(Photo courtesy of Boston Fleet Athletics) “The Boston Fleet celebrate a goal at home against the Minnesota Frost.”
Jason Cooke
Connector Editor
So far, so good for the Boston Fleet.
Uncertainty clouded over the Professional Women’s Hockey League team ahead of its third campaign. An expansion process stripped its roster of franchise mainstays and future stars while a new coach took over at the helm.
There were more questions than answers before the puck dropped on the 2025-26 season. But any woes about Boston have been quickly put to rest.
The Fleet — which calls UMass Lowell’s Tsongas Center home — is the only team in the PWHL to start with a 3-0-0-0 record and has done so in impressive fashion. It is just the second team in the three-year history of the league to start the season with three straight regulation victories.
Boston’s latest triumph — a 2-0 decision over the Vancouver Goldeneyes at Agganis Arena on Wednesday — was perhaps the team’s best effort yet. The Fleet outshot Vancouver 19-2 in the first period and never looked back to stymie one of the league’s new expansion clubs.
The Fleet met the Minnesota Frost on Sunday for a 3 p.m. puck drop at Agganis, but the results were not known as of press time. Boston returns to the Tsongas Center on Jan. 14 and plays seven games in between, including a third matchup at Agganis.
Here are three takeaways from Boston’s hot start.
Frankel exceptional in net
If Boston was going to make any noise this season with a retooled roster and a lot of new faces, it was surely going to need the help from its franchise goaltender.
Aerin Frankel has delivered, relinquishing only one goal on 71 shots while posting two shutouts.
“I’m just really excited for our team’s success,” Frankel said. “Being 3-0 is incredible and obviously it’s a really long season, but if you like how you’re playing at the beginning of the year, it’s a pretty good indication of what this group is capable of. Anytime we can get a win, especially at home, is really exciting. We had such great support from our fans and we’ll be back here on the weekend. We’re all looking forward to keeping things rolling.”
Stars showing out
Frankel standing on her head is only one side of the equation, however. Boston’s top-end talent was under a lot of pressure in the preseason to carry the offensive workload as a large class of rookies acclimated themselves to the PWHL.
Led by Susanna Tapani (2-1-3), Megan Keller (1-1-2) and Alina Müller (1-1-2), Boston’s stars have done just that. Receiving contributions from your best players is always a sign of a winning hockey team. And the Fleet is certainly benefiting from it.
Keller, who was named captain in the preseason, leads the team in time on ice (83:17) and has been everything the Fleet needs her to be thus far.
Newhook, rookies settling in
While Boston’s top scoring brigade is leading the way, it’s opened the door for some newcomers to make their mark. Rookies Abby Newhook and Haley Winn have been key pieces to Boston’s success out of the gate.
Newhook has scored in the last two games and opened the scoring on Wednesday to provide the Fleet with an early lead. She has impressed head coach Kris Sparre and earned a spot in the top six.
On the backend, Winn has already emerged as one of the league’s best defenders just three games into her young career. While she has been held off the scoresheet, she has logged 82:19 of ice time and has checked every box between her elite offensive capabilities and her lockdown defense. Winn is a great skater and has excelled with Keller as Boston’s top defensive pairing.
