bus and go for three points.’
Minnesota Head Coach Ken Klee: “We played two games today. The first game we played well and the second game they took it to us. We couldn’t get our energy back and they get a soft bounce off one of our players for a two on one. They played hard, I think their penalty kill got them some more energy - they had more chances than we did on the power play. Hockey is a momentum game, when you have it - it’s great. When you lose it, it’s tough to get it back.”
NOTABLES
Boston earned their first win in regulation this season when trailing by two goals. The Fleet had previously battled back from a 2-0 deficit against Minnesota on Jan. 2 but fell 4-3 in overtime, then came back from down 2-0 to Montréal on Jan. 5 and won 3-2 in a shootout.
Minnesota suffered their first loss in seven games when leading after two periods.
The Fleet have scored a season-high four goals in three of their last six games.
Klára Peslarová becomes the first goaltender in the PWHL this season to earn a win in her first career appearance. The Czech netminder is also the first in PWHL history to earn a win after entering the game in relief of the starter.
Jill Saulnier tallied her first two points of the season and first as a member of the Fleet in six games since being acquired in a trade on Jan. 21. Her multi-point performance (1G, 1A) matches her inaugural season total in 18 games with New York.
Susanna Tapani recorded her third multi-point game (1G, 1A) of the season and second against Minnesota. The goal was her seventh of the season and third in five games, while the assist was just her second of the campaign and ended a 12-game stretch without a helper.
Hilary Knight scored her sixth goal of the season to match her 24-game inaugural season total. The Fleet captain has recorded at least one point in all five games against Minnesota this season (4G, 3A).
Alina Müller recorded her second multi-point game of the season with her goal and assist, giving her a three-game goal streak at home. She has recorded nine points (3G, 6A) in her last seven games after playing her first eight games without any points.
Kendall Coyne Schofield tallied her seventh goal of the season, extending her point streak to three games (1G, 2A) and her road point streak to seven (5G, 5A). The Frost captain has recorded at least one point in seven of ten matchups against the Fleet and is now tied for the league’s scoring lead with 17 points (7G, 10A) in 18 games.
Brooke McQuigge scored her fifth career goal, recording three of the five against Boston. The Frost rookie has four points (3G, 1A) in her last five games and is tied for second among rookies in goals.
Sophie Jaques recorded her second multi-assist game of the season and second against Boston (Jan. 26). The Frost defender extended her point streak to three games (2G, 3A) and ranks third in scoring at her position with 13 points (3G, 10A) in 13 games.
Lee Stecklein tallied her third assist of the season to end a seven-game point drought. Two of the defender’s three helpers have come against Boston.
Kelly Pannek recorded her sixth helper of the season for her first point in six games. The center also won a game-high 15 faceoffs and leads the league with 317 total draws.
Sophie Shirley set a new career-high with her third assist of the season.
Sydney Bard collected her second assist of the season after a ten-game drought.
Jillian Dempsey made her home debut as a member of the Fleet and was in the starting lineup. She also represented the team at center ice for the ceremonial puck drop performed by one of her former Boston Pride teammates, Briana Mastel.
Two plays were reviewed by the officials in consultation with the PWHL Central Situation Room (CSR). The first was McQuigge’s goal at 12:49 of the first period where it was determined that the puck was redirected and not kicked into the net. The second was a potential Minnesota scoring play at 1:12 of the second period where it was determined that there was no clear proof that the entire puck crossed the goal line. The ‘no goal’ call made on the ice stood following the review.
SCORESHEET RECAP
Minnesota 2 0 0 - 2
Boston 0 1 3 – 4
1st Period-1, Minnesota, Coyne Schofield 7 (Jaques, Stecklein), 10:54. 2, Minnesota, McQuigge 5 (Pannek, Jaques), 12:49. Penalties-Bryant Min (holding, roughing), 13:38; Rattray Bos (roughing), 13:38.
2nd Period-3, Boston, Saulnier 1 (Tapani, Shirley), 11:09. Penalties-Morin Bos (tripping), 6:56; Brown Bos (holding), 17:16.
3rd Period-4, Boston, Tapani 7 (Saulnier), 1:36. 5, Boston, Knight 6 (Müller, Bard), 13:23. 6, Boston, Müller 3 19:51 (EN). Penalties-No Penalties
Shots on Goal-Minnesota 9-8-7-24. Boston 5-6-10-21.
Power Play Opportunities-Minnesota 0 / 2; Boston 0 / 1.
Goalies-Minnesota, Rooney 6-3-1-1 (20 shots-17 saves). Boston, Söderberg 0-2-1-0 (9 shots-7 saves); Peslarova 1-0-0-0 (15 shots-15 saves).
A-6,032
THREE STARS
1. Hilary Knight (BOS) 1G
2. Jill Saulnier (BOS) 1G, 1A
3. Kendall Coyne Schofield (MIN) 1G
STANDINGS
Minnesota (5-4-3-6) - 26 PTS – 2nd Place
Boston (5-3-2-6) - 23 PTS – 4th Place
UPCOMING SCHEDULES
Boston: Monday, February 17 at New York at 4 p.m. ET
Minnesota: Tuesday, February 18 at Montréal at 7 p.m. ET