Troiani Rink Report

No one could have predicted how the third PWHL season would start.

With two new teams in the league, the Boston Fleet were one of two teams that were pretty much gutted with the inclusion of the Seattle Torrent and Vancouver Goldeneyes.

Boston lost Hilary Knight, Sydney Bard, Emily Brown and Hannah Bilka in the expansion draft, and bench boss Courtney Kessel parted ways with the Fleet to become the head coach of the women’s hockey program at Princeton.

That’s a lot for one club to deal with, especially given that most of the experts relegated the Fleet as a non-playoff team in a rebuild and long battle ahead of them.

Boy, have they proved their critics wrong — so far.

The Fleet were the only undefeated team in the league, boasting a 4-0-0-0 as they headed into the first international break with players heading to the Rivalry Series and Women’s Euro Hockey Tour. 

Boston is not only undefeated, but each of the club’s victories has come by at least two goals, and the Fleet have outscored their opponents 11-2 across four games.

Aerin Frankel has been nothing short of spectacular this season for Boston.

The Northeastern product and 2021 Patty Kazmaier recipient has allowed just two goals on the 98 shots she’s faced this season. She boasts a .980 save percentage and a 0.50 goals-against average with two shutouts.

Frankel has always been elite in net for Boston, but this season the Fleet is providing more support to their world-class netminder and allowing her to see pucks through limited traffic in front of the crease.

“It’s like a Christmas present that came early,” first-year head coach Kris Sparre said of Frankel after Boston’s shutout over the Vancouver Goldeneyes on Dec. 3. “She’s awesome. I’ve said it before in pretty much every press conference so far, but when you have goaltending that is that solid, it gives your team confidence in any situation, whether you’re having a great first period, whether you’re down in a game; it keeps the belief strong that we have a wall behind us keeping pucks out of the net. She works hard at her craft and deserves everything that she gets coming her way.”

Along with elite goaltending, the Fleet also have new leadership, not just on the ice, but on the bench as well under Sparre.

After the first day of training camp, Sparre reiterated his “promise” that Boston would be a “very, very difficult team to play against” with a “suffocating” system all over the ice.

The system Sparre has implemented has paid off, with Megan Keller anchoring the blue line with rookie Haley Winn as her defensive partner.

Keller is tied for first among league defenders with two goals and two assists for four points, while Winn has not yet lit the lamp; the second overall pick in the 2025 PWHL draft has two helpers in four games. The duo leads the league in time on ice — averaging over 26 minutes a game.

The Fleet have four other rookies on their roster, with three of them logging minutes in all four games this season.

Fifth-round draft pick Abby Newhook is tied for second among PWHL forwards with three goals in four games. The former BC Eagle captain has scored in each of the Fleet’s last three games.

While four games are not exactly a large sample size, the new-look Fleet seem poised to continue their in-your-face style of play that has brought success so far. It’s just a question of whether or not it’s sustainable for the rest of the season.

The Fleet look for their fifth straight win when they return to the ice against the New York Sirens on Dec. 17 for the first matchup of their four-game road trip. After their trip to the Prudentail Center, Boston will face the Minnesota Frost, Seattle Torrent and Ottawa Charge to close out the 2025 calendar year.

After the new year, Boston will host the Vancouver Goldeneyes at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit as part of the league’s Takeover Tour on Jan. 3.

All Fleet games will air on NESN or NESN+ and stream on the league’s YouTube channel.

More Fleet: Off the Post: Aerin Frankel Stellar In Fleet Shutout Vs. Goldeneyes