PWHL Boston made it all the way to game five of the Walter Cup final, despite being the lowest scoring team in the league this season. In the playoffs in particular, PWHL Boston's team culture and identity became more clear. Here is a look back at what PWHL Boston was able to develop in their first season.
Key Staff: GM Danielle Marmer, Coach Courtney Kessel
Team leaders: Hilary Knight, Megan Keller, Jamie Lee Rattray, Aerin Frankel
An informal survey on x.com about the PWHL’s American teams ended with fans picking the team in Boston as far and away the best culture.
The tradition of winning sports teams in Boston immediately gave them a head start and expectations were high after GM Danielle Marmer had arguably the best draft of any of the six teams. They added scoring prowess with Northeastern’s Alina Müller and the PHF’s offensive star Loren Gabel and managed to grab the Patty Kazmeier award winner, defender Sophie Jaques, to go with their very strong original three (Hilary Knight, Aerin Frankel, and Megan Keller).
The lineup prompted many to pick them as the early favorites, with skill and experience throughout the roster. Even though they faced a challenge playing outside the city and fans had to travel 40 minutes away to Lowell’s Tsongas Center, the buzz around the team was enough to assure consistent attendance.
Coaching strength
Coach Courtney Kessel came to the team with a wealth of experience as a former player at the University of New Hampshire, and in the CWHL, and as coach of the Toronto Furies of the CWHL, and served as an assistant coach at Princeton University. She also coached Team Canada’s U18 team and won a gold medal at the 2023 IIHF U18 World Championships. In fact, players often still refer to her by her nickname, “Birch,” from her maiden name Birchard. Her level-headedness throughout the season was a big part of the group’s identity, as was her familiarity with so many of the players from playing, coaching, or serving as assistant coach to the Canadian women’s team.
Kessel’s perspective on the role of coaching a new group of players emphasized building chemistry .
“I definitely think the chemistry is coming along. I think when you get 20 players at camp, you’re all trying to figure each other out. The refs are gonna let us play physical and so I think with that part, building that in your practice and building that chemistry [to] where it needs to be. We’re still trying out lines and I think you’re going to see a little bit of shuffling throughout the beginning of the league from every team.”
No chemistry?
With all of that going for them, PWHL Boston surprised observers by lacking offense and struggling to develop chemistry. Captain Hilary Knight got off to a very slow start, with only three points in the first 10 games. They managed to hover around .500 in win percentage, but many of their wins were by one goal or in overtime. Alina Müller scored at a decent pace, but the only other reliable point-getter was defende Megan Keller, who finished second on the team in scoring. As they mixed and matched lines to try to find offense, GM Marmer decided to pull the plug on an early-season trade, sending third-round pick Sophie Jaques to Minnesota for Finnish veteran Susanna Tapani. They continued to battle with PWHL Ottawa for the fourth and final playoff spot going into the World Championship break in March. Their identity was as a testy opponent, but missing the composure to close out wins.
Surging out of the break
For Boston (and especially for Knight), the games in Utica seemed to provide a much-needed break and a reset. Perhaps the players who didn’t take part needed the recharge and opportunity to rest and heal injuries. For Knight, Tapani, Müller, Rattray, and goalies Aerin Frankel and Emma Söderberg, their energy seemed to return after playing with their national teams.
Coach Kessel observed, “It all started in November in our opening games. It was all about being a family, and this place feeling safe. You can show up and be who you want to be. You’re going to work hard––we’re going to have bad days, we’re going to have worse days, we’re going to have great days together, but knowing that you have 26 sisters to lean on is so important, and I think it’s why we all play this team sport is because you get to play for something bigger than just yourself, and that’s ever person in that locker room. So that was our message on day one, and here we are, reiterating the same thing.”
After entering the break out of a playoff spot, Boston finished with four wins in their last five games (and a shootout loss in the other). They found clutch performances from players like Hannah Brandt, who scored with three seconds left in their second-to-last game against Minnesota, keeping their playoff hopes alive. Suddenly, the team that seemed to have lost their way was on course to fulfill expectations as a dangerous opponent.
As Knight put it, “We’ve had an awesome stretch here since that month-long break, and it’s just a testament to the type of people that we have in the room, and I wouldn’t want to go into battle with any other group.”
Green monster
In the playoffs, that new-found confidence served them well, especially for goalie Frankel . Boston dispatched PWHL Montreal in three tense overtime games in their semi-final series, and most agreed that the main reason was the play of Frankel. She frustrated Montreal shooters at every turn, especially in the triple-overtime Game 2 win that sapped Montreal’s energy.
Even though they ultimately fell short in the finals, the story of PWHL Boston was one of resilience and confidence through adversity. The veteran leadership starts with their coach and captain, and ultimately, their refusal to lose created one of the most captivating narratives of any team in the league in season one.
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