The Boston Fleet closed out a three-game homestand on Tuesday night (March 24) when they hosted the Vancouver Goldeneyes at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, Massachusetts. The Fleet led the season series 2-1 to this point and aimed to win it in their second-last meeting this season.
Boston started this game with 42 points and tied for first place in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) with the Minnesota Frost. The Goldeneyes came in with 24 points, sitting in seventh place.
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The Fleet got their goals from Laura Kluge and Susanna Tapani. Vancouver pressed hard the whole game, but couldn’t solve a stout defensive and goaltending effort from one of the top teams in the league. Boston won 2-0.
Kluge Gets on the Board
In the 34th game of her PWHL career, Kluge finally found the back of the net. Megan Keller let one rip from the point, and Kluge tipped it straight down to fool the goaltender. It was a beautiful play for the first of her career and her first point in 11 games. She probably had one of the best games of her career, creating a couple other chances and playing hard throughout.
Kluge is a quiet piece of the Fleet’s forward group, spending most of her time on the fourth line. She now has two points in 21 contests. Her depth role doesn’t field her a lot of minutes, but if she can keep contributing here and there, she’ll be a huge asset for head coach Kris Sparre come playoff time.
Frankel Ties Season-High in Saves
Aerin Frankel proved yet again in this game why she’s far and away the best in the crease. She stopped all 35 shots she faced, matching the season-high she set back on Jan. 18 against the Seattle Torrent. Her team was only able to score one goal in the first 19:38 of the game, but that didn’t matter to the two-time PWHL Goaltender of the Year finalist.
Frankel made a few key point-blank stops, stood up on multiple penalty kills, and stayed calm no matter the havoc around her. She holds the league-lead with a .952 save percentage (SV%) and a 1.23 goals-against average (GAA). Nothing new from her in this one.
Fleet Outshot and Out Chanced
A win is a win, but Boston is lucky they have the best goalie in the league. As mentioned, Frankel had an outstanding performance to keep them ahead. However, the Goldeneyes outshot the Fleet 35-29 and had a lot of interior chances and pressure. Boston was out-chanced both at even strength and on special teams, something not common for them.
They’re known for being strong defensively, and they were able to stand up to Vancouver to win this game, but to be outplayed for the most part in the offensive end by a seventh-place team is a bit concerning for the Fleet. They’ll need to clean things up with a few big games coming up.
Fleet Hit the Road
Boston will leave home for the next three games for their last extended road trip of the regular season. All times are listed in Mountain Daylight Time.
They begin on Friday night (March 27) at the Coca-Cola Coliseum against the Toronto Sceptres (5 p.m.), followed by a huge game on Sunday afternoon (March 29) at Grand Casino Arena where they’ll take on the Frost (2 p.m.). Lastly, they’ll match up with the Goldeneyes once again in a couple weeks from last night on a Tuesday (April 7). That one is a Takeover Tour game at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta (7:30 p.m.).
