LOWELL, MA (January 31, 2025) – Alina Müller boosted the Boston Fleet to a 3-2 shootout victory over the New York Sirens before a sold-out crowd of 5,912 on Friday night at the Tsongas Center. The Swiss forward opened the scoring with a shorthanded ‘Jailbreak’ goal and later tallied the shootout winner to send the Fleet into the break on a high note with their fourth straight victory on home ice. Hannah Bilka extended Boston’s lead to two early in the third period, but Ella Shelton responded with two goals in a span of 3:23 late in the final frame to tie the game and force overtime. Rookie Sarah Fillier picked up an assist on Shelton’s first goal to move back into a tie for first in league scoring. Müller’s shootout goal was one of two scored by the Fleet, while Aerin Frankel denied all four Sirens shooters to preserve the victory. During overtime, Frankel became the first PWHL goaltender to surpass 1,000 career saves with a 25-save performance in her sixth win of the season. Corinne Schroeder matched her season-high with 35 saves for the Sirens in defeat. Boston is now tied for fourth in the PWHL standings with 17 points – three back of New York.
QUOTES
Boston Fleet goalie Aerin Frankel on two wins at home against New York: “I think we feed off of our fans a lot. We’ve played well at home, and I think that is a big part of it. Next game is at their rink, and we’ve had success against them, so I think that will give us confidence moving forward. We know that we are the better team and can get some more points against them.”
Fleet Head Coach Courtney Kessel on Frankel’s performance: “The way she [Frankel] shows up day in and day out, and she’s pretty ‘steady-Eddy,’ she’s never too high, never too low, and I think it’s huge for whatever kind of moment you are going to face in these games because they seem to be crazy every night. The parody across this league is incredible, and she spoke about taking care of her body. I think that is a huge part of learning what it is like to be a professional athlete. Being ready to go when you get the nod to go in, and we have seen her show up night in and night out, and I don’t know if 1,000 shots against is good for our defense, but we know that Franks is going to show up for us every night.”
Fleet forward Alina Müller on the impact of the PWHL globally: “I think it is not just here in the league or in the U.S. or Canada. I can feel the excitement and support all the way back home and in Europe. People are watching and staying up late to watch the games. They want to see us play.”
New York Head Coach Greg Fargo: “When we don’t get the results we want it’s tough to get back from falling behind early. They did a really good job at setting the tone of the game from the physicality standpoint, and they came on early by trying to take a lot away from us, especially in a three-game road trip. They did a great job setting the pace for the game and we just have to find a way to respond—we will build along the way.”
Sirens Forward Taylor Girard: “I am just so excited for what’s to come with my time here in New York. I am excited because it’s a great group of girls, everybody is so talented and that makes me really excited. I think we have the potential to go all the way with this group.”
NOTABLES
Alina Müller scored Boston’s first shorthanded ‘Jailbreak’ goal of the season to extend her point streak to four games (2G, 4A). She becomes the fifth player to score shorthanded this season, while the Fleet scored two ‘Jailbreak’ goals during the inaugural season.
Aerin Frankel’s 1,001 career saves include 260 in 10 games this season, 455 in 18 games last season, and 286 in eight playoff games.
In the shootout, Müller scored on her first attempt of the season and the second of her career. Hilary Knight scored on her first of two attempts in the shootout. She entered the game 0/1 on the season and is now 2/6 in her career.
Boston improves to 2-0 in the shootout this season, also beating Montréal on Jan. 5 in Seattle. New York is 1-2 in shootouts this season.
The Fleet have won four of their five games at the Tsongas Center – a streak that began with a 4-2 victory over the Sirens on Dec. 8.
This was the most penalized game in regular-season history with 15 minor penalties assessed between both teams, including eight penalties for New York and seven for Boston. Neither team scored on the power play.
Ella Shelton recorded the first multi-goal game of her career and now leads all PWHL defenders with four goals in eight games. She also extended her point streak to three games (3G, 1A).
Sarah Fillier recorded an assist to extend her point streak to a career-high five games (1G, 4A). The Sirens first overall pick moves into a tie for first in league scoring with 14 points (5G, 9A) in 13 games and has now recorded a point in all seven of her team’s road games this season. Fillier took a career-high 15 faceoffs, surpassing her previous high of six on Dec. 8 against Boston, and won 12 for an 80% efficiency.
Hannah Bilka’s fourth goal of the season gives her two points in two games. The Fleet first-round pick is now tied for second in rookie scoring with nine points (4G, 5A) in 13 games. She also led all skaters with a career-high seven shots on goal in this game.
Knight recorded an assist and now has three points in her last two games (1G, 2A). The Fleet captain leads the team in scoring with 11 points (5G, 6A) in 13 games which matches her point total over 24 games during the inaugural season (6G, 5A).
Megan Keller recorded an assist to become the third defender this season to reach 10 points (3G, 7A). She enters the break second in Fleet scoring.
Abby Roque recorded an assist to extend her point streak to a career-high four games (1G, 3A).
Taylor Girard recorded an assist in her first game back in Boston since being traded to New York on Jan. 21. The assist was her first point of the season in her eighth game and third with the Sirens. The forward also recorded a season-high 11:55 time on ice.
Jill Saulnier, acquired by Boston in the trade with New York, recorded a season-high 11:49 time on ice in her first game against her former team.
Boston recorded a season-high 38 shots on goal, including 16 shots in the opening frame which represents their highest single-period shot count in a game this season.
New York became the second team this season to force extra time after trailing by two goals in the third period. On January 2, Boston came back from down 3-1 in the third period to the game against Minnesota before falling 4-3 in overtime.
At 4:34 of the second period, New York’s Jade Downie-Landry was assessed a minor penalty for slashing. The play was reviewed by the on-ice officials, and in consultation with the PWHL Central Situation Room, was upgraded to a double-minor for an attempted spear under PWHL Rule 64.2. Downie-Landry has recorded penalties in three straight games.
SCORESHEET RECAP
New York 0 0 2 0 - 2
Boston 1 0 1 0 – 3
1st Period-1, Boston, Müller 2 19:47 (SH). Penalties-Brandt Bos (boarding), 19:04.
2nd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Shirley Bos (hooking), 2:21; Downie-Landry Ny (spearing), 4:34; Levis Ny (roughing), 6:06; Knight Bos (cross checking), 6:06; Downie-Landry Ny (spearing), 6:34; Pelkey Bos (too many players), 7:19; Eldridge Ny (illegal body checking), 14:12; Maloney Bos (illegal body checking), 17:55.
3rd Period-2, Boston, Bilka 4 (Keller, Knight), 2:48. 3, New York, Shelton 3 (Fillier), 14:36. 4, New York, Shelton 4 (Roque, Girard), 17:59. Penalties-Aurard Ny (interference), 6:42; Fillier Ny (roughing), 7:45; Bilka Bos (cross checking), 7:45; Fillier Ny (hooking), 10:44; Tapani Bos (holding), 12:50; Roque Ny (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 14:24.
1st OT Period- No Scoring.Penalties-No Penalties
Shootout - New York 0 (Tulus NG, Fillier NG, Eldridge NG, Roque NG), Boston 2 (Müller G, Knight G, Tapani NG, Knight NG).
Shots on Goal-New York 6-8-10-3-0-27. Boston 16-11-10-0-1-38.
Power Play Opportunities-New York 0 / 5; Boston 0 / 6.
Goalies-New York, Schroeder 6-3-0-1 (37 shots-35 saves). Boston, Frankel 6-3-1-0 (27 shots-25 saves).
A-5,912 (sell-out)
THREE STARS
1. Alina Müller (BOS) 1G
2. Ella Shelton (NY) 2G
3. Aerin Frankel (BOS) 25/27 SV
STANDINGS
New York (4-3-2-4) - 20 PTS – 3rd Place
Boston (3-3-2-5) - 17 PTS – 4th Place (Tied)
UPCOMING SCHEDULES
New York: Sunday, February 2 vs. Montréal at 1 p.m. ET
Boston: Wednesday, February 12 at New York at 7 p.m. ET