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“Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream” demo creates hype among fans

April 14, 2026 by with comment off

(Image courtesy of Nintendo of America. “‘Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream’ lets players watch an island of characters go through a life of strange happenings.”)

Rosalie Pineda
Connector Contributor

With the highly anticipated sequel to “Tomodachi Life” set to release on April 16 this year, nobody expected a free demo to drop on the Nintendo E-shop. Since the Welcome Version of “Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream” was made available for download on March 25, the internet has been abuzz with hilarious screenshots and growing excitement for the full release.

When starting the demo, the game jumps players right into it. Players are given a small island to look around with the camera, which in itself is a neat upgrade from the first game. Fans of the original game will recall how limited the camera movement was; there was no free movement nor rotation of the camera at all. Now, in this new game, just being able to get a full 360-degree view of a Mii’s room enhances the liveliness of the world.

The demo lets players make their very first Mii within minutes. This is where the fun really starts. Almost every part of the Mii is customizable; there’s a greater diversity of eyes, noses, hairstyles, and colors. Face paint offers an even wider variety of designs for Miis, and although the interface can be overwhelming at a glance, this feature has been especially embraced online. Some players have spent at least an hour designing their perfect Miis, leading to some genuinely impressive recreations of everything from fictional characters to something as abstract as popcorn. There’s even an option to upload real images from the Switch onto the Mii’s face. It’s absurd and wonderful.

Every Mii’s gender and dating preferences can be toggled as well. Notably, a nonbinary option has been added, and Miis can fall in love with the same gender (a highly requested feature from fans of the first game). It’s even possible to customize their clothing preferences for scripted events like weddings. Voices and personality types can also be customized, although for some reason, players are no longer able to choose a Mii’s favorite color.

Another appreciated feature is the option to specify which Miis are related to each other. One unpopular aspect about the first “Tomodachi Life” was the inability to indicate which Miis were related to each other in real life, which would lead to embarrassing situations when these Miis would develop romantic feelings for each other. Thankfully, in the new game, romantic interactions are barred for related Miis.

Players can also make up to three Miis in the demo. Having three Miis on the island provides a pretty good preview of what they can do; not only do they have funny interactions with each other, but they can also be fed, petted, and carried around the island. They can be gifted things like a soccer ball, expressions, and little quirks, which gives every Mii even more personality.

In a recent FAQ, it was confirmed that the number of Miis available to register would be 70. This is a significant decrease from the first game, which allowed 100 Miis to be registered. The reason for the change is unknown, but it is a bit disappointing, especially for players who had planned to make over 70 Miis.

Also, unlike its predecessor, “Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream” has no online sharing features. In the first “Tomodachi Life” game, sharing Mii designs and screenshots online was a popular way for players

to connect with each other. While this is certainly a bummer, one stand-out feature from the demo could explain why this change was made: there is an absolute lack of filter.

It’s common for many Nintendo games to restrict players from typing certain words or phrases that could be offensive, including curse words. This restriction applied to the original “Tomodachi Life” as well. The sequel, however, surprised everyone by completely getting rid of that filter. Dialogue options are more customizable, and this has led to a hilarious amount of screenshots where Miis express themselves in ways they never could have otherwise.

Perhaps the developers thought, “If they’re going to work around the censors anyway, why restrict them at all?” After all, it isn’t quite “living the dream” for some people if they can’t use certain words, which is why this freedom should hopefully extend to the retail version of the game.

It’s exciting to think about what could happen down the line in this digital age. When “Tomodachi Life” came out 13 years ago, the Nintendo 3DS was all the hype. A new generation of kids and adults alike are getting the chance to try out this game, and the creative opportunities presented to them are limitless.

Impressions are clear: this feels like just the beginning for the full game’s financial success.

Grade: A

“Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere” critiques hypermasculine movement

April 14, 2026 by with comment off

(Image courtesy of Netflix. “‘Inside the Manosphere’ dissects and examines a hypermasculine online bubble.”)

Haliyah Afolabi
Connector Contributor

Popular documentarian, Louis Theroux, noticed parts of the internet being taken over by a bunch of male influencers. These male influencers shared a theme of content that promoted anti-feminist, misogynistic, and male-supremacist views. The name given to this community that promotes these gender-based bigoted views is the “manosphere.” As the influence of these views became widespread throughout the globe, with even teachers reporting the effects of this content evident in their male students, Theroux sought out an opportunity to investigate the phenomenon first-hand.

He, along with his casting crew, filmed his interactions with the most influential figures of the community, “the heads of the manosphere.” These figures are as follows: HS Tikky Tocky (Harrison Sullivan), Myron Gaines (Amrou Fudl), Sneako (Nicolas Balinthazy), Justice Waller, and Ed Matthews. There were two notable figures in the manosphere community, British and American brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate, who refused to be filmed. Due to this refusal, mere snippets of their statements, mentions of their names, and what they were affiliated with were the only things produced in this film regarding to them (it would have been unrepresentative of the community if these two were left out entirely).

Spread all throughout the west, Theroux went to various cities to meet these influencers. He had a stay at British influencer, HS Tikky Tocky’s home for two days in Marbella, Spain. As Louis had his own crew filming their interactions, HS also had his own professional videographer filming.

While HS leads Theroux on a journey on what life looks like outside of the house for him, they meet up with the popular British influencer, Ed Matthews. On the second day of filming in Marbella, Louis notices Matthews and HS disappear from his sight and shows his discovery of them engaging in vulgar activity, which was censored, through the popular streaming platform, Twitch. Shortly after this absurd discovery, the focus shifts to Miami, the spiritual home of the manosphere, where an impromptu meeting is being held, which HS is attending.

In Miami, Theroux meets up with Americans Myron Gaines and Justice Waller. Louis interacts with a small fraction of Gaines’ circle along with a feature in his well-known podcast, Fresh&Fit. After Gaines, he meets up with Justice Wallace, a construction company owner and affiliate of Andrew and Tristan Tate, who created the “modern wealth creation” educational platform, The Real World. Based on the interactions with Gaines and Wallace, these two held the same sentiment of one-sided monogamy. This relationship dynamic, commonly popularized by the manosphere, allows for one party (the male), to engage in sexual or romantic relationships outside the union, while the other party (the female) is required to be exclusive. The last interaction with the notorious and widely social-media-banned figure, Sneako, in New York, is brief but just as important. Sneako shares with Theroux his antisemitic, queerphobic, religiously psychotic, and misogynistic views that are a representation of the beliefs that many of the manosphere holds.

Theroux uses fragmented clips, social media comments, and clips of these red-pill influencers, including those not interviewed, to diversify the representation of what the manosphere is doing to young men across the globe.

While Theroux interviewed these individuals, they remained courteous and made positive comments to his face but made negative comments about him online when he was no longer in their presence. This was very evident in HS Tikky Tocky, who not even twenty-four hours later of Louis filming, took a storm to the internet making negative comments, seeming to be threatened while Louis had made zero ill remarks about him. Being offended by a mutual agreement on effort to show the world one’s way of life, in which the other party said and did nothing that would make the other offended, counteracts this strong “alpha-male” personality being advocated for.

While the title of this documentary is named Inside the Manosphere, this film only represents a surface level of the community, but nevertheless, does a great job at displaying how and why these beliefs are harmful for society. Historically, it is seen that radical ideologies often lead to radical activity. To combat these harmful thoughts from being evidently widespread in young men’s behaviors, this film is recommended for anyone who wants to get a brief light on what the manosphere is and their beliefs system.

Summer Shack brings quality food to Alewife

April 14, 2026 by with comment off

(Image courtesy of Harvard Square Business Association. “Summer Shack serves quality seafood year-round.”)

Aaron Preziosi
Connector Editor

It’s no secret that New England is home to some of the best seafood in the country. It is hard to compete with a hearty bowl of clam chowder, a fresh lobster roll, succulent clams, cod, haddock or scallops. Summer Shack in Alewife, Cambridge MA, embodies that notion flawlessly. On their menu is a wide variety of classic New England seafood dishes, refined to perfection by the late celebrity chef Jasper White. Notably, the raw bar, advertised as “Cambridge’s largest”, features a rotating list of oysters sourced from around New England as well as clams and shrimp.

Diners looking to try a little bit of everything at Summer Shack’s raw bar should look to the sampler platter dubbed the “Tower of Power”: a two-tier platter of eight oysters, six shrimp, six littleneck clams, two clam ceviche, and two of Summer Shack’s own oyster and tuna sashimi, that is, finely sliced raw tuna and fresh raw oysters served with a tart and savory ponzu sauce, a bundle of crunchy and salty seaweed salad, sesame seeds, and a little dollop of caviar to round everything out.

The dining room itself cannot be ignored, of course. The lighting was warm and dim, creating a comfortable dining atmosphere. Tables are high-up, giving diners a good vantage of the enormous 1500-gallon lobster tank and 80-gallon steam kettles situated right in the middle of the floor. Being able to see these things will surely affirm to diners that what they are paying for is the highest-quality, freshest seafood around.

In addition to offerings like baked or pan roasted lobster, crab cakes, fish and chips, steamers, peel-and-eat shrimp and lobster rolls, Summer Shack also offers weekly specials, which we tried two of: the almond parmesan crusted halibut and the grilled mahi-mahi.

The halibut was delicious. Many times, dining out for crusted or fried seafood is disappointing, as the breading becomes soggy or thick, but this dish broke the mold with a satisfying and flavorful crunch, to say little of the tender halibut within. The lemon chive beurre blanc complimented the savory, rich flavor of the crust perfectly as well. The dish also came with garlic green beans and creamy mashed potatoes which lived up to their names, and did not disappoint as far as side dishes go.

The grilled mahi-mahi took on a vastly different flavor palette, however. The fish itself was a pleasant medium-firm with a tender, flaky texture. The grill imparted a slightly smoky char-broiled flavor. The accoutrements were what truly made it stand out, consisting of smoked chili-corn and avocado salsa, yucca chips, roasted kale and black beans with rice. The yucca chips were perfectly crunchy and served as a great way to scoop up extra salsa and rice.

All in all, Summer Shack is a pillar of the seafood right here in New England. Be it in the frigid winter or blistering summer, diners can count on Summer Shack to serve only the best.

The Connector’s A&E editor visits PAX East 2026

April 14, 2026 by with comment off

Aaron Preziosi
Connector Editor

Editor’s note: I would like to extend my thanks to the PAX Media team for giving me a Media pass for this year’s PAX East. Without them, I would not have been able to see as much as I did, nor cover the event as thoroughly as I was able to.

From Thursday, March 26 to Sunday, March 29, Penny Arcade hosted PAX East 2026 in Boston, turning the Thomas M. Menino Convention Center into a massive exhibition of indie games, demos, presentations, interactive panels, showcases, tabletop games, and more.

For those unaware, PAX is a yearly show created by Penny Arcade in 2004 to exclusively celebrate gaming and game culture, extending not just to video games but also tabletop games such as Dungeons & Dragons, Magic the Gathering, and dozens of other RPGs and card games. According to the show’s website, since its inception, PAX has grown exponentially, and thanks to a partnership with Reed Exhibitions has come to cities around the world, such as San Antonio, Philadelphia, Melbourne, Australia and Boston of course. Notably, PAX embraces new technologies, rising diversity, minority voices within the gaming community, especially with its VR Freeplay and Diversity Lounge.

Over the years, many exhibitioners have come and gone from PAX East. Notably, “big three” of Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo have always had some sort of presence at most notable gaming events. PAX East was no exception, but following 2020’s show all but Nintendo had withdrawn, citing the pandemic as reasoning to do so, and Nintendo had drastically cut back their presence, scaling down to small demo booths and attractions. However, this year, Nintendo has a small pavilion dedicated to the new “Super Mario Bros. Wonder” DLC featuring a new co-op mode, as well as other Switch 2 titles “Pokopia” and “Pokémon Champions.” Sony also has some presence this year as well, albeit through partner Mega Cat Studios featuring their “God of War” spinoff “God of War Sons of Sparta.” Microsoft has not returned.

A major exhibitor this year was Digital Extremes, who featured their major success “Warframe” and its sister game “Soulframe” in an hour-long livestream in the enormous Main Stage theatre. Despite the theatre’s enormous size, the queue to enter the show spanned the majority of the convention center’s second floor. The show itself diverged from the norms of previous years, adopting a format akin to a standard panel rather than an in-depth developer’s stream. Host Megan Everett had special guests Nick Apostolides, known for his role as Leon Kennedy across the Resident Evil franchise, and Rocco Botte, creator of web series Mega64, compete in minigames to reveal more content to the audience. These reveals consisted of upcoming features for “Warframe,” teasers for “Soulframe,” and a red band cinematic trailer featuring Voruna Prime, an upgraded character soon to be available to players who calls upon imagery of werewolves and bestial predators, stalking the battlefield unseen until she finds her prey. Viewer discretion is advised for anyone looking to watch the trailer, as it contains blood and violence. As for “Soulframe” specifics, the teasers shown confirmed two things: Players will be able to ride a large direwolf around the game’s sprawling, verdant world, and that they will also be able to set sail and fare the seas beyond the current map
available to them. There has been no release date confirmed for either of these features.

The tabletop scene was alive and well, as always. Advertising for a Magic the Gathering crossover pack featuring Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was all over the convention this year, and the tabletop area itself took up roughly half of the expo hall. There were plenty of colorful dice sets, table accessories such as rolling trays and dice towers, miniature figurines, player tokens, notebooks, play mats, props and even jewelry like necklaces, earrings and eyeglass chains. These aren’t just for Dungeons and Dragons either; PAX East is home to a lively tabletop scene and features dozens of indie releases such as “Fire Tower,” a tactical pattern-laying game where players are tasked with protecting their watchtower from a forest fire, as well as sabotaging their opponents. There was also a booth for the all-new “Cyberpunk TCG,” a trading card game based on the iconic Cyberpunk franchise featuring characters from both the video game “Cyberpunk 2077” and its anime counterpart “Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.”

All things considered, it was a good year at PAX East this year with lots to see. According to the official PAX East website, the show is slated to return to Boston once again next year from April 22 to 25.

Students to vote in 2026 SGA Spring Elections

April 13, 2026 by with comment off

(Photo courtesy of iStock) “Voting in an election”

From April 14th to the 15th, UMass Lowell students will have the opportunity to make their voices heard in the upcoming 2026 Student Government Association (SGA) spring elections.

The spring elections will give students the opportunity to elect an SGA Student Body President and Vice President, Student Trustee, At-Large senators and senators representing all five colleges, and for the Class of 2027, senior officer positions.

“I might be biased because I advise SGA and I know what kind of an impact they make, but I also know that they work really hard to try and educate people about what student government does, and that’s difficult to do,” said Sarah Rine, Director of Student Life and Involvement and faculty advisor of SGA .

SGA Chairs Bryce Lee and Muriel Merheb, both Business Administration majors, are expected to be elected the next Student Body President and Vice President respectively, succeeding Gavin Robillard and Rena McFall.

In an Instagram post to the campus community, Lee and Murheb said their priorities for taking office will be “mental health advocacy, community and school spirit initiatives, and availability of career-connected opportunities” (BryceAndMuriel4SGA).

The Student Body President and Vice President represent over 12,000 undergraduate students and additionally, as listed in the SGA constitution, appoint senators to chair positions and oversee the work of standing committees.

In the Student Trustee election, Greek Life chair Tucker Norton, a Business Administration major, is expected to succeed Abigail Cooper.

The Student Trustee serves as the university’s ambassador and represents the Board of Trustees of the University of Massachusetts system, as well as serving as an SGA voting member.

Students will be able to vote from 9 AM on Tuesday, April 14th to 4 PM on Wednesday, April 15th by visiting uml.edu/elections.

When asked about the importance of student voting, Rine said “It’s a great way to support peers who become student leaders on campus through student government.”

Below is the list of vetted candidates as approved by the SGA election committee:

            President & Vice President (vote up to one ticket): Bryce Lee & Muriel Merheb

            Student Trustee (vote up to one): Tucker Norton

            Senators At-Large (vote up to twelve): Nathan Contorelli, Mia Czarnecki, Maretchia Dakash, Merolla Dakkash, Keyko Diesing, Muhammad Naeem, Jolia Sifien, Michael Sliman, Nancy Tekityamazzi

            Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (FAHSS) Senators (vote up to six): Sean Antin, Hope Bunnell, Mera Hanna, Heidy Rodriguez

            Francis College of Engineering Senators (vote up to six): Sid McQuaid, Kyle Ray-Dutra, Gabriel Rivers, Ereny Tefal

            Kennedy College of Sciences Senators (vote up to six): Ewan Grant, Arjun Gupte, Maahi Pant, Nida Syed

            Manning School of Business Senators (vote up to six): Bruno Jacob, Anthony Massaro

            Zuckerburg College of Health Sciences (ZCHS) Senators (vote up to six): Eden Adams, Silvia Wahba

            Class of 2027 President (vote up to one): Cole Stepanik

            Class of 2027 Vice President (vote up to one): Aaron King

            Class of 2027 Secretary (vote up to one): Courtney Houde

            Class of 2027 Treasurer (vote up to one): Paige Matthews

Thousands gather across country for No Kings protests

April 7, 2026 by with comment off

(Photo courtesy of Library of Congress) “The United States Capitol”

Makayla Mahoney

Connector Editor

Downtown Lowell’s Kerouac Park was filled with thousands of protesters on Saturday, March 28, according to The Lowell Sun, for the third No Kings protest taking place internationally. This local demonstration was one of more than 3,300 within the U.S., with approximately 8 million protesters in attendance. Several more demonstrations took place globally in countries including Mexico, Ecuador, Puerto Rico, Canada, the U.K., and more.

No Kings is a movement led by partnering organizations, such as 50501, Indivisible, and MoveOn. Their concerns, as written on their website, are as stated:

“Masked secret police terrorizing our communities. An illegal, catastrophic war putting us in danger and driving up our costs. Attacks on our freedom of speech, our civil rights, our freedom to vote. Costs pushing families to the brink. Trump wants to rule over us as a tyrant. But this is America, and power belongs to the people – not to wannabe kings or their billionaire cronies”.

March 28 marked the third and largest No Kings protest throughout the nation, with previous No Kings protests taking place June 14 and October 18 of 2025 largely in response to increasing I.C.E. raids across the country. This No Kings protest further marked the second largest single-day protest in U.S. history, according to Brittanica.

Members and representatives of the Lowell community spoke to the crowd at Kerouac Park for No Kings, including Congresswoman Lori Trahan, State Senator Vanna Howard, State Representative Tara Hong, and members of UMass Lowell’s very own chapter of the College Democrats.

One member who spoke was Deyanarah Gutierrez, the secretary of UMass Lowell Democrats and a senior political science student. This was her first No Kings protest, sharing, “I had missed the first protest and was amazed by the global turnout organized by Indivisible, so when this opportunity came up, I knew I wanted to be there”.

Deyanarah had written a speech to read aloud for the audience, stating: “I wanted my piece to center on love rather than hate, emphasizing the importance of community. My goal was to push back against the way people are often categorized or marginalized by media, stigma, or affiliation. My message was that this country is a place for all of us, and when that sense of belonging is threatened, it creates fear because love is what makes a home.”

An excerpt from her speech titled “A House with Many Homes” is as follows:

“Kings do not sing, they do not see beauty of the art, but for the playthings he may sting with a swing of his wand and flings those who do not follow along. Kings who bring fear do not linger on heart strings they may pull. So it may be time to lace up shoestrings and bowstrings to fight

back as young things who hear the rings of whistles. You need to know this is more than left or right wings. If your heart nerves don’t ping to the sound of S.O.S rings of your neighbors – are you even listening? Kings never wait… they take, they declare, they control; but this is democracy- power is ours, and we will not hand them our soul.”

When asked what No Kings means to her, Deyanarah explained, “‘No Kings’ represents the opportunity to speak up not just out of frustration, but out of hope. It’s about supporting communities that feel threatened or targeted and reminding them that they are not alone.”

The city of Lowell was one of several locations with No King demonstrations across Massachusetts, with one of the largest in the country being in Boston. An estimated 180,000 people attended No Kings in the Boston Commons, with a performance by The Dropkick Murphys and speeches by Governor Maura Healey, Attorney General Andrea Campbell, Senator Ed Markey, and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley as well as local organizers and advocates.

No Kings organizers are not done yet. Their mission is to “grow from a mobilization into a movement” through further training and local events and meetings. The upcoming event organized by No Kings affiliates is “May Day” which will take place on May 1st, or Labor Day. They are calling for a nationwide economic strike to advocate for workers over billionaires, encouraging “No School. No Work. No Shopping”.

Vanna Howard sworn in as State Senator

April 7, 2026 by with comment off

(Photo courtesy of Benjamin Heffner) “Dome of the Massachusetts State Capitol”

Olivia O’Sullivan

Connector Staff

On March 18th, Vanna Howard of Lowell made history as the first Cambodian-American state senator in the United States. Coincidentally, March 18th was also the 30th annual Immigrant’s Day at the Massachusetts State House. This was announced at the ceremony, to much applause. According to the Lowell Sun, Howard stated, “I am truly honored that the voters of the first Middlesex District have placed their trust in me. When I first came to this country as a refugee, I could have never imagined being elected to first the House of Representatives and now the Massachusetts State Senate.”

Howard, a survivor of the Khmer Rouge genocide, immigrated to the United States at the age of eleven. She experienced the brutal regime of Pol Pot and suffered immense loss of her family and loved ones. After fleeing Cambodia with her mother in 1979, Howard dedicated her life to helping others, especially in her community.

A UMass Lowell alumnus herself, Vanna Howard has deep roots in the city of Lowell. Howard worked for Congresswoman Nikki Tsongas for over a decade, first as a constituent services representative and then as a regional director for the Greater Lowell area. Howard also served as chair for the Massachusetts Asian American Commission.

In 2018, Nikki Tsongas encouraged her to run for office as a state representative. She won the election for the 17th Middlesex District and made history – as she would continue to do – as the first Cambodian-American state representative in the United States. She has secured millions in funding for housing, childcare, and public infrastructure for the district. Howard also successfully sponsored a bill for establishing April 17th as Cambodian Genocide Remembrance Day.

Her achievements as a state representative as well as her campaign brought her to her swearing-in ceremony on March 18th. During her address to the audience, Howard took a moment to appreciate the community that showed up to support her campaign. She stated, “Although I am the one standing here, this moment belongs to all of us. I want to thank the volunteers and supporters throughout the five communities and beyond that worked hard through a winter campaign… in sometimes minus 5 degree weather to get the message out about our campaign. We did the work because it was important.”

As a state senator, Howard represents the first Middlesex district. This encompasses the constituents of Lowell, Groton, Dunstable, Tyngsborough, Westford, and Pepperell. Howard has built a platform on affordability and community resilience. She advocates for tax cuts for working families as well as making housing and education more accessible.

State Senator Vanna Howard succeeded the seat of the late Edward J. Kennedy, whose work she hopes to continue. To maintain the seat beyond his term, Howard will need to run for reelection during the midterms. Her former competitor in the general election, Sam Meas, implied to the Lowell Sun that he plans to run for the seat again.

In reference to Vanna Howard, political science junior Ronan Dowd said, “It’s fantastic that we have somebody who cares about the district so much in such an important seat.”

Boston Fleet to host PWHL playoff games at Tsongas Center

April 7, 2026 by with comment off

(Jason Cooke photo) “The Tsongas Center will host PWHL playoff games this spring.”

Jason Cooke
Connector Editor

The national hockey spotlight will once again shine bright on Lowell.

Playoff hockey is set to return to the Tsongas Center this spring in the Professional Women’s Hockey League.

The league-leading Boston Fleet became the first team in the eight-team league to clinch the postseason and the fastest franchise to ever punch its playoff ticket as six games remain in the regular season.

Boston’s resurgence comes after the Fleet missed the postseason a year ago, coming up just one point short in a devastating loss on home ice that would signify a turning point for the organization as the final game for head coach Courtney Kessel and team captain Hilary Knight.

A season prior, the fifth and final game of the Walter Cup Finals put Lowell on a national pedestal when it battled the Minnesota Frost in front of a capacity crowd at the Tsongas in what was perhaps one of the biggest events to be hosted at the venue in recent memory.

Tickets for the first round are currently on sale. And if the Fleet keep up its momentum as of late as a stingy defense-first team with the best goalie in the league, the Walter Cup Finals could very well return to Lowell by May.

Boston clinched its spot in the postseason with a 4-2 win over the two-time defending champion Frost last week and will hit the road against the Vancouver Goldeneyes on Tuesday before returning home on April 11 for a sold-out game at TD Garden in Boston against the Montreal Victoire.

“Coach Sparre spoke at the start of the year in our training camp that we had something to prove,” said Fleet assistant coach Stefanie McKeough. “I think that’s the mentality that we come into every building with and address every game with. From top down in our lineup tonight, we showed that we wanted to do that here in Minnesota and it was a pretty complete game for us. We want to keep rolling; we know that the job’s not done.”

Boston has allowed only two games amid its four-game winning streak after posting a historic three-straight shutouts with Aerin Frankel in net. Amanda Thiele debuted between the pipes in the win over Minnesota.

Frankel hasn’t allowed a goal in an eye-popping 191:01 of play. Her seven shutouts this season are more than any other goalie in the league has not only posted in 2025-26 but in their career. Impressive, to say the least.

In front of her, star defenders Megan Keller and Haley Winn have been two-way dynamos. Both lead the team in time on ice and play a responsible game.