Sunday, January 26, 2025 | 2:00 p.m. CT | Xcel Energy Center
WATCH LIVE: FanDuel Sports Network North, NESN, TSN 2, TSN.ca, TSN App, PWHL YouTube & thepwhl.com
Clay Matvick (Play-by-Play), Alexis Pearson (Analyst), Katie Storm (Reporter)
BOSTON FLEET
3-2-2-4 | 15 PTS | 5TH PLACE
Top Scorer: Megan Keller – 11 GP, 3-6-9 PTS
Last Game: 4-1 W vs. TOR on Jan. 22
MINNESOTA FROST
4-3-2-4 | 20 PTS | 2ND PLACE
Top Scorers: Coyne Schofield (5-6) & Thompson (1-10)
Last Game: 1-0 L vs. OTT on Jan. 21
2024-25 SEASON SERIES: MINNESOTA LEADS 7-2 IN POINTS (BOSTON WON 8-7 IN 2024)
Dec. 4 at BOS: 2-1 MIN | Jan. 2 at MIN: 4-3 MIN (OT) | Jan. 8 at MIN: 2-1 MIN (OT) | Jan. 26 at MIN | Feb. 16 at BOS | May 3 at BOS
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
All three meetings between these teams this season have resulted in one-goal wins by Minnesota, with each of the last two coming in overtime at Xcel Energy Center. Across those three games, Boston has held a lead for a total of 7:59, all in the most recent meeting (Jan. 8).
Boston has won their last two games, a 4-1 win over Toronto on Wednesday and a 2-1 overtime win over Ottawa on Jan. 11. It’s just the second time the Fleet have won back-to-back games this season (Dec. 8 and 17). The only time Boston won three straight games last year was their three-game sweep of Montréal in the first round of the playoffs.
On Wednesday, Alina Müller became the third PWHL player this season with a goal and multiple assists in a game (also Jessie Eldridge and Claire Thompson). Müller’s game was the third three-point game in team history, along with her own three-assist game and Loren Gabel’s two-goal, one-assist game, both on Jan. 17, 2024, against Toronto.
Hilary Knight has recorded a point in all three games against Minnesota this season (2G, 2A) which accounts for half of her eight total points (4G, 4A) in 11 games overall.
Defenders have scored seven goals for Boston this season (including one each from Emily Brown and Megan Keller on Wednesday), most in the PWHL. Meanwhile, the Frost’s defenders have totaled 23 assists, most in the league.
The Frost lost, 1-0, against Ottawa on Tuesday, the second time they’ve been shut out this season (also Jan. 4 vs. New York), with both games coming at home. Including the playoffs, Minnesota was shut out twice at home all last season, both times by Boston and goaltender Aerin Frankel (2-0 on Feb. 25; 1-0 in Game 4 of the PWHL Finals).
Despite posting one point (an assist) over her last six games, Thompson still leads the PWHL in assists with 10, two more than any other player. The third overall draft pick has two assists in three games against the Fleet this season, with both coming in the Jan. 2 matchup.
Mellissa Channell-Watkins has recorded an assist in all three games against Boston this season which accounts for all three of the defender’s assists this season.
This weekend marked The State of Hockey’s annual Hockey Day celebration featuring a series of outdoor games between high school and college teams in the Minneapolis suburb of Shakopee. Current Frost and Fleet players that have participated in previous outdoor games include Minnesota State Mavericks Brooke Bryant and Claire Butorac (2019 in Bemidji and 2022 in Mankato), Minnesota Golden Gophers Brown, Taylor Heise, Grace Zumwinkle (Minneapolis in 2020) and Ohio State Buckeyes Sophie Jaques and Liz Schepers (Minneapolis in 2020).
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
“Wednesday’s win after our bye week was a huge boost for us, but we know it’s just one step. Our group did a great job sticking to the game plan, keeping our systems tight, and staying disciplined in all three zones. Now, as we hit the road here in Minnesota, we need to carry that same attention to detail with us.” - Fleet Head Coach Courtney Kessel.
“We’re really excited to get back on the ice. We’ve had three good days of practice and I’m looking forward to seeing our hard work pay off in today’s game. It’s all about getting pucks to the net, finishing our chances, and being really hard to play against. We need to check those three boxes against the good Boston team.” - Frost Head Coach Ken Klee.
SUNDAY’S GAME: It’s the Frost’s Youth Takeover Day featuring local youth hockey players participating in pre-game and in-game activities normally reserved for grown-ups. Members of Minnesota Hockey’s Tier 1 Walleye team will escort Frost players to the locker room when they arrive and will announce the starters in the Minnesota locker room. Select youth players will also be dropping beats during the game in the arena DJ Booth and will conduct the in-house, pre-game player interview from the bench. Minnesota is playing their league-leading eighth of nine games in the month of January, including their third against Boston at Xcel Energy Center this month. The Frost’s last two wins on home ice have come against the Fleet who have four points in their last three road games but remain the only team in the PWHL without a regulation win away from home this season.