By: Alexis Caines | Follow me on Twitter/X @alexiscaines_
The Boston Fleet were able to hold off the Minnesota Frost for a 3-2 win on Wednesday night. It was Community Heroes Night at the Tsongas Center, coinciding with the anniversary of the Boston Marathon Bombing. The Fleet held on to their second-place spot, now back to one point behind the Montréal Victoire. Every team has just three games remaining in the regular season.
Game Recap
Jessie Eldridge struck quick for Boston just five minutes into the game. Alina Müller broke free with the puck and skated up the ice, where she saucered a pass right onto Eldridge’s stick, who shot it past Nicole Hensley.
Just as quickly as she did in the first, Eldridge cashed in her second goal of the night to get the Fleet up 2-0 in the middle frame. It was a power-play goal, a huge confidence boost for the struggling special team.
Alina Müller got her second primary assist of the night on the goal as well. Eldridge spoke highly of the on-ice chemistry the linemates have shared, saying, “[Alina’s] a playmaker and she sees the ice so well. I think you saw tonight that I just need to be ready [because] she’s going to find me wherever I am. I was grateful to get the first two, but honestly, it was all her work; I just had to shoot the puck.”
The Frost cut the lead in half to open the final frame thanks to Rookie Kendall Cooper. But Müller didn’t take long to make it a 3-1 game, just two minutes after Cooper’s goal. She waited patiently in front of the net and was able to bat one in. Eldridge got the secondary assist on the goal, giving both her and Müller a three-point night.
The Frost we’re able to get a goal with their net empty, but the Fleet hunkered down to edge them to a 3-2 win. Aerin Frankel’s 20-save performance was her 18th win of the season.
Neubauerová Slots In
Ahead of the game on Wednesday, the Fleet announced that they had signed Noemi Neubauerová to a 10-day contract. They signed the Czech skater to a Reserve Contract on March 31st. She has played in both forward and defense, but for her debut she slotted in as the extra defender. At the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics, she was on a pair with fellow Fleet player Daniela Pejšovà.
In her Boston debut, she had 5:29 time on ice and primarily skated with Pejšovà. Her flexibility is a major asset to the Fleet as they head into the postseason.
Looking Ahead
The Fleet will head up north to play the Montréal Victoire on Friday night. It comes less than a week after the chippy duel between the rivals at TD Garden. As it stands, the Fleet can surpass them in the standings with either a regulation or overtime win.
Next week marks the last regular season games, with the Ottawa Charge coming to visit on Wednesday, followed by the New York Sirens on Saturday. It’s still unclear which seed the Fleet will finish in, so these games are far from meaningless. The top seed will get home ice and also get to select their opponent from either the third or fourth seeds. The second seed team will also get home ice.
Special teams has continued to be a huge factor in the Fleet’s systems. The penalty kill was only tested once on Wednesday night, but stood strong. The power-play goal is a huge sigh of relief after a disappointing showing on Saturday. If they continue to build on that success, the Fleet can be a hard team to beat.
Leave a Reply