(Photo courtesy of PWHL) “The Tsongas Center was sold out for last Saturday’s Boston Fleet game”
Jason Cooke
Connector Editor
The Boston Fleet looks like a playoff contender as the Professional Women’s Hockey League team enters the homestretch of the season.
Currently tied with the Minnesota Frost for first place (42 points), Boston has positioned itself in a good place with nine games left in the docket.
No team has officially clinched a playoff berth just yet — Minnesota, Boston and Montreal are in a three-team push for first — but the Fleet have all the makings of returning to the playoffs after missing the postseason last year.
The Fleet (10-5-2-4) has checked a lot of boxes this season. Aerin Frankel, who earned her PWHL record fifth shutout this season on Saturday, is considered the best goalie in the league. Boston wins at home. Its penalty kill (90.7%) has been dynamite. One minor detail the team will need to ponder down the stretch of the season?
Managing Megan Keller and Haley Winn. It’s no surprise the Fleet go as both of their primary defenders go. Keller (6-10-16) and Winn (3-9-12) drive play. They make things happen, and Boston is practically unbeatable when they are at the top of their game.
The problem? Boston can’t afford to mismanage their franchise defenders. Winn (27:58) and Keller (27:21) average the most time on ice on the team, by far. The next player with the most minutes is Alina Müller, nearly seven minutes less (20:59).
Head coach Kris Sparre has recently talked about the importance of managing their ice time.
Sparre elected to split up his top pairing of Keller and Winn for chunks of Saturday’s game to balance out his defensive core, he said. While the stalwarts still shared the ice for power plays and offensive zone faceoffs, Keller was seen skating with Riley Brengman, while Winn spent time sharing the ice with Daniela Pejšová.
Sparre’s attempt seemed to work. Keller (assist) and Winn (goal, assist) were very productive in the team’s 3-0 win. Something to keep an eye on.
Merrimack reigns supreme
All of Hockey East had its eyes glued to the television on Saturday night, as No. 8 Merrimack took down No. 3 UConn in the Hockey East finals at TD Garden.
The Warriors, winning by way of 2-1, became the first No. 8 seed to win the title. It’s a special moment for the North Andover school in a world where the college landscape tends to favor the big-name schools like Boston College and Boston University who are able to attract blue-chip prospects like James Hagens and Cole Hutson, among others.
Merrimack is a small school — Lawler arena holds some 2,500 fans — and its roster is built on the perfect combination of skill and grit.
And stick taps to netminder Max Lundgren, who made 49 — yes, 49 — saves on Saturday.
Shutdown Swayman
This is why Jeremy Swayman got the big bucks, folks.
Making 41 saves in Saturday’s crucial 4-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on the road, Swayman perhaps played the best game of his season to date to give the Bruins an important two points in what is a crowded playoff picture in the Eastern Conference.
As of Saturday night’s victory, the Bruins (86 points) hold the first wild card spot in the Eastern Conference in a race where just eight points separate six teams.
That’s how timely Swayman’s efforts were on Saturday, and it’s another indicator that the $66 million Swayman is a big-game player. It wasn’t that long ago when he took the league by storm with a .933 save percentage in an impressive 12-game playoff run in 2024, particularly against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
He’s arguably been the best goalie in the NHL this season — his .908 save percentage is the fourth-best in the league — and he’s beginning to play his best hockey at the most important time.
