Fleet First to Clinch Playoff Berth With 4-2 Win Over Reining Champions

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ST. PAUL, MN (March 29, 2026) – The Boston Fleet became the fastest team in history to secure their spot in the PWHL Walter Cup Playoffs with their 13th regulation win of the season, scoring four goals to Minnesota’s two to take down the two-time Champions in the penultimate regular season matchup between the two heavyweights. The Fleet were backed by rookie Amanda Thiele, turning away 21/23 in her PWHL debut, while Haley Winn and Sophie Shirley each recorded multi-point games to lock in Boston’s playoff spot. Despite coming away with the loss, captain Kendall Coyne Schofield did not miss a beat for the Frost, returning to the lineup from seven games on the LTIR to record two points, while Kelly Pannek joined the league’s 50-point club with her assist. Winn opened scoring 9:11 into the first period with her goal off a rush with Abby Newhook, while Shirley poked in a rebound off the post to double the Fleet’s lead at 16:45, her first of two goals in the contest.

Two back-to-back goals from the Frost evened up the game in the second, with Lee Stecklein chipping the puck in the top corner for her first goal of the season just 23 seconds into the second period, then Taylor Heise buried a backhand goal in the crease at 9:19. Two-time Walter Cup-clinching goal scorer Liz Schepers pulled Boston ahead again at 11:28 in the second period in what would end up as the game winner, tucking the puck in five-hole after a turnover behind the net. Shirley potted an insurance marker 5:16 into the third period with her wrist shot from the face-off dot that was deflected in off Nicole Hensley’s glove. Hensley made her 10th start of the season, stopping 26/30 in front of 9,925 at Grand Casino Arena.

The Fleet have the week off before meeting the Vancouver Goldeneyes in Edmonton on April 7 for the final PWHL Takeover Tour game of the season, while the third-place Frost look to get back in the win column when they visit the New York Sirens on Wednesday, Apr. 1.

QUOTES

Fleet goaltender Amanda Thiele on what it felt like to make her PWHL debut: “I was a little nervous, but I knew my team and coaching staff had my back from the beginning. As the game went on, I felt like I had settled in, and it was a lot of fun. I didn’t want it to end. I was super stoked and just grateful to have the opportunity to play alongside everyone.”

Boston Assistant Coach Stefanie McKeough on the Fleet’s mentality heading into the game: “Coach Sparre spoke at the start of the year in our training camp that we had something to prove. I think that’s the mentality that we come into every building with and address every game with. From top down in our lineup tonight, we showed that we wanted to do that here in Minnesota, and it was a pretty complete game for us. We want to keep rolling; we know that the job’s not done.”

Frost Head Coach Ken Klee on the matchup between the teams: “You look at a couple of the teams that are near the top of the standings, and both teams have been playing pretty well this year. It’s exciting; they put it on a little bit early in the game, and then we responded well, but we know we have to play a full 60 minutes to get points. Today just didn’t go for us, but I think we definitely responded the way I like to see.”

Frost alternate captain Lee Stecklein on Coyne Schofield’s return: “She’s truly one of the best players of all time, so anytime you miss her, it’s a big hole. Our team’s done what we can to fill it, but there really is no way to completely fill her skates. To have her back out there – she’s truly one of the fastest players I know – we always talk about that. Her work ethic, her consistency, there’s professionalism in the way she shows up. She’s a big presence for us on and off the ice.”

NOTABLES

Boston became the fastest team to officially clinch a playoff berth in PWHL history, doing so with six games remaining in their season. Their 27 points earned in road games is a new PWHL record, and they are just the second team in PWHL history to earn 13 regulation wins and the second to surpass 50 points in a season. Last season, Montréal (53 points) secured the first playoff berth with four games remaining, and during the inaugural season, Toronto (13 regulation wins) was the first to clinch with three games remaining.

The Fleet has allowed just two goals during their four-game winning streak, with tonight’s victory following three straight shutouts.

Minnesota has lost consecutive games in regulation for the first time this season, both at Grand Casino Arena, after posting four straight regulation wins at their primary home venue. The Frost have scored two or fewer goals in all four home losses, while scoring four or more in all six of their home wins.

Boston continues to own the most opening goals in the league, scoring first 19 times in 24 games, winning 16 of those games, including 12 in regulation.

The Frost scored their 13th power play goal of the season on one of five opportunities with the player advantage to maintain their 20% conversion rate, third best in the PWHL.

Amanda Thiele became the fifth PWHL rookie to debut between the pipes this season and the third in PWHL history to win their first game, following Seattle’s Hannah Murphy on Dec. 3, 2025, and Boston’s Emma Söderberg back on Jan. 17, 2024. The 24-year-old sixth-round pick from Milford, MI, played four seasons and 102 games for Ohio State University, recording a career .914 save percentage while setting the program record for single-season wins (20) during her senior season.

Sophie Shirley had her first-ever two-goal game and back-to-back multi-point performance after she recorded her first career multi-point game on Friday in Toronto. The two points extended the winger’s career-high points total to eight in 16 games, including five points in four games since returning from LTIR, previously scoring five in each of the past two seasons in 20 (2024) and 28 (2024-25) games.

Haley Winn extended her point streak to four games (2G, 4A), the longest of her rookie PWHL career, tying Marie-Philip Poulin for the longest active streak in the league. Winn’s goal and assist is the third multi-point performance of her career, and her five shots on target led all skaters. Among the league’s blue liners, Winn’s 16 points (4G, 12A) on the season are bested only by linemate Megan Keller’s 17 (6G, 11A), and bring her to the top of the rookie scoring ranks tied with New York’s Casey O’Brien (6G, 10A).

Liz Schepers recorded her first point against her former team in her second game back at Grand Casino Arena, last scoring on St. Paul ice back in overtime back on May 26, 2025, to win the Walter Cup for the Frost. Her fifth goal with Boston matches her career high of six points set last season across 27 games (2G, 4A) for Minnesota. The forward has recorded goals in back-to-back games for the first time in her career after netting her first multi-goal game of her career on Friday in Toronto.

Kelly Pannek became the 11th skater in PWHL history to reach 50 career points (19G, 31A), becoming the third member of the Frost to accomplish the feat alongside Kendall Coyne Schofield and Taylor Heise. The alternate captain has only been left off the scoresheet five times in 23 games this season, tallying her 11th assist and league co-leading 23rd point of the season, tied with teammate Taylor Heise (8G, 15A).

Heise set a new career-high of 23 points with her career-tying eighth goal of the season. The third-year forward and Minnesota native scored 22 points (8G, 14A) last season for the two-time Walter Cup Champions. After not recording a point for the first four games of the season, Heise has not been left off the scoresheet for more than two games, snapping a two-game drought this afternoon.

Lee Stecklein scored her first goal of the season and her sixth point. The alternate captain scored three goals in the final two games of the 2024-25 regular season, her last also coming against Boston to push Minnesota into the 2025 PWHL Walter Cup Playoffs.

Coyne Schofield returned to the scoresheet with two assists in her first game back after being activated from long-term injured reserve before the game. Despite missing the Frost’s last seven games since the Olympics, the Frost captain’s 17th and 18th points brought her back into the top 10 in PWHL scoring with 10 goals and eight assists in just 16 games; no other skater in the top 30 has played fewer than 18 games. Her last multi-point game came on January 16 with a goal and an assist in New York.

Hannah Brandt tallied her second assist and point of the season. The point in regulation is the first for the Minnesota native and veteran forward in 22 games, during which she has tallied four shootout goals.

Abby Newhook’s ninth point of the season brought her back into the top ten in rookie scoring with six goals and three assists. The first-year winger has two points in three games against Minnesota after scoring in her first game against the Frost on Dec. 7.

Susanna Tapani recorded her eighth helper of the season, surpassing the seven she notched in 2024-25 and one away from her career high of nine, across 26 games for Boston and Minnesota. The Finnish forward’s 16 points are tied for second most on the Fleet with Alina Müller (3G, 13A) and Winn (4G, 12A).

Riley Brengman notched the first assist of her PWHL career, snapping a 14-game scoreless drought dating back to when the rookie scored goals in back-to-back games on Dec. 19 and 21. The goal on Dec. 19 was the first point of the defender’s PWHL career, and was scored against Minnesota.

Jamie Lee Rattray matched her career-high with her 11th point and eighth assist of the season. The veteran forward’s 2025-26 line of three goals and eight assists in 24 games identically matches her total for Boston from the inaugural 2024 season.

Klára Hymlárová’s assist was her fifth of the season and seventh point, extending her career-high. The Czech forward has four points (1G, 3A) in her last six games, the most productive stretch of her PWHL career.

Nicole Hensley started her 10th game of the season for her third consecutive year, hitting double-digit starts. The netminder faced 30 shots for the fifth time this season and allowed more than three goals for just the second time in the campaign, in a season-low .867 save percentage.

Jill Saulnier was scratched from the Fleet lineup for her fifth consecutive game with a concussion.

Natalie Buchbinder missed her first game of the season and is listed day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

THREE STARS

1.  Sophie Shirley (BOS) 2G
2.  Haley Winn (BOS) 1G, 1A
3.  Kendall Coyne Schofield (MIN) 2A

STANDINGS

Boston: 51 PTS (13-5-2-4) – 1st Place
Minnesota: 42 PTS (11-3-3-6) – 3rd Place

UPCOMING SCHEDULES

Minnesota: Wednesday, Apr. 1, at New York at 6 p.m. CT / 7 p.m. ET
Boston: Tuesday, Apr. 7 at Vancouver (in Edmonton) at 9:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. MT

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