LOWELL, MA – The first-place Boston Fleet outlasted the New York Sirens in a 4-3 shootout decision on Wednesday night at the Tsongas Center, led by a pair of shootout goals by Alina Müller. Both goaltenders battled in net with Aerin Frankel stopping 30/33 shots and 6/8 in the shootout to edge the Sirens in her ninth win this season, tied for the league lead. Kayle Osborne reached 30 saves for a career-high fifth time this season going 32/35. Fleet rookie Abby Newhook started Boston off with her second power play goal of the season to give her team the 1-0 lead. The Sirens dominated the middle frame with two goals, one from Kristin O’Neill on the power play at 10:19, and another from first overall pick Kristýna Kaltounková after she exploded past the defense to put New York up 2-1. The lead was the first an opponent has held over Boston on home ice this season. Second-round Fleet pick Ella Huber was unable to capitalize on a penalty shot opportunity, the first in team history, when she beat Osborne to the far side but could not finish the play when the puck slid off her stick. Boston made the most of the third period when Liz Schepers tied the score in the first minute of play, followed by a Jamie Lee Rattray power play goal five minutes later. Kaltounková added her second of the night and league leading 11th of the season to end regulation tied 3-3. With five scoreless minutes of overtime, the teams headed to the shootout, highlighted by Müller’s almost identical set of goals to lift the Fleet to a victory on her attempts in the seventh and eighth rounds. Tonight’s win extends Boston’s lead in the standings at 30 points, with the next closest team being the Minnesota Frost at 28 points. New York holds fourth place with 24 points.
The PWHL will pause game action from Jan. 29 through Feb. 26 for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, with 61 players from all eight PWHL teams set to compete, representing eight countries.
QUOTES
Fleet Head Coach Kris Sparre on the Fleet’s success throughout the first half of the season: “In these moments when you have a chance to reflect with all the time off these three weeks, we talked in the locker room about zooming out and looking back on what we’ve been able to accomplish so far. I’m really proud of the group. We come in, new coaching staff, new systems, new ideas and we put them in place and they find a way to grab ownership of it. It’s a testament to the leadership we have in our group. They’ve come together as a team and they’re so close already. They’re having fun in the locker room and fun on the ice. They’re competing against each other hard in practice so they can compete for each other in the game.”
Boston Alternate Captain Jamie Lee Rattray on her first power play goal with the Fleet: “It was a really great shot by Zoe [Boyd] there and I was trying to come downhill and find it. I was lucky enough to get over the shoulder there. We’ve been working really hard on the power play, so it was nice to get one for us. Our special teams have been amazing for us on both sides. We always talk about it, it can be a difference in the game, especially in this league when everything’s so tight. I’m super proud of both sides of the penalty kill and power play tonight.”
Sirens Head Coach Greg Fargo on how the team bounced back after not scoring on the 5-on-3 power play: “There was still a lot of game left, and it wasn’t an ideal start. When you get an opportunity like that at any point in the game, it can be a turning point. There were moments like that where we needed to find a breakthrough. In a close game, one goal can be the difference, no matter when it comes. I thought the group took a minute, but we were able to find our game more as the period went on. You have to turn the page and focus on the next shift. There were several moments tonight where we faced adversity, and the group did a really good job of responding and focusing on the next play.”
New York forward Kristýna Kaltounková on facing adversity going into the Olympics after a team loss: “No matter what, we focus on what our group wants to do, which is to come back and continue what we’ve been doing—playing together and playing the right way. We don’t want to be discouraged by the loss; it’s more of a motivation for us.”
NOTABLES
The Fleet remain undefeated in six games on home ice at their primary venues this season (5-1-0-0) and extended their point streak to five games (2-2-1-0). Tonight marked just the fourth game this season where Boston allowed more than one goal and lead the league with 10 of 14 games where their opponents have been held to one or zero goals this season (in front of the Victoire who have eight such games).
Each of the Fleet’s last two games have been shootout victories, with tonight’s eight-round shootout tying for the longest in league history. This was the Sirens’ first shootout of the season and they remain the only team without a win beyond regulation (0-3).
Boston is now 6-4-1-2 all-time against New York and has won each of the last nine games in their head-to-head matchups. This is the longest winning streak against a single opponent by any PWHL team, as no other PWHL team has recorded a winning streak of longer than five games against a single opponent.
New York’s power play goal was just the second that Boston’s penalty kill has allowed all season, as the Sirens overcame the Fleet’s league-leading 96.7% penalty kill efficiency, despite the Sirens’ power play entering tonight’s matchup towards the bottom of the league at 10.2%.
The Fleet won for the first time when trailing after two periods in two such games this season. The Sirens suffered their second loss when leading after two periods (5-0-1-1).
Aerin Frankel was between the pipes for her fourth shootout of the season and her second in consecutive games, allowing two goals in eight rounds to bring her season record to an even 2-2. The netminder’s three goals allowed tonight matched her total goals against in her first five home games. Frankel heads to her first Olympic Winter Games behind only Montréal’s Ann-Renée Desbiens in goals-against-average (1.35) and save percentage (.946) among goaltenders with multiple starts.
Alina Müller‘s two shootout goals matched her career-high recorded last season. The soon-to-be four-time Swiss Olympian also tallied a helper, her fourth point (1G, 3A) in the last three games and her longest scoring streak of the season. Her career-high five game point streak (2G, 5A) came last season from Jan. 11 to Feb. 12, 2025.
Kristýna Kaltounková recorded her third multi-goal game of the season to move past Minnesota’s Kendall Coyne Schofieldfor the league lead with 11 goals. She is just the third rookie all-time to reach double digits in goal, following teammate Sarah Fillier (13G in 2024-25 season) and Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle (11G during inaugural season). The 2025 first overall pick has points in nine of 16 games this season, with a new career-high point streak of four consecutive games (4G, 1A).
Half of Fleet rookie Abby Newhook‘s four goals this season have now come on the power play, tying her for the most power play markers among rookies. The former Boston College Eagle became the 11th rookie to reach the five points mark this season, with three of those coming in games where the Fleet served as the home team, and has tallied points in consecutive games for the first time since Dec. 3 through Dec. 7.
Both of Liz Schepers‘ goals this season have been scored against the Sirens, with her last at Prudential Center on Dec. 17. The two-time Walter Cup Champion has tied her career-high of two goals in a single season, recorded when she was a member of the Frost during the 2024-25 season.
Jamie Lee Rattray recorded her first career power-play goal in her 68th career regular-season game. The third year Boston alternate captain now has points in half of the games she has played in with seven points (3G, 4A) in 14 games.
Kristin O’Neill‘s second power play marker of the campaign brought her to four goals in 16 games, tying a career-high set in the 2024 season across 23 games with Montréal. The Canadian Olympian’s fifth point of the season (4G, 1A) also matches her total (1G, 4A) recorded across 30 games with Montréal last year. O’Neill also won 15/24 faceoffs to bring her career total faceoff wins to over the 600 mark, winning 612/1100 draws (55.6%).
Haley Winn earned her seventh assist, tied for the second-most among all rookies this season behind Minnesota’s Kendall Cooper’s eight. The U.S. Olympian became the fourth Boston rookie in team history to reach eight points in a season, joining teammate Shay Maloney (3G, 6A – 2024-25), and current Torrent forwards Hannah Bilka (5G, 6A – 2024-25) and Lexie Adzija(6G, 5A – 2024).
Sarah Fillier produced her ninth assist to reach double digit points this season (10) through 15 games — her first point against Boston since Mar. 5, 2025. The Canadian Olympian leads her team in power play assists with four, tying her total from last season accomplished in twice as many regular-season games. The alternate captain’s nine shots on goal marked a new career-high and led all skaters on the ice today.
Maja Nylén Persson provided the helper on O’Neill’s goal for her third assist and fourth point through 16 games this season, bringing her career points total to 10 (3G, 7A). In 23 regular-season games last season, the Swedish Olympian recorded two goals and four assists.
Maddi Wheeler tallied her seventh assist of the season, bringing her into a tie for second in the category in the league among rookies. The fourth-round pick’s point total when New York is the road team (5A) nearly doubles her total when New York is the home team (1G, 2A).
Micah Zandee-Hart reached 15 career assists through 65 regular-season games. The New York captain ended a three-game point drought with her third helper of the season in her 16th game, tying her inaugural season total accomplished in 19 games.
Jincy Roese notched her sixth assist of the season to become the 24th player in PWHL history to record 22 assists, a milestone she reached in 67 regular-season games after spending her first two seasons as a member of the Ottawa Charge. The Sirens defender has at least five assists in each of the league’s three seasons.
Casey O’Brien extended her assist streak to three straight games for the second most points (4G, 7A) by any rookie this season, only one behind fellow rookie teammate Kaltounková (11G, 1A). The Sirens forward has notched a point in each of New York’s last three games.
Theresa Schafzahl set a new career high of four assists on the season, surpassing her previous high of three from the inaugural season. Boston’s veteran left winger has tallied three of her five points this season at the Fleet’s primary home venues and the remaining two in Takeover Tour games, with one assist at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena on Jan. 3 and another assist against Ottawa at Scotiabank Centre in Halifax on Jan. 11.
Zoe Boyd recorded her first point as a member of the Fleet and closed out a 17-game regular-season pointless slide with a primary assist on Rattray‘s goal for her first point since Mar. 11, 2025 as a member of the Charge. The defender previously went 15 games without hitting the scoresheet across two seasons, between points on Jan. 23, 2024 to Jan. 7, 2025.
Olivia Mobley‘s second assist this season marks the fifth point in the tenth game of her rookie campaign. The third-round pick went the last four games without a point after recording a goal in back-to-back games on Dec. 27 against Ottawa and Jan. 3 versus Vancouver.
Kayle Osborne was between the pipes for New York’s first shootout of the season, allowing just one goal in six rounds before Müller’s two. The second-year netminder faced 35 shots in regulation, her second highest total of the season, allowing three goals for a .914 save percentage. Osborne’s 15 starts surpass Ottawa’s Gwyneth Philips for the most of any goaltender in the league this season.
Taylor Girard served the third and final game of her suspension, which was reduced from four games following an appeal.
The Winter Olympics women’s ice hockey tournament is set to take place from Feb 5. until Feb. 19. For the latest news throughout the tournament, visit the PWHL’s Milano Cortina 2026 Hub here.
THREE STARS
1. Alina Müller (BOS) 1A, 2 SOG
2. Kristýna Kaltounková (NY) 2G
3. Jamie Lee Rattray (BOS) 1G
STANDINGS
Boston: 30 PTS (8-2-2-2) – 1st Place
New York: 24 PTS (7-0-3-6) – 4th Place
UPCOMING SCHEDULES
New York: Thursday, Feb. 26 vs. Montréal at 7 p.m. ET
Boston: Saturday, Feb. 28 at Ottawa at 2 p.m. ET
