There was plenty for the Boston Fleet to smile about after the the team’s 4–1 victory over the Minnesota Frost last week.
It was a win over the reigning league champs and the franchise that bested Boston in the first-ever PWHL Finals in 2024.
But it was a win that carried its own bit of history: The Fleet became the first team in the PWHL to start their season off with a four-game win streak.
Boston defender and captain Megan Keller said after the game that getting off to a quick start was a focus for the team.
“It started way back in training camp when we had that mindset of something to prove this season, and we want to be hard to play against,” Keller said. “So I think for us that’s just been our focus each game is trying to be a tough team to play against. And just building off each one and getting better.”
Now, as the team heads into an extended road trip before the holidays, the Fleet are looking to build upon their promising beginnings.
A strong opening salvo
The Fleet have been dominant on the ice so far this season.
Each of their four wins have been by at least two goals. And Boston leads the league with 11 shots that have found the back of the net.
The Fleet aren’t giving up much on the other end, either. Goalie Aerin Frankel has only allowed two pucks to get past her mitts.
That gap — nine more goals for than goals against — is the best in the PWHL for a team by far. Their wins have also put them far ahead in the PWHL standings, where they’re the only unbeaten team.
One more win in regulation, or wins that come in the standard three periods of a hockey game, would tie the league record of five-straight regulation victories. The overall win streak record goes back to year one of the PWHL when Toronto racked up 11 straight wins
In Boston, Fleet forward Susanna Tapani is one of three players that has scored multiple goals so far this season — out of just 13 PWHL players to meet that mark overall this year. She has two goals to her name so far and said it’s important to get a good start.
“It always, like, builds your confidence a little bit,” she said. “Especially now when we have a new coaching staff and like half of the team is new.”
New coach, new system, new results
All of this is coming under new head coach Kris Sparre, who took over after former coach Courtney Kessel left to take the head coaching gig at Princeton.
One crucial element Tapani pointed out for the team so far has been the use of the forecheck to put pressure on the puck and get it back.
“I think that’s like one of the keys that we’re really hard to play against. ’Cause the other team doesn’t have a lot of time. And whenever we don’t have the puck, we’re just trying to hunt it back,” Tapani said. “And then we try to keep the puck for ourselves in the o-zone. It’s so much nicer to play [an] offensive game than defensive, so that’s what we’re trying to do.”
That’s all part of the philosophy of Sparre.
His coaching style has been noted for its aggressiveness. And he echoed a point Tapani brought up, saying that they want to spend as much time on offense as possible.
He gives credit to the team for that approach working so well this early on.
“When you see it pay off quickly and you see a group that’s been able to take a lot of new information and apply it right to a hockey game as quickly as we have, to me it’s a testament to the players and how they’ve been able to adapt this quickly,” Sparre told GBH News. “And a testament to the leadership that we have in the locker room.”
The Fleet may have shocked some with such an electric start following an offseason where they lost both their former head coach in Kessel and star player Hilary Knight.
While nobody gets a trophy for a winning streak, Sparre says the 4–0 start has been something they’ve reflected on, while still keeping the bigger picture in perspective.
“You’ve got to celebrate things when they’re going well and acknowledge them, so we’ve done that — but we’re also not content by any means,” Sparre said. “We feel like, as a team, we have a lot of work to do still.”
The Fleet will have their chance to get a fifth-straight win Wednesday against the New York Sirens.
