PWHL Power Rankings: Unbeaten Boston moves up to the top
With the first international break of the season underway, a few PWHL teams are feeling pretty good after just a few games, while others are scratching their heads after some sluggish starts.
Hunter Crowther, Scott Maxwell and Tyler Kuehl rank how the eight teams are looking heading into the break, and what to expect in the near future.
1. Boston Fleet
Record: 4-0-0-0, +9
Last Week: 2nd (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 1st
Tyler’s Rank: 1st
Scott’s Rank: 1st
Hunter: The league’s best team through three weeks? You guessed it, the Boston Fleet. Lots of credit deservedly going to Aerin Frankel, whose .050 goals against average and .980 save percentage sound more like Steven Ellis’ ball hockey stats than those of a professional netminder. But new head coach Kris Sparre deserves some credit, with his team generating tons of shots, including 35 against the defending champs in the Frost on Sunday. With a goal differential of plus-nine (11 for, two against), Sparre has this Boston group buzzing.
Tyler: I know it isn’t pretty, but the Fleet are getting the job done – and by the Fleet, I mean Aerin Frankel. There isn’t much getting by the American star these days. In fact, in four games, she has as many shutouts as goals allowed…two! I know she’s arguably the best goaltender in the world, but wow, has she been on a heater to start.
As for the rest of the team, they’ve certainly held their own. Captain Megan Keller has contributed offensively in a big way, and Abby Newhook has been a pleasant surprise. If they can keep things rolling out of the break, the Fleet will be in ship-shape.
The Fleet will take to the ice again on Dec. 17 when visiting the New York Sirens.
2. Minnesota Frost
Record: 2-0-0-2, +3
Last Week: 1st (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 3rd
Tyler’s Rank: 2nd
Scott’s Rank: 2nd
Tyler: Kind of polar opposite games for the Frost last week. They dominated early on against the Charge and never let up in a 5-1 win. Then, against the Fleet this past Sunday, they went up against Frankel. Hard to say it was a down week for the two-time defending champions when you play two really good games. Kendall Coyne Schofield is off to a great start, Grace Zumwinkle is showing signs of her former self, and things are just clicking early for Minnesota.
Hunter: The Frost wasted no time in their Walter Cup Final rematch with the Charge, scoring three times in the first seven minutes. Minnesota captain earned her first career PWHL hat trick against Ottawa, as well as Daily Faceoff player of the week honors, which is arguably just as important. But when you’re the back-to-back defending champions, you’re going to get the other team’s best effort every game, and that’s what the Frost got in a 4-1 loss to the Fleet. Despite giving up four goals, Maddie Rooney looked strong in a losing performance.
The Frost are off until Dec. 19, when they will be hosting the Fleet.
3. Montreal Victoire
Record: 2-0-0-1, +4
Last Week: 4th (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 2nd
Tyler’s Rank: 3rd
Scott’s Rank: 3rd
Hunter: The Victoire showed no signs of rust after a 12-day break, overwhelming the Sceptres with a 12-3 shot differential in the first period of Sunday’s game. The top line of Marie-Philip Poulin, Laura Stavey and Abby Roque is firing on all cylinders, a perfect balance of skill, speed and tenacity. Ann-Renee Desbiens hasn’t missed a beat in net, and despite the small sample size, Montreal’s power play is nearly 30%. Viva la Victoire?
Tyler: Even in the one game the Victoire played, they looked like the best team in the league. They jumped on the Sceptres early on Sunday, and even when Toronto started to push back, Ann-Renée Desbiens was there, not giving any sense that the team was in danger. From their power play to 5-on-5 pressure, Montreal looked like the team that many of us expected them to be. The only question is if they can bring that level of effort every single night, because if they do…watch out.
The Victoire will visit the Sceptres in the first Takeover Tour game of the season in Halifax on Dec. 17.
4. New York Sirens
Record: 2-0-0-3, -1
Last Week: 3rd (-2)
Hunter’s Rank: 4th
Tyler’s Rank: 5th
Scott’s Rank: 5th
Tyler: Here we go again. A promising start leading to consecutive losses has been the story for the Sirens over their first two years, and we’re starting to see a similar tale once again. New York had convincing wins over the Charge and Goldeneyes, but dropped decisions to the Seattle Torrent and Vancouver last week on the road, getting shut out by the Goldeneyes last Saturday. I think the experience from the past couple of years and the talent coming in this season can help turn the team’s fortunes around, but will they be able to overcome the mental strain if they come out of the break on a whimper?
Hunter: It’s clear there’s a massive improvement in the Sirens’ game when you compare it to the previous two seasons, but the lack of finish in their offense cost them points this week, as a late Kristyna Kaltounkova major penalty led to Seattle scoring twice with less than 90 seconds to go and stealing three points from New York. The deflating loss stayed with them across the border, resulting in a 4-0 loss to Vancouver. There’s a lot to be positive about, but like many teams in the league, they need to manufacture ways to get production.
The Sirens are off until next Wednesday when they host the Boston Fleet.
5. Toronto Sceptres
Record: 2-0-0-2, -1
Last Week: 2nd (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 6th
Tyler’s Rank: 4th
Scott’s Rank: 6th
Tyler: The two vastly different games for the Sceptres just raised a bunch of question marks for me. They dominated for just about the entire game against the Charge last week, but let the Victoire run their show for long stretches on Sunday. Talent-wise, Toronto should have no problem keeping up with the best in the PWHL, and then some. However, they have shown throughout the team’s history that it will lapse, and in a rather concerning way.
Hunter: On one day, they outplayed their provincial rival in the Charge in about every way they could, generating plenty of scoring opportunities and suffocating nearly all attempts on netminder Eliane Chuli. On another day, they travelled to Montreal and were badly outplayed by a hungrier Victoire squad, right from the opening faceoff. Blayre Turnbull and Natalie Spooner have shown positive signs up front, but Toronto will need more from its depth players after the international break.
Toronto will get another crack at Montreal in Nova Scotia in eight days time.
6. Vancouver Goldeneyes
Record: 1-1-0-3, -5
Last Week: 7th (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 5th
Tyler’s Rank: 6th
Scott’s Rank: 8th
Hunter: After a shutout loss at the hands of the Fleet, the Goldeneyes put on their best performance of the season in a 4-0 win over the Sirens. Emerance Maschmeyer looked spectacular in the crease, making 28 saves and giving her a total of 57 stops on 59 total shots faced this week. While there’s no shortage of talent in this lineup, the team is missing a motivated Nurse, who was a noticeable force in the team’s season opener.
Tyler: If these were Home Power Rankings, the Goldeneyes would probably be No. 1. However, the team has yet to show that it can play well on the road. Sure, Sarah Nurse being out of commission doesn’t help, but a team with the number of scoring threats they have – Boreen, Vanišová, Karvinen – should be able to score more than two goals in three games. It’s hard to say the team will get an honest break, with some players competing in international competition, but maybe the team will find a way to build some momentum coming out of the pause.
The Goldeneyes will be hosting the Charge in their first game back next Tuesday.
7. Seattle Torrent
Record: 1-0-1-1, -3
Last Week: 8th (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 8th
Tyler’s Rank: 7th
Scott’s Rank: 4th
Tyler: Solid win over the Torrent, showing a little bit of resilience with the Alex Carpenter and Hilary Knight’s goals in the closing minutes of the game against the Sirens to grab their first win. However, I’m still a little worried about their lack of offensive pressure. It comes in quick and short bursts, but not enough to scare any opponent for an extended period of time. Seattle has plenty of time to turn things around, but you have to wonder if they will be able to with the personnel they have.
Hunter: Look, I love a last-minute comeback as much as the next person, and the Torrent scoring twice with less than 1:30 to go at home in last Wednesday’s game against the Sirens was about as cool a first win in franchise history as you could ask for. But for about 90% of the game, New York was in full control, holding Seattle to just 15 shots through the first 50 minutes and limiting nearly all high-danger chances. Let’s see if the Torrent can come back stronger after the international break.
The Torrent will be hosting the Charge in their first game back from break on Dec. 17.
8. Ottawa Charge
Record: 1-0-0-3, -6
Last Week: 5th (-3)
Hunter’s Rank: 7th
Tyler’s Rank: 8th
Scott’s Rank: 7th
Tyler: Oh, Ottawa, how you confuse me. At one moment, this team looks like it’s the worst in the league, but then they beat up the Goldeneyes and look no worse for wear. Then, the Charge scored just two goals across their defeats against Minnesota and Toronto, and we’re back to square one. Gwyneth Philips is doing everything she can to give her team a chance, but she’s going to start looking like Denis Lemieux in that scene from Slap Shot.
Hunter: As mentioned earlier, Ottawa fell flat when they faced Minnesota in a rematch of last spring’s championship final. Hopes for a bounce-back performance looked promising after they scored less than two minutes into their game against the Sceptres, but Toronto controlled play for the rest of the game and finished with a 3-1 win over a Charge group that’s now lost three of its first four games in regulation. Ottawa will need more offense, as only three players have more than one point.
The Charge comes out of the break with a Pacific Northwest back-to-back against the Goldeneyes (Dec. 16) and Torrent (Dec. 17).