Fleet play host to Frost and get comback win, 4-2

Read Time:3 Minute, 54 Second

On a snowy Sunday afternoon hockey was being played at Tsongas Center before a crowd of 6,032. The Boston Fleet (5-6-3-2) playing their only home game of the month hosted the Minnesota Frost 5-6-4-3) in PWHL action. Sunday was the start of a back-to-back for the Fleet, and for Minnesota, this was game three of a four-game road trip. This is the fifth meeting between the two teams and Minnesota has won the previous four games.

Starting in goal for the Frost was Maddie Rooney (6-2-1-1, 2.31 GAA, .903%), and for the Fleet, it was Emma Soderberg (0-2-1, 3.33 GAA, .881%). It would take almost eleven minutes for the game’s first goal to be scored but Kendall Coyne Schofield got her seventh of the season from Sophie Jacques and Lee Stecklein at 10:54 of the first period. Schofield took the puck away from a Fleet defender, cut in front of the net, and lifted a backhander past Soderberg (9 shots , 7 saves) on the blocker side. 1-0 Minnesota. A little over two minutes later at 12:49, the Frost made it 2-0 on a redirect goal from Brooke McQuigge, her fifth of the year from Kelly Pannek and Jaques. Using her skate, McQuigge would redirect a shot from the left point from Jaques. Boston was already in a hole down 2-0. Shots were 9 for Minnesota and 5 for the Fleet. The Fleet had the only power play in the first where they had only one shot on goal.

The start of the second period saw Fleet head coach Courtney Kessel switch goaltenders. Klara Peslarová(15 saves on 15 shots) was now in net for Boston making her debut with the Fleet this season. After the game, she said, “I was eating an orange when I found out.” The change in the net helped calm things down. On offense, the Fleet cut the deficit in half to 2-1 on a goal by Jill Saulnier, her first as a Fleet at 11:09. Susanna Tapani and Sophie Shirley got the assists. It was Tapani who rushed down the left-wing side that set up the goal. She took the puck to the goal line and fed it in front where Saulnier put it home. The period came to an end with no more scoring. Minnesota went to the locker room up 2-1. Shots were 8-6 Minnesota and through two, the Frost were outshooting the Fleet by a 17-11 count. Boston also took care of two Frost power plays in the period.

A nifty backhand from Tapani tied the game at 2-2 early in the third period, her seventh of the year. The goal came at 1:36. It was Sauliner (a goal and an assist) who stole the puck inside the Frost blue line and made a behind-the-back pass to Tapani (G, A). With under seven minutes left, the captain put the Fleet in the lead for the first time when Hillary Knight took the pass off a 2-on-1 with Alina Muller and beat Rooney (20 shots, 16 saves) high to the glove side for her sixth of the year at 13:23. Sydney Bard also assisted. Peslarová came up big right after the lead goal for Boston with two big stops on Claire Thompson and Denisa Kflzawa.

With 1:49 left Minnesota head coach Ken Klee pulled his goalie. They would call timeout with 1:14 left to set up a play for the tying goal. With the faceoff at center ice, Rooney went back to the net. The ensuing faceoff in the Boston zone with 54.8 seconds left allowed Rooney to leave the net. With 8.5 seconds left, Muller scored an empty net goal from just inside of the center ice red line to give the Fleet a 4-2 win.

For Minnesota coach Klee, admitted it was “A lost opportunity,” He felt like his team “played two games on Sunday.” Now riding a three-game winless streak, he feels his team “Has to be better.” Coach Kessel was “Happy with the response by her team.” She feels like she is coaching a team that never gives up. Jill Saulnier said she is starting to feel at home since coming to Boston. Her gritty style seems to fit in rather well so far with the team.

Boston has little time to be happy about Sunday. That’s because they need to get on the bus and head to New Jersey to meet New York on Monday afternoon.