PWHL: Ottawa Snaps Five-Game Losing Streak, 4-2 Over Boston

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It has been a shaky start to the home schedule for PWHL Boston (4-4-2-0). Monday’s holiday matinee with PWHL Ottawa (3-3-4-0) at Tsongas Center was the seventh home game of the season. In the previous six, the PWHL Boston team has gone 1-3-2-0. With an overall record of 4-3-2-0, the time was now to start taking advantage of playing on home ice. PWHL Boston took on a PWHL Ottawa team that had lost their last five games in a row with an overall record of 2-3-4-0. on the road, they are 1-1-1-0. This is the first of a back-to-back between these two teams. They will meet again on Wednesday night.

The starting goalies for Monday’s game were, Aerin Frankel (2-1-2, 1.92 GAA, 925%) for PWHL Boston and Emerance Maschmeyer (2-3-4, 2.16 GAA, 914%) for PWHL Ottawa. PWHL Boston was missing forward Sophie Shirley who was placed on the 10-day IL after suffering an injury back on February 14 vs Toronto. This is the second meeting between these two teams, PWHL Boston won the first meeting 3-2 back on January 24 in Ottawa.

The problem for PWHL Boston continues to be getting off to slow starts at home. After Loren Gabel was stopped in close by Maschmeyer. PWHL Ottawa got on the board first at 8:08 off a 2-1 coming into the PWHL Boston zone A nice give-and-go between Daryl Watts and Brianne Jenner ended with Watts getting her second of the season from Jenner and Aneta Tejralova. Once again PWHL Boston was playing from behind at home. Just before the period ended, a terrific rush up the left side boards by PWHL Ottawa’s Becca Gilmore. She would take the puck into the PWHL Boston zone, make a nice move around the defense, cut in on goal, and just miss the far-side goal post. Ottawa took a 1-0 lead with them to the locker room and had a 12-10 shot advantage. There were no penalties in the first period.

At the 2;08 mark of the second period, PWHlL Boston tied the game at 1-1. Gabel picked up a loose puck in center ice and brought it over the PWHL Ottawa zone. She would get the puck poked off her stick, lose her balance in the process, and crash into the net, taking goalie Mschmeyer and an Ottawa defense with her. The loose puck was grabbed by Taylor Girard who fired it into the open net for her 4th of the year. Megan Keller also assisted on the goal. The game’s first penalty came at 8;20 of the period and went to PWHL Ottawa forward Natalie Snodgrass for boarding. The PWHL Boston power play has been anything but, it came into this game with an 8.7% rate (2/23). Although they did not score on this advantage, PWHL Boston did get two good shots on net from Hilary Knight and Susanna Tapani that were stopped by Maschmeyer. At 11:56, PWHL Ottawa got their first power play as Emily Brown of PWHL Boston was sent off for holding. The PWHL Ottawa power play was at 26.9% (7/26). It would soon become a 5-3 advantage for PWHL Ottawa, as PWHL Boston Megan Keller went off for Boarding at 13:23. PWHL Boston would kill off one of those minors, but not both of them. PWHl Ottawa scored a power-play goal on the Keller minor. Gabbie Hughes (her second PPG of the season) gets her third of the season from Emily Clark and Savannah Harmon at 15:02. Hughes picked up the puck in the slot area and beat Frankel to the right side above the pads.

PWHL Boston tied the game again with just under four minutes left in the period. A seeing-eye point shot from the right point by Abby Cook. Her second of the season tied the game at 2-2 at 16:05. Knight and Keller got the assists. The goals came a minute and three seconds apart. PWHl Boston got another chance on the power play as Katerina Mrazova went to the box on a boarding call at 18:37. PWHL Ottawa’s penalty-killing unit gave the team the lead back with 11.5 seconds left. Gabbie Hughes picked up her second of the game and her 4th of the season. It was her first SHG of the year. The assist went to Clark at 19:46. The goal was scored on a pass from Clark from behind the PWHL Boston net. It found Hughes in front and she beat Frankel above the shoulder under the crossbar. PWHL Ottawa left the ice with a 3-2 lead. PWHL Boston had a 13-12 shots advantage in the period, however, PWHL Ottawa had a 24-23 advantage through two periods.

The third period started 5-on-5. PWHL Boston had a great chance to tie the game early in the period as Girard went around a fallen PWHL Ottawa defense on the left wing side and skated down the wing. She found Gabel with a cross-ice pass. Gabel put a shot on goal that was stopped by Maschmeyer. PWHL Ottawa was doing a fine job of protecting the one-goal lead. With six minutes left, PWHL Boston was looking for the tying goal to possibly send this game to OT. With under three minutes left, PWHL Boston pressed the attack looking for the tying goal. PWHL Boston pulled their goalie with 1:48 left. Keller, off a Tapani pass, was stopped by Maschmeyer. With 43.4 seconds left, Jenner stole the puck at the PWHL Boston blue line, took a couple of strides, and put the puck into the empty net for her second of the year at 19:16. It would give PWHL Ottawa a 4-2 win and snap their five-game losing streak.

After the game, PWHL Ottawa head coach Carly McLeod thought Monday night was “a building process for us.” When asked about special teams play she responded with “Special teams matter.” PWHL Boston forward Taylor Girard thought the effort was “Not good enough. We came out flat.” It is something that is really starting to bother head coach Courtney Kessel, who after the game said “Something has to change.” She did not think her team wanted the puck in the early stages of the game and it cost her team again.

Wednesday night the same two teams will meet again in Lowell with PWHL Boston trying to snap a four-game losing streak.