By: Alexis Caines | Follow me on Twitter/X @alexiscaines_
The Boston Fleet opened their road trip with a gritty 4-0 win against the Toronto Sceptres. They became the first PWHL team to record three consecutive shutouts. They are incredibly close to a postseason berth, their first since the inaugural season.
It was Liz Schepers who scored first for the Fleet. It came right on the heels of their first power play of the game. Sophie Shirley broke the puck free from a battle along the boards, and Hadley Hartmetz fired the puck, which was initially blocked before Schepers knocked it home on the rebound.
The Fleet have now scored first 18 times this season, and that’s across 23 games. It stands as the most first goals by a team this season. The Fleet outshot the Sceptres 10-4 in the first frame.
In net for Toronto was Elaine Chuli, who hadn’t seen a start since January 22nd. Additionally, Toronto hadn’t played a game in ten days. They showed some mistakes early in the game that seemed to cost them some momentum.
Halfway into the game, it was Schepers again to double the lead. Her fourth of the season came off a beautiful shot from Haley Winn, and Schepers was ready for the tip-in.
After the game, Schepers noted the importance of being netfront, saying, “I think that’s a huge focus of all of our practices is owning that area of the ice.” Both of her goals displayed that practice. “That’s something that I can continue to get better at…it has to be a big part of my game if I’m going to have success, [or if] our team is going to have success.”
Schepers joined the Fleet after two seasons with the Minnesota Frost. She is the only player in PWHL history to have scored the Walter Cup clinching goal; yes, that’s right, she scored BOTH for Minnesota’s two titles.
This season with Boston, she has 4-1-5 in 22 games. This was her first-ever multi-goal game.
Shortly after the second goal, Jessie Eldridge notched her first goal as a member of the Fleet. Alina Mülller collected the puck at center ice, weaving through three Sceptres players. Eldridge positioned herself in front of Chuli, and with little coverage from the Sceptres, she batted in her own rebound to make it a 3-0 game.
This was her fourth game with Boston and her first point with the crew. She now has 8-6-14 on the season.
As the final period began, the pressure was on, and tempers certainly flared. The Sceptres did not want to disappoint their sold-out home crowd, and the Fleet wanted to cruise into another three points.
Sophie Shirley delivered the dagger as the game entered its final minutes. This was her first goal of the season. She returned recently from LTIR and has been a big help to the team since.
Mia Biotti recorded her second career point with the primary assist on Shirley’s goal. The defender now has a point in the last two games for the Fleet.
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Aerin Frankel earned the shutout for her team, marking her seventh of the season. With the shutout, Boston became the first team in PWHL history to record three straight shutout wins.
“It was a complete game by us,” said Head Coach Kris Sparre after the win. “We know when we play Toronto it’s typically going to be a tight checking game, they play with a lot of structure [and they are] well coached.”
This marked the end of the season series between Boston and Toronto, and they would only meet again in the postseason.
The Fleet’s road trip continues Sunday in Minnesota before they head up to Edmonton for the Takeover Tour against the Vancouver Goldeneyes. They’ll return home on April 11th to play in front of a faithful home crowd at TD Garden.
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