While I’ve really kept my content here at A Fresh Sheet solely focused on women’s hockey, I’d like to branch that out a bit to cover topics like hockey culture and diversity, which may impact women’s hockey but also men’s hockey. I really enjoy writing about these topics, but don’t have a regular home for this content - aside from an occasional piece at MS-NOW - so, A Fresh Sheet will become that home, too!

In 2021, Nashville Predators draft pick Luke Prokop made history and headlines when he became the first player on an NHL contract to come out as gay. It was certainly a historic moment and undoubtedly life-changing for Prokop, and for many who saw his coming out as the beginning of something.

To this point, just over five years later, he remains the only out professional men’s ice hockey player in North America.

The story around his coming out, and what his life on and off the ice have been like in the years since, is the focus of a documentary released this summer. The Hockey Player discusses not just Prokop’s coming out, but culture in men’s & boys’ hockey at large and the homophobia it often fosters.

(Note: While the focus of the documentary and this piece is men’s hockey, things are different in women’s hockey - to a point. There are many out LGBTQ+ players in professional women’s hockey, but there are those who are homophobic and transphobic, too. Women’s hockey is not perfect, but the culture is certainly different than men’s hockey.)

A few weeks ago, I sat down to watch The Hockey Player, which is available for rent on Amazon Prime in the U.S. It’s a little less than 90 minutes and is an excellent film that should be required watching for all NHL fans. Watching Prokop tell his own story among a handful of his peers is so important, and his honesty and openness is refreshing.

Equally important is how much of the documentary focuses on his hockey career. Yes, he came out. But that was five years ago, and he’s also a hockey player and has been fighting to make the NHL all this time. And that has both nothing to do with, and also everything to do with, the fact that he came out in 2021. It is both intertwined and not, and that is the complexity of life and the sport’s culture. It’s about being authentically yourself, in all of the ways that matter. For Prokop, an out gay pro athlete, it’s both facets that matter.

While Prokop’s story is the main focus of The Hockey Player, the documentary also features appearances from other hockey players and relevant folks in the LGBTQ+ community.

Brock McGillis speaks candidly about being gay in men’s hockey. Jacob Tierney talks about telling queer stories and the production of the hit Crave show Heated Rivalry, which focuses on the (mostly secret) relationship between a gay hockey player and a bisexual hockey player. Prokop’s parents talk about his journey over the years. Former teammates share their thoughts, too.

Overall, The Hockey Player is a raw, honest look into what it’s like to be the first openly gay player under NHL contract, how difficult it is to reach the NHL, and how the toxic masculinity and homophobic culture that’s often fostered in men’s hockey impacts everyone - not just LGBTQ+ players. It will make you think about what it’s like to be queer in a men’s hockey locker room, how criticisms often default to homophobic insults, and how everyone’s journey is different, yet intrinsically linked.

It will make you ask: What’s changed in five years - or more importantly, what hasn’t? Has hockey culture changed? Have things gotten any better? Why haven’t there been any players who feel comfortable enough to come out since Prokop - and how much of that is because of the culture the sport has fostered? How can we change it? And how much does our larger societal culture play into these factors?

These are things we should all be considering. Luke Prokop is one gay professional hockey player, but he is certainly not the only one. How can we make it so other players feel safe enough to be their authentic selves, if they so choose?

The documentary is rated PG-13 for mature themes, coarse language, and sexual references.

My thoughts always go back to that unnamed NHL player who was reportedly ready to come out about 25 years ago, but changed his mind. He’s obviously retired by now, but I hope he’s doing alright, and I hope he can live his life the way he wants to.

Subscribe now

But first, I’ve got to share a cool little moment of my own. I recently came back from vacation in New England. Early in the trip, we got a tour of Merrimack’s Lawler Arena, and man, I’ve got to say - it was super cool to see photos & gear from several Merrimack alums who have made it pro. Among them: photos in the locker room of Mikayla Grant-Mentis and Dominique Kremer, an old jersey nameplate from Dominika Lásková and a memento from Courtney Maud’s time there.

Front Office Changes

• In Vancouver, Cara Gardner Morey is taking the reigns as head coach. She’ll be back behind the bench for the first time since leaving her eight-year stint at Princeton. As a result, the Goldeneyes are now searching for a new GM.

• Something to keep in mind for the future: this will seemingly be Danièle Sauvageau’s last season as GM of the Montréal Victoire, before she goes full-time with the Canadian women’s national team.

• The Boston Fleet promoted Derek Whitemore to assistant coach, after Stefanie McKeough left to join the Seattle Torrent in July. Whitmore previously served as a development coach for the Fleet.

• San Jose hired Uffe Lundberg and Jessica Turi as assistant coaches.

As it now stands, every team has a head coach heading into next season. Four of the eight teams who competed last season will have a new head coach (Boston, Seattle, Toronto and Vancouver.) The GM job in Vancouver is the lone open slot at that position.

Recent Player Signings

• Boston: Abby Newhook (2 years), Haley Winn (extension)

• Detroit: Akane Shiga (2 years)

• Hamilton: Anna Shokhina (1 year)

• Las Vegas: Tessa Janecke (2 years), Sydney Langseth (2 years)

• Montréal: Michelle Karvinen (1 year)

• Ottawa: Sarah Wozniewicz (3 years), Fanuza Kadirova (2 years)

• New York: Makenna Webster (3 years)

• San Jose: Brooke Bryant (1 year)

• Vancouver: Laura Fuoco (1 year)

Elsewhere in Women’s Hockey

• Changes abound for Hockey Canada’s women’s national program. Ohio State head coach Nadine Muzerall has been named as the U18 head coach. For the national team, Vicky Sunohara has been named head coach, with Danièle Sauvageau as GM.

• Hockey Canada has also announced its 40-player roster for selection camp for the development team and the U-18 team, including players like Ève Gascon, Chloe Primerano, Jade Iginla and Stryker Zablocki.

• USA Hockey also announced its roster for the national festival, held August 2-9 in Lake Placid. That camp will determine rosters for the U18 and collegiate series. Players include Bella Fanale, Megan Healy, Maggie Scannell and Ella Sennick.

• I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the federal investigation currently going on surrounding Mark Walter, who is the owner of the PWHL. Bloomberg and other outlets have done extensive reporting on what is (and isn’t) known about the investigation, and it is worth keeping an eye on. I have not personally researched the investigation or its claims.

Share

Forward of the Year

• Finalists: Taylor Heise, Brianne Jenner, Kelly Pannek

• My ballot: Kelly Pannek - Taylor Heise - Jessie Eldridge

Defender of the Year

• Finalists: Sophie Jaques, Megan Keller, Haley Winn

• My ballot: Megan Keller - Sophie Jaques - Haley Winn

Goaltender of the Year

• Finalists: Ann-Renée Desbiens, Aerin Frankel, Gwyneth Philips

• My ballot: Aerin Frankel - Ann-Renée Desbiens - Gwyneth Philips

Coach of the Year

• Finalists: Kori Cheverie, Carla MacLeod, Kris Sparre

• My ballot: Kris Sparre - Kori Cheverie - Carla MacLeod

Rookie of the Year

• Finalists: Nicole Gosling, Casey O’Brien, Haley Winn

• My ballot: Casey O’Brien - Haley Winn - Nicole Gosling

This one was a tough vote. All three contributed immensely to their respective teams.

Billie Jean King MVP

• Finalists: Ann-Renée Desbiens, Aerin Frankel, Kelly Pannek

• My ballot: Gwyneth Philips - Kelly Pannek - Brianne Jenner

Look, no one will ever argue that Aerin Frankel wasn’t absolutely outstanding. She was. But was she undoubtedly the most valuable player on her team? Asked another way - could her team have had its success without her? Yes. The Fleet had a loaded roster stacked with talent. I gave this one to Philips because to me, without her, the Charge wouldn’t have gone anywhere, much less to the Walter Cup Final.

First All-Star Team

• Winners: Heise, Jenner, Pannek, Jaques, Keller, Frankel

• My ballot: Heise, Stacey, Pannek, Jaques, Winn, Frankel

Second All-Star Team

• Winners: Curl-Salemme, Leslie, Stacey, Gosling, Winn, Desbiens

• My ballot: O’Brien, Leslie, Eldridge, Gosling, Keller, Desbiens

All-Rookie Team

• Winers: Kaltounková, Newhook, O’Brien, Gosling, Winn, Murphy

• My ballot: Kaltounková, Newhook, O’Brien, Gosling, Winn, Murphy

I’m always honored when I get the chance to vote for any awards. I don’t take the responsibility lightly. As a reminder, winners are determined by a weighted model, with 50% of voting points coming from media across North America. GMs and head coaches make up 25% of the points, while the rest comes from broadcast talent (15%) and the PWHLPA (10%).

Players who win the PWHL awards also receive financial bonuses. The MVP gets $5,304.50. Top forward, defense, goaltender, rookie of the year & community/philanthrophy-based award winner each get $4,243.60.

Subscribe now

I wanted to start by looking at the first-year players and how their salaries compare. There were 32 rookies in the PWHL this past season whose salary data appears in the public database.

It comes as little surprise that New York Sirens forward Kristýna Kaltounková was the highest-paid of her rookie class. That’s pretty much what you’d expect from a first-overall draft pick, right? With great honor comes great responsibility, and a decent paycheck. Kaltounková made $90,500 - third-most among Sirens players, behind only Sarah Fillier and Micah Zandee-Hart.

From there, the trend continues to follow the draft order with regards to salary. Boston Fleet defender Haley Winn, who was the second-overall pick last summer, made $60,000. Notably, that is a pretty sizable drop-off from Kaltounková, but also consider the Sirens roster situation vs. the Fleet’s, and it makes a bit of sense.

Kendall Cooper (Minnesota Frost) was a third-highest paid rookie, at $58,000, followed by Seattle Torrent goaltender Hannah Murphy ($54,000). Casey O’Brien, who led the league in rookie scoring with 22 points, made $51,000.

Four rookies made the league minimum, which was $37,131.50: Katie Chan & Madison Samoskevich, both of the Vancouver Goldeneyes; Nicole Vallario, of the New York Sirens; and Olivia Wallin of the Ottawa Charge.

A few more made just over league minimum, and the average rookie salary was $44,439.51.

All in all, it’s a lot of interesting information, but you can’t look at it in a vacuum. These general managers have a lot to consider when signing contracts, from the quality and potential of the player to past performance & expectations, as well as the overall team salary cap and just how much can be allocated to a single player.

Here are the rookie salaries as published, sorted by team:

Boston Fleet

• Amanda Thiele, $38,666.50

• Abby Newhook, $40,000

• Olivia Mobley, $40,000

• Riley Brengman, $40,000

• Haley Winn, $60,000

Minnesota Frost

• Brooke Becker, $37,290.25

• Peyton Anderson, $37,290.25

• Vanessa Upson, $37,291.45

• Abby Hustler, $47,000

• Kendall Cooper, $58,000

Montréal Victoire

• Natálie Mlýnková, $42,500

• Nicole Gosling, $50,000

New York Sirens

• Nicole Vallario, $37,131.50

• Callie Shanahan, $38,000

• Maddi Wheeler, $39,500

• Anne Cherkowski, $52,000

• Kristýna Kaltounková, $90,500

Ottawa Charge

• Olivia Wallin, $37,131.50

• Kendra Woodland, $38,000

• Peyton Hemp, $38,000

• Sarah Wozniewicz, $40,000

• Rory Guilday, $50,000

Seattle Torrent

• Lily Delianedis, $40,000

• Hannah Murphy, $54,000

Toronto Sceptres

• Clara Van Wieren, $40,000

• Emma Gentry, $44,000

• Kiara Zanon, $44,000

Vancouver Goldeneyes

• Katie Chan, $37,131.50

• Madison Samoskevich, $37,131.50

• Nina Jobst-Smith, $41,500

• Anna Segedi, $45,000

Playoffs Underway

The Ottawa Charge took care of the Boston Fleet in their semifinal series. Michela Cava, ever the champion, scored the game-winning goal in the second overtime period to give Ottawa the win in game four. The Charge beat the Fleet 3-1 in the series.

P.S. I’ve temporarily taken over coverage of the Charge for The Ice Garden at The IX Sports; you can catch up on all my coverage here!

The other semifinal’s been a little more complicated. The Minnesota Frost and Montréal Victoire are tied 2-2. Game five was scheduled for Monday night at Place Bell, but was postponed “due to player safety concerns related to illness.” That game is now scheduled to be played 24 hours later, tonight (Tuesday).

The winner will face the Charge in the Walter Cup Final. It’ll be a tight turnaround, and we’ll see how much flexibility the PWHL has in its scheduling. Yesterday, prior to the game five postponement, the league announced that the Charge would host game three of the Final on May 18 and game four (if necessary) on May 20. That means they’ll have to fit in the first two games in the next five days, which seems ambitious.

Expansion Is Here

Last week, the PWHL announced its forthcoming expansion to Detroit, Michigan. It appears that won’t be the only expansion franchise coming for the 2026-27 season. Reports indicate a Vegas announcement coming on Wednesday, with a possibly Hamilton, Ontario announcement Thursday. I believe we can also expect an expansion announcement for San Jose, California soon.

With the Detroit expansion, the league also announced plans to host the draft and awards there. The draft will be on June 17 at the Fox Theatre, with the awards the day prior. Award voting for regular-season awards has closed, and I’m once again grateful to be given a say in the matter. (I’ll release my votes once the awards are announced!)

With expansion comes a lot of questions, even moreso if there are indeed going to be four new teams. Maya Smith and I had the privilege of trying to break down the expansion roster building process for The Ice Garden here. As outlined to the players - the document hasn’t been publicly released yet - the process prioritizes player choice to an extent. It’s a four-phase process with a lot of moving parts, and let me tell you: it might make your head spin a little, or a lot.

Draft-Eligible List of Declared Players

As if enough wasn’t happening, the PWHL released the list of 235 players who have declared for the upcoming draft. The list is a mix of NCAA and USports grads, international talents, Olympians and more, including:

• 127 players who played NCAA hockey last season

• 38 players who skated with USports last season

• 20 players who did not play last season

To sum it up: all the things are happening, all at once. Let the chaos begin.

Subscribe now

End of the Regular Season

Once again, the final open playoff spot came down to the final day of the regular season. The Ottawa Charge and Toronto Sceptres were battling for the last spot, and scheduling worked out so that they were playing one another in the final game. Ottawa came out on top, securing the fourth and final postseason spot.

Beyond the four playoff teams - with the Victoire, Fleet and Frost joining the Charge - there was still something to play for. The Vancouver Goldeneyes finished first in the Gold Plan standings, earning five points after their official elimination from playoff contention. As a result, Vancouver will pick first.

Per the PWHL, the remainder of the draft order of selection will be determined by Gold Plan points among non-playoff teams and playoff results for the teams that qualified. If new teams are added through expansion - which is expected - the final draft order will be confirmed at a later date. Essentially, all we know right now is that the first spot belongs to Vancouver. The rest depends on expansion and what the league decides from there.

Series #1: Ottawa vs. Boston

How we got here: The Fleet narrowly missed out on first place, but still had a stellar regular season. The Fleet finished with 62 points and 21 wins, including 16 in regulation. As already mentioned, the Charge finished fourth and squeezed into the playoffs on the final day of the regular season. They recorded 44 points.

Season series:

• Ottawa 3, Boston 2 (shootout)

• Ottawa 2, Boston 1 (shootout)

• Boston 3, Ottawa 2 (shootout)

• Ottawa 2, Boston 1 (overtime)

Leaders:

• Rebecca Leslie (OTT): 3 goals vs. BOS

• Brianne Jenner (OTT): 4 points (2-2) vs. BOS

• Abby Newhook (BOS): 2 goals vs. OTT

• Megan Keller (BOS): 3 assists vs. OTT

• Jessie Eldridge (BOS): 5 points (3-2) vs. OTT (incl. with SEA)

Goaltending matchup:

• Aerin Frankel vs. Gwyneth Philips

• Frankel went 87/94 (0.925) against Ottawa this season.

• Philips went 79/84 (.940) in three games against Boston.

Series schedule:

• Game 1: Thursday, April 30 (Tsongas Center), 7 PM ET

• Game 2: Saturday, May 2 (Tsongas Center), 7 PM ET

• Games 3-5 are TBD. All Ottawa home games will be played at Canadian Tire Centre.

Series #2: Montreal vs. Minnesota

How we got here: The Victoire finished the regular season first overall in the standings, with 62 points and 22 wins (including 16 in regulation). As such, they had their choice of opponent for the semifinal, and elected to play the two-time defending champion Frost. The Frost, in third, finished with 50 points and 16 wins (13 in regulation).

Season series:

• Montreal 3, Minnesota 2 (overtime)

• Montreal 2, Minnesota 1 (overtime)

• Montreal 4, Minnesota 0

• Montreal 3, Minnesota 0

Leaders:

• Marie-Philip Poulin (MTL): 5 points (3-2) vs. MIN

• Abby Roque (MTL): 3 points (1-2) vs. MIN

• Laura Stacey (MTL): 3 points (1-2) vs. MIN

• Kendall Coyne Schofield (MIN): 3 points (1-2) vs. MTL

• Kelly Pannek (MIN): 1 goal vs. MTL

• Taylor Heise (MIN): 2 assists vs. MTL

Goaltending matchup:

• Ann-Renée Desbiens vs. Maddie Rooney/Nicole Hensley

• Desbiens went 80/83 (0.964) in four games against Minnesota.

• Rooney (.909) and Hensley (.898) split the season series against Montreal.

Series schedule:

• Game 1: Saturday, May 2 (Place Bell), 2 PM ET

• Game 2: Tuesday, May 5 (Place Bell), 7 PM ET

• Games 3-5 are TBD but will be played at Grand Casino Arena (in Minnesota) and Place Bell (in Montreal).

Leave a comment

Subscribe now

The Seattle Torrent and Vancouver Goldeneyes face off at 7 p.m. PT, and the results could eliminate either or both from playoff contention. According to the league’s notes, Seattle needs a regulation win to stay alive. Vancouver can stay alive with a win of any kind. If Seattle beats Vancouver in overtime or a shootout, both teams are eliminated.

Here’s a look at the current standings:

1. x - Montréal Victoire | 58 points (16-4-2-5)

2. x - Boston Fleet | 54 points | (14-5-2-5)

3. x - Minnesota Frost | 49 points (13-3-4-6)

4. Ottawa Charge | 36 points (7-7-1-12)

5. Toronto Sceptres | 34 points (9-1-5-11)

6. New York Sirens | 31 points (8-2-3-13)

7. Vancouver Goldeneyes | 27 points (7-1-4-14)

8. Seattle Torrent | 26 points (7-1-3-15)

As a reminder, whenever the first team is finally eliminated from contention, the Gold Plan will officially be activated. The Sceptres, Sirens, Goldeneyes and Torrent each have four games remaining, while the Charge have three.

The Gold Plan is an innovative system used to encourage competitive play by all teams throughout the full regular season. Once a team is mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, the standings points earned (using the league's 3-2-1-0 system) in their remaining regular-season games are classified as Draft Order Points. The non-playoff team with the most Draft Order Points earns the higher pick in the draft.

The Victoire are currently the hottest team in the league, with six straight wins dating back to March 25. Their most recent win against the Fleet set a new PWHL record for wins in a season, with 20.

On the flip side, the Goldeneyes have lost three in a row. The Charge have lost three of their last four, as have the Torrent. Not ideal for teams on the cusp of the playoffs, but truly, every point matters and it could come down to the wire.

Recent Movement

• The Sceptres moved alternate captain and defender Allie Munroe to long-term injured reserve on April 8. She suffered a lower-body injury on April 1 and is out of the lineup indefinitely. In her stead, the Sceptres signed Hanna Baskin to a standard contract.

• The Victoire activated defender Erin Ambrose from long-term injured reserve on April 1. She missed eight games with a lower-body injury suffered during the Olympics. In a corresponding move, Maya Labad was returned to the reserve list.

• The Torrent activated forward Mikyla Grant-Mentis from long-term injured reserve on April 4 and placed Marah Wagner on the reserve list.

• Sirens forward Emmy Fecteau was suspended one game for this hit. She served her suspension on April 11 and is eligible to return to the lineup.

Currently on LTIR

• Charge: Brooke Hobson

• Fleet: Zoe Boyd, Olivia Mobley

• Frost: Dominique Petrie

• Sceptres: Allie Munroe

• Sirens: Taylor Girard, Kristýna Kaltounková

• Victoire: Maureen Murphy, Marie-Philip Poulin

• Torrent: Hannah Bilka

Other Contracts

• Frost: Sam Cogan (10-day contract)

  ---

  Looking Ahead

The season is winding down, but there’s still plenty to play for. Playoff hopes remain alive for several teams in the bottom half of the standings, but it’s not going to be easy for anyone involved. At the top of the standings, there’s also positioning to play for - including the chance to choose your opponent for the first round. And, once a team is eliminated, there’s still the Gold Plan and draft pick positioning to play for. It’ll be competitive and high-stakes until the final buzzer.

It honestly gave me chills to watch the scenes from the sold-out Madison Square Garden in New York and TD Garden in Boston. What feels like only a few years ago, a pro women’s hockey game selling out an NHL-sized arena was not even a thought that crossed my mind. Seeing how far this sport and the landscape for it has come in the last few years is absolutely mind-blowing, in the best way possible.

Let’s keep that momentum going through the last bit of the regular season, into playoffs, through the offseason and into (hopefully) many, many more years to come.

Share

P.S. A little shameless self-promotion: I appeared on WIVB’s Evening Dish video podcast to talk all things pro women’s hockey, including the PWHL, Olympics and past leagues! Check it out here.

Subscribe now

League Standings

1. Boston Fleet | 51 points (13-5-2-4)*

2. Montréal Victoire | 46 points (12-4-2-5)

3. Minnesota Frost | 42 points (11-3-3-6)

4. Ottawa Charge | 33 points (6-7-1-9)

5. Toronto Sceptres | 31 points (8-1-5-10)

6. New York Sirens | 27 points (8-0-3-12)

7. Vancouver Goldeneyes | 27 points (7-1-4-11)

8. Seattle Torrent | 22 points (6-1-2-14)

Injury Updates

There has been a lot of movement on the injury front across the league. After the aforementioned hit that I mentioned last time, Seattle Torrent forward Mikyla Grant-Mentis has been placed on long-term injured reserve. On the plus side, defender Cayla Barnes appears to be no worse for the wear after a hard hit into the boards; she didn’t miss any other games.

Elsewhere, Boston Fleet forward Jill Saulnier has not played since she was on the receiving end of an illegal hit from Maggie Flaherty on March 15. Montréal Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin been placed on long-term injured reserve, and Ottawa Charge goaltender Sanni Ahola still hasn’t played since mid-January.

A couple of big name players returned to their respective teams this past weekend, with the Torrent getting Hilary Knight back and Kendall Coyne Schofield back on the ice for the Minnesota Frost. Knight had four shots on goal and took one penalty in 21:40 in Sunday’s 2-0 loss to Ottawa. Coyne Schofield registered two assists and one shot on goal in 20:51 in a 4-2 loss to Boston.

On Tuesday, the New York Sirens placed forward Kristýna Kaltounková on long-term injured reserve retroactive to March 24. She’s missed the last two games with a lower-body injury.

Currently on LTIR

• Charge: Brooke Hobson

• Fleet: Zoe Boyd, Olivia Mobley

• Frost: Dominique Petrie

• Sirens: Taylor Girard, Kristýna Kaltounková

• Victoire: Erin Ambrose, Maureen Murphy, Marie-Philip Poulin

• Torrent: Hannah Bilka, Mikyla Grant-Mentis

Trade Deadline Comes & Goes

The trade deadline has passed, with one additional move announced before the deadline. The Minnesota Frost acquired defender Jincy Roese from the New York Sirens in exchange for forward Denisa Křížová.

Roese had appeared in 22 games for the Sirens, registering six assists and playing an average of 15:24 a night. Křížová had five points (1-4—5) in 23 games with the Frost and was averaging 14:05 ice time. Both will get a fresh start with a short timeframe left in the regular season.

Roster Freeze in Place

The PWHL’s roster freeze is now officially in place as of Tuesday at 5 PM ET. There’s been a flurry of activity over the last week, with a few SDHL players coming over and a handful of reserve contracts signed:

• Boston Fleet sign F Noemi Neubauerová (reserve)

• Minnesota Frost sign F Sam Cogan (reserve)

• Montréal Victoire sign D Nadia Mattivi (standard), F Sam Isbell (reserve)

• New York Sirens sign D Nicole Vallario (standard), F Sarah Bujold (reserve), F Kira Juodikis (reserve)

• Ottawa Charge sign D Vita Poniatovskaia (standard), D Alexie Guay (reserve)

• Toronto Sceptres sign F Anneke Rankila (reserve)

• Vancouver Goldeneyes sign D Sini Karjalainen (reserve)

Trending Up/Trending Down

The Fleet have won three straight games after snapping a two-game skid. One pleasant surprise was the PWHL debut of goaltender Amanda Thiele, who stopped 21 of 23 shots faced to help Boston become the earliest team to clinch a playoff spot.

The Victoire and Charge have each won two straight and three of their last four. Meanwhile, the Torrent and Goldeneyes have been hot and cold. Seattle had a two-game winning streak going before their most recent loss; the opposite is true for Vancouver.

Things have flipped - and not in a good way - for the Frost. Their five-game winning streak was snapped on March 25, and they’ve now lost two straight for just the second time this season. While they’re still comfortably in a playoff spot - albeit not clinched - this is not the time for a slump.

The Sirens have lost four straight, and if this keeps up, their chances at a playoff spot will be disappearing as quickly as the tickets to a Broadway show in a lottery: gone in a flash.

Upcoming Games

• Wed., April 1: Goldeneyes at Victoire; Frost at Sirens; Sceptres at Charge (Calgary)

• Fri., April 3: Victoire at Charge

• Sat., April 4: Goldeneyes at Frost; Torrent at Sirens (Madison Square Garden)

Subscribe now

Let’s catch up on what you may have missed across the league over the last week.

Subscribe now

League Standings

1. Boston Fleet | 39 points (9-5-2-4)

2. Minnesota Frost | 36 points (9-3-3-4)

3. Montréal Victoire | 36 points (9-4-1-5)

4. Toronto Sceptres | 31 points (8-1-5-8)

5. Ottawa Charge | 28 points (5-6-1-8)

6. New York Sirens | 27 points (8-0-3-9)

7. Vancouver Goldeneyes | 21 points (5-14-9)

8. Seattle Torrent | 19 points (5-1-2-11)

Spotlight Moments

• Minnesota Frost rookie Peyton Anderson scored her first pro goal in a 4-1 loss to the Seattle Torrent on March 13.

• Frost forward Vanessa Upson notched her first PWHL point, an assist on Grace Zumwinkle’s second goal of the game on March 15.

• Frost defender Madison Bizal recorded her first point of the season, an assist, in a 4-3 win over the New York Sirens on March 15.

Trades & More

The Seattle Torrent traded forward Jessie Eldridge to the Boston Fleet in exchange for forward Theresa Schafzahl. Eldridge was one of the Torrent’s top forwards, with13 points, including seven goals, in 19 games. She made her Fleet debut on March 17, recording one shot on goal and one hit in 20:36.

Schafzahl had six points (2-4) in 19 games with the Fleet before the trade.

Elsewhere, the Toronto Sceptres released Clair DeGeorge to sign Kristin Della Rovere. DeGeorge then signed in New York. (The two teams had been working on a trade, but this is how it ended up playing out.) It’s necessary depth for the Sirens, who placed Taylor Girard on LTIR.

The Sirens also activated defender Nicole Vallario from their reserve list, signing her to a 10-day contract.

Injury Updates

• New York Sirens forward Taylor Girard was stretchered off the ice on March 15 with an apparent knee injury after an awkward hit into the boards. She was placed on long-term injured reserve on March 18 and will miss the remainder of the season.

• Boston Fleet forward Jill Saulnier is in concussion protocol and is considered day-to-day. On Sunday afternoon, she was on the receiving end of an illegal hit from Maggie Flaherty. Flaherty was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct.

• Montréal Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin appeared to reinjure her right knee in Sunday’s game. She did not return to the game and didn’t practice with the team on Tuesday.

• The Ottawa Charge signed goaltender Kaitlyn Ross to a 10-day contract for their Western road trip. Sanni Ahola stayed home for ‘rest and maintenance.’

• Seattle Torrent forward Mikyla Grant-Mentis did not return to the team’s March 13 game after being hit into the boards by Minnesota’s Britta Curl-Salemme. Curl-Salemme got a minor penalty for the play. Grant-Mentis missed the Torrent’s next game, and her status going forward is unknown.

• Vancouver Goldeneyes goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury, as is forward Katie Chan.

• Seattle Torrent defender Cayla Barnes missed several shifts in Sunday’s game after slamming hard into the boards. She did not see another shift after the play.

Currently on LTIR

• Fleet: Zoe Boyd, Sophie Shirley, Olivia Mobley

• Frost: Dominique Petrie, Kendall Coyne Schofield

• Victoire: Erin Ambrose

• Torrent: Hannah Bilka, Hilary Knight

Broadcast Updates

Today, the PWHL announced that the Walter Cup Finals will air on ION across the United States. This marks the first linear TV broadcast in the US for the championship series, and follows the announcement that ION will broadcast an upcoming Takeover Tour game in Detroit.

I’ll be honest: when the news broke, I wasn’t sure I’d even heard of ION before this point. It sounded vaguely familiar, but I’ll have to find it on my channel listing, because I don’t think I’ve ever watched it before.

When it comes down to it, this is great news for the PWHL, for women’s hockey and for women’s sports.

No, it’s not ESPN or USA Network or TNT, but it is a network that continually shows its support for women’s sports, and that matters. (ION shows WNBA and NWSL games.)

P.S. If you know me, you know I’ll always be out here making sure women’s hockey history is never erased or forgotten.

Share

Subscribe now

League Standings

1. Boston Fleet | 35 points (9-3-2-2)

2. Montréal Victoire | 35 points (9-4-0-5)

3. Minnesota Frost | 30 points (7-3-3-4)

4. New York Sirens | 27 points (8-0-3-8)

5. Ottawa Charge | 26 points (5-5-1-8)

6. Toronto Sceptres | 25 points (6-1-5-8)

7. Vancouver Goldeneyes | 19 points (5-1-2-9)

8. Seattle Torrent | 16 points (4-1-2-9)

What You Missed

There were a handful of games over the last week.

• Montréal Victoire 4, Toronto Sceptres 3 (SO)

• Ottawa Charge 4, Seattle Torrent 3

• Boston Fleet 1, New York Sirens 0

• Minnesota Frost 3, Toronto Sceptres 2 (OT)

• New York Sirens 6, Ottawa Charge 2

Ottawa defender Kathryn Reilly recorded her first PWHL point in the team’s 4-3 win over Seattle on March 4, with an assist on Fanuza Kadirova’s goal. She added another assist on Emily Clark’s tally in the second period.

Trending Up/Trending Down

• The Victoire have now won six in a row dating back to January 21, while the Fleet have won five in a row dating back to January 14.

• The Torrent have lost four straight, with their last win coming on January 20.

• Toronto’s been hot and cold since the return from the Olympic break. After winning their first two games back, they’ve since lost the last two. The good news? They lost those in a shootout and overtime, so they’re getting it there - the finish just needs some work.

• The New York Sirens broke a home attendance record at Prudential Center, with 8,264 in attendance on March 8. Good for them!! (Also, they’ll be playing at Madison Square Garden in front of a SOLD-OUT crowd in a few weeks!)

• Maggie Flaherty (Victoire) leads the league in shots blocked (44). Ella Shelton (Sceptres) isn’t far behind, at 43.

Other News

• The PWHLPA has affiliated with the AFL-CIO labor union and its 15 million works. [Associated Press]

Share

There have been a few injuries and LTIR designations since the return from break. Notably, the Frost placed captain Kendall Coyne Schofield on LTIR with an upper-body injury. The Torrent did the same with Hilary Knight, with a lower-body injury. (Per Knight on a media appearance this week, she was playing through the Olympic with a torn MCL.) Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin missed the first game back with a lower-body injury, but returned to action Sunday

For the Goldeneyes, Claire Thompson and Katie Chan are both day-to-day with upper-body injuries. Toronto’s Daryl Watts left Friday’s game with illness and missed Sunday’s game; Emma Genty is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

Subscribe now

League Standings

1. Montréal Victoire | 33 points (9-3-0-5)

2. Boston Fleet | 32 points (8-3-2-2)

3. Minnesota Frost | 28 points (7-2-3-4)

4. New York Sirens | 24 points (7-0-3-7)

5. Ottawa Charge | 23 points (4-5-1-7)

6. Toronto Sceptres | 23 points (6-1-3-8)

7. Vancouver Goldeneyes | 19 points (5-1-2-9)

8. Seattle Torrent | 16 points (4-1-2-8)

What You Missed

Since returning from the Olympic break:

• Montréal Victoire 4, New York Sirens 1

• Toronto Sceptres 5, Seattle Torrent 2

• Boston Fleet 3, Ottawa Charge 2 (SO)

• Montréal Victoire 4, Minnesota Frost 0

• Toronto Sceptres 2, Vancouver Goldeneyes 1

Victoire forward Skylar Irving scored her first PWHL goal in their win over the Sirens, while Lina Ljungblom found her first points of the season - a goal and an assist - in her eighth game.

Sceptres forward Sara Hjalmarsson scored her first PWHL goal in the team’s victory in Seattle, then scored her second in Vancouver. Not a bad little confidence boost for the Swedish Olympian!

Also for the Sceptres, forward Lauren Messier recorded her first PWHL goal in the win against Vancouver - despite playing just 2:50. Oh, and it was the game-winner. NBD!

At the top of the league, it’s a five-way tie for the points scoring leader: Minnesota’s Kendall Coyne Schofield, Britta Curl-Salemme and Taylor Heise are joined by Ottawa’s Rebecca Leslie and Brianne Jenner. New York Sirens rookie Kristýna Kaltounková leads the PWHL in goals (11), while Heise (13) leads in assists.

Trending Up/Trending Down

• Sunday’s win marked the first time the Sceptres have won consecutive games this season. The team’s Olympians spoke earlier in the week, stressing a ‘playoff mentality’ heading into the second half.

• The Victoire have won five straight and are undefeated at Place Bell this season.

• The Fleet are on a four-game winning streak and six-game point streak.

• Sunday’s loss snapped a six-game point streak for the Frost.

Other News & What’s Next

• The PWHL’s draft declaration period opened on March 1. Players have until May 8 to declare for the 2026 draft.

• Thanks in part to the increased attention being paid to women’s hockey after the U.S. national team won gold, the Seattle Torrent set a new U.S. attendance record for women’s hockey. A sellout crowd of 17,335 fans attended the game against the Sceptres.

• Penn State and Mercyhurst will battle for the Atlantic Hockey America title on Saturday. The Nittany Lions are looking for their fourth consecutive conference tournament title.

• Why are the Vancouver Goldeneyes - the only PWHL team with two Black players - the only PWHL team not hosting a Black History Celebration? Har Johal from Victory Press dives in here.

Subscribe now

I have good news for you! (Which, let’s be real, you probably already know, if you’re reading this.) The women who suit up for their national teams at the Olympics will soon return to their respective teams — including many who play in the PWHL.

Subscribe now

A whopping 60 Olympians, including most of the gold-medal winning Team USA and all of silver medalists Team Canada, play in the PWHL. Both of the goalscorers who won their respective teams gold and bronze (Megan Keller, Alina Müller) play for the Boston Fleet. The league returns to action on Thursday, February 26 and has about two months left in its regular season.

And - get this! If you’re in the United States, you can watch games for free on YouTube! Depending on what market you live in, games may also be televised. You can check out the full schedule here.

Here’s the breakdown of Olympians by PWHL team:

Montréal Victoire (9)

• CAN: Kati Tabin, Laura Stacey, Erin Ambrose, Marie-Philip Poulin, Ann-Renée Desbiens

• CZE: Natálie Mlýnková

• USA: Hayley Scamurra

• GER: Sandra Abstreiter

• SWE: Lina Ljungblom

Toronto Sceptres (9)

• CAN: Renata Fast, Ella Shelton, Natalie Spooner, Emma Maltais, Blayre Turnbull, Daryl Watts

• ITA: Kristin Della Rovere

• SWE: Sara Hjalmarsson

• SWE: Anna Kjellbin

Minnesota Frost (8)

• CZE: Klára Hymlárová, Denisa Křížová

• USA: Lee Stecklein, Kelly Pannek, Grace Zumwinkle, Britta Curl-Salemme, Kendall Coyne Schofield, Taylor Heise

Ottawa Charge (8)

• CAN: Jocelyne Larocque, Brianne Jenner, Emily Clark

• CZE: Kateřina Mrázová

• FIN: Sanni Ahola, Ronja Savolainen

• USA: Rory Guilday, Gwyneth Philips

Vancouver Goldeneyes (8)

• CAN: Sophie Jaques, Sarah Nurse, Emerance Maschmeyer, Claire Thompson, Jennifer Gardiner

• CZE: Tereza Vanišová

• FIN: Michelle Karvinen

• GER: Katarina Jobst-Smith

Boston Fleet (7)

• CZE: Daniela Pejšová

• FIN: Susanna Tapani

• SUI: Alina Müller

• USA: Megan Keller, Haley Winn, Aerin Frankel

• GER: Laura Kluge

New York Sirens (6)

• CAN: Sarah Fillier, Kristin O’Neill, Kayle Osborne

• CZE: Kristýna Kaltounková

• SUI: Nicole Vallario

• SWE: Maja Nylén Persson

Seattle Torrent (5)

• CAN: Julia Gosling

• CZE: Aneta Tejralová

• USA: Cayla Barnes, Hilary Knight, Alex Carpenter

That said, not all of the Olympians play in the PWHL. Many are currently playing Division I NCAA college hockey across the United States, and a handful play college hockey in U SPORTS in Canada:

Boston University

• GER: Luisa Welcke, Lilli Welcke

Clarkson University

• CZE: Andrea Trnková

• FRA: Manon le Scodan

College of the Holy Cross

• SUI: Naemi Herzig

Dartmouth College

• CZE: Michaela Hesová

Lindenwood University

• FRA: Lucie Quarto, Elina Zilliox

Mercyhurst University

• FIN: Julia Schalin

Northeastern University

• SUI: Alessia Baechler

Ohio State University

• FIN: Sanni Vanhanen

• SWE: Mira Jungåker, Hilda Svensson, Jenna Raunio

• USA: Joy Dunne

Penn State University

• ITA: Matilde Fantin

• SWE: Nicole Hall

• USA: Tessa Janecke

Quinnipiac University

• FRA: Jade Barbirati

RPI

• GER: Nina Christof

St. Cloud State University

• FIN: Siiri Yrjola, Emilia Kyrkko

• GER: Svenja Voigt

• SUI: Laura Zimmermann

Union College

• SUI: Monja Wagner

University of Minnesota

• CZE: Tereza Plosová

• FIN: Nelli Laitinen

• USA: Abbey Murphy

University of Minnesota-Duluth

• SWE: Josefin Bouveng, Ida Karlsson, Thea Johansson

University of Vermont

• FRA: Julia Mesplede

University of Wisconsin

• CZE: Adéla Šapovalivová

• USA: Caroline Harvey, Kirsten Simms, Laila Edwards, Ava McNaughton

Concordia University (U SPORTS, Canada)

• FRA: Emma Nonnenmacher

John Abbott College (U SPORTS, Canada)

• FRA: Anais Peyne-Dingival

University of British Columbia (U SPORTS, Canada)

• SUI: Vanessa Schaefer

University of Guelph (U SPORTS, Canada)

• ITA: Martina Fedel

University of Montreal (U SPORTS, Canada)

• FRA: Lea Berger

Many also play overseas in various leagues; some, but not all, in their home countries.

Czechia

• CZE: Julie Pejšová

Finland

• CZE: Barbora Juříčková

• FIN: Elli Suoranta, Anni Keisala, Emma Nuutinen

• FRA: Sehana Galbrun

• ITA: Manuela Heidenberger

France

• FRA: Margaux Mameri, Sophie Leclerc, Anae Simon, Violette Pianel Coriaut, Clemence Boudin

Germany

• FRA: Lea Villiot, Lore Baudrit

• GER: Charlott Schaffrath, Franziska Feldmeier, Ronja Hark, Katharine Hackelsmiller, Nicola Hadraschek, Carina Strobel, Jule Schiefer, Daria Gleissner, Tara Schmitz, Celina Haider, Mathilda Heine, Hanna Hoppe, Lisa Hemmerle, Anne Bartsch, Chiara Schultes

Italy

• FRA: Alice Philbert

• ITA: Gabriella Durante, Anna Caumo, Laura Lobis, Eleonora Bonafini, Marta Mazzaocchi, Sara Kaneppele, Kristen Guerriero, Jacque Pierri, Laura Fortino, Kayla Tutino

Japan

• JPN: Shiori Koike, Shiori Yamashita, Kohane Sato, Kanami Seki, Akane Hosoyamada, Nana Akimoto, Yumeka Wajima, Rui Ukita, Ai Tada, Suzuka Maeda, Makoto Ito, Miyuu Masuhara, Mei Miura, Remi Koyama, Riko Kawaguchi, Rio Noro, Riri Noro, Umeka Odaira

Sweden

• CZE: Linda Vocetková, Tereza Pištěková, Dominika Lásková, Sára Čajanová, Vendula Přibylová, Klára Peslarová

• FIN: Sini Karjalainen, Jenni Hiirikoski, Sanni Rantola, Elisa Holopainen, Petra Nieminen, Jenniina Nylund, Ida Kuoppala, Viivi Vainikka, Emilia Vesa, Noora Tulus

• FRA: Margot Huot-Marchand

• GER: Emily Nix

• ITA: Amie Varanto, Justine Reyes, Franziska Stocker, Margherita Ostoni, Nadia Mattivi

• JPN: Aoi Shiga, Ayaka Hitosato, Akane Shiga, Haruka Toko, Rei Halloran

• SWE: Ebba Svensson Träff, Linnéa Andersson, Jessica Adolfsson, Lisa Johansson, Sofie Lundin, Hanna Thuvik, Ebba Hedqvist, Hanna Olsson, Felizia Wikner-Zienkiewicz, Emma Söderberg, Mira Hallin, Tindra Holm

• SUI: Andrea Brändli

Switzerland

• CZE: Klára Seroiszková, Michaela Pejzová, Noemi Neubauerová

• FIN: Julia Liikala

• FRA: Estelle Duvin, Marie-Pierre Pelissou, Clara Rozier, Chloe Aurard-Bushee

• ITA: Carola Saletta, Aurora Abatangelo, Rebecca Roccella, Greta Niccolai

• SUI: Annic Büchi, Lara Stalder, Kaleigh Quennec, Shannon Sigrist, Lisa Rüedi, Ivana Wey, Laure Mériguet, Lara Christen, Stefanie Wetli, Rahel Enzler, Sinja Leemann, Alina Marti, Saskia Maurer, Leoni Balzer, Lena Marie Lutz

Subscribe now

The United States handily won its semifinal matchup against Sweden, stopping their undefeated run with a 5-0 victory on Monday. Meanwhile, Canada squeaked by Switzerland with a narrow 2-1 win, powered by a pair of goals from captain Marie-Philip Poulin.

Subscribe now

For the Gold

Team USA finished the preliminary round atop Group A with a perfect record, outscoring its opponents 20-1 with wins over Czechia, Finland, Switzerland and Canada. They went on to defeat Italy in the quarterfinal and Sweden in the aforementioned semifinal. Their goaltending has been beyond outstanding, setting a new Olympic record for a combined shutout streak. They’ve allowed just one goal through the entire tournament.

Leaders: Caroline Harvey (9 points); Hannah Bilka (4 goals); Harvey (7 assists); Harvey (22:31 TOI)

Goaltending: Aerin Frankel is 4-0 with a 0.25 GAA and .985 save percentage. Gwyneth Philips is 2-0 with a 0.00 GAA and a 1.00 save percentage.

Canada has won nearly all of its games, save the loss against the United States. They beat Switzerland, Czechia and Finland in the preliminary round and bested Germany in the quarterfinal before beating Switzerland in the semifinal.

Leaders: Daryl Watts (8 points); Marie-Philip Poulin, Sarah Fillier & Julia Gosling (3 goals each); Watts (6 assists); Renata Fast (21:24 TOI)

Goaltending: Ann-Renée Desbiens is 3-1 with a 1.81 GAA and .901 save percentage. Emerance Maschmeyer is 2-0 with a 0.47 GAA and .957 save percentage.

For the Bronze

Sweden had a perfect record through the preliminary round & quarterfinal, with wins over Germany, Italy, France and Japan, as well as Czechia. They outscored their opponents 20-2 heading into the semifinal, but their luck ended there.

Leaders: Hanna Olsson (7 points); Thea Johansson (4 goals); Hilda Svensson (5 assists); Maja Nylén Persson (23:33 TOI)

Goaltending: Ebba Svensson Träff is 4-1 with a 1.30 GAA and .944 save percentage. Emma Söderberg is 1-0 with a 0.72 GAA and .960 save percentage.

Switzerland has won two games in the tournament, beating Czechia in the shootout during the preliminary round & defeating Finland 1-0 in the quarterfinal. They lost to Canada, the United States & Finland in the preliminary and to Canada in the semi.

Leaders: Alina Müller (5 points); Müller (3 goals); Müller, Lara Stalder & Rahel Enzler (2 assists each); Lara Christen (24:08 TOI)

Goaltending: Andrea Brändli is 1-2 with a 2.35 GAA and .949 save percentage. Saskia Maurer is 0-2 with a 3.25 GAA and .918 save percentage.

Overall Tournament Leaders

Scoring

• Caroline Harvey (USA), 2-7—9

• Daryl Watts (CAN), 2-6—8

• TIED: Hannah Bilka (4-3), Laur Kluge (3-4), Hanna Olsson (3-4), Laila Edwards (2-5), Megan Keller (2-5) and Abbey Murphy (2-5) each have seven points.

Goaltending

• Aerin Frankel (USA), .985 sv%, 0.25 GAA, 3 shutouts

• Andrea Brändli (SUI), .949 sv%, 2.35 GAA, 1 shutout

• Ebba Svensson Traff (SWE), .944 sv%, 1.30 GAA, 2 shutouts

Time on ice (average)

• Laura Fortino (ITA), 27:55

• Katarina Jobst-Smith (GER), 26:32

• Gabrielle de Serres (FRA), 26:07

Faceoffs

• Alex Carpenter (USA), 70.94% (83/117)

• Marie-Philip Poulin (CAN), 69.09% (38/55)

• Tessa Janecke (USA), 65.57% (40/61)

Upcoming Games

Thursday, February 20

• 8:40 AM ET: Sweden vs. Switzerland (bronze medal)

• 1:10 PM ET: Canada vs. USA (gold medal)

The winners will then face off in the gold medal game on Thursday, February 19 at 1:10 PM ET. The losers will go for the bronze medal on the same day at 8:40 AM ET.

Subscribe now

Here’s a quick summary of the tournament so far for each of these teams:

United States

• Finished atop Group A with a perfect 4-0 record in the preliminary round, outscoring its opponents 20-1.

• Preliminary round: 5-1 win over Czechia; 5-0 win over Finland; 5-0 win over Switzerland; 5-0 win over Canada

• Defeated Italy 6-0 in the quarterfinal

• Leaders: Caroline Harvey (9 points); Hannah Bilka (4 goals); Harvey (7 assists); Harvey (22:39 TOI)

• Goaltending: Aerin Frankel is 3-0 with a 0.33 GAA and .978 save percentage, but Gwyneth Philips is 2-0 with a 0.00 GAA (yes, really) and a 1.00 save percentage. I mean… you can’t go wrong either way.

Sweden

• Finished atop Group B with a perfect 4-0 record in the preliminary round, outscoring its opponents 18-2.

• Preliminary round: 4-1 win over Germany; 6-1 win over Italy; 4-0 win over France; 4-0 win over Japan

• Defeated Czechia 2-0 in the quarterfinal

• Leaders: Hanna Olsson (7 points); Thea Johansson (4 goals); Hilda Svensson (4 assists); Maja Nylén Persson (23:12 TOI)

• Goaltending: It’ll be Ebba Svensson Träff in net, as she’s played most of the time for Sweden this tournament. She’s 4-0 with a 0.50 GAA and .976 save percentage.

Canada

• With just one loss in the preliminary, Canada finished second in Group A with a 3-1 record and a plus-8 goal differential.

• Preliminary round: 4-0 win over Switzerland; 5-1 win over Czechia; 5-0 loss to United States; 5-0 win over Finland

• Defeated Germany 5-1 in the quarterfinal

• Leaders: Sarah Fillier & Daryl Watts (6 points each); Fillier & Julia Gosling (3 goals each); Watts (4 assists); Renata Fast (20:51 TOI)

• Goaltending: Do they go with Ann-Renée Desbiens, who is 2-1 with a 2.09 GAA and .905 save percentage? Or do they go with Emerance Maschmeyer, who is 2-0 with a 0.47 GAA and .957 save percentage?

Switzerland

• Finished the preliminary round fifth in Group A, with one overtime win and three losses and a minus-10 goal differential.

• Preliminary round: 4-3 shootout win over Czechia; 4-0 loss to Canada; 5-0 loss to United States; 3-1 loss to Finland

• Defeated Finland 1-0 in the quarterfinal (this one was huge!)

• Leaders: Alina Müller (4 points); Müller (3 goals); Lara Stalder & Rahel Enzler (2 assists each); Lara Christen (24:22 TOI)

• Goaltending: Andrea Brändli is 1-1 with a 2.50 GAA and .944 save percentage. Saskia Maurer played more minutes, but she went 0-2 with a 3.25 GAA and .918 save percentage.

Overall Tournament Leaders

Scoring

• Caroline Harvey (USA), 2-7—9

• Laura Kluge (GER), 3-4—7

• Hanna Olsson (SWE), 3-4—7

Alex Carpenter, Sarah Fillier, Laila Edwards, Megan Keller, Daryl Watts & Hilda Svensson each have six points.

Goaltending

• Aerin Frankel (USA), .978 sv%, 0.33 GAA

• Ebba Svensson Traff (SWE), .976 sv%, 0.50 GAA

  • Emerance Maschmeyer (CAN), .957 sv%, 0.47 GAA

Time on ice (average)

• Laura Fortino (ITA), 27:55

• Katarina Jobst-Smith (GER), 26:32

• Gabrielle de Serres (FRA), 26:07

Faceoffs

• Alex Carpenter (USA), 71.29% (72/101)

• Marie-Philip Poulin (CAN), 69.23% (27/39)

• Tessa Janecke (USA), 66.00% (33/50)

Upcoming Games - Semifinals

Monday, Feb. 16

• 10:40 AM ET: United States vs. Sweden

• 3:10 PM ET: Canada vs. Switzerland

Subscribe now

Jenn Gardiner (PWHL/Vancouver Goldeneyes) opened the scoring with her first Olympic goal at 15:12 of the first period. Daryl Watts (PWHL/Toronto Sceptres) and Kristin O’Neill (PWHL/New York Sirens) added goals in the second period.

Emily Clark (PWHL/Ottawa Charge) scored twice in the final frame to seal the win. All five of Canada’s goals came at even strength. Laura Stacey and Julia Gosling each had two assists.

If you missed it, NBC Sports has the highlights on YouTube here.

Defender Sophie Jaques led Canadian skaters in ice time (19:20), while Elli Suoranta led Finland (23:45). Notably, of course, Marie-Philip Poulin remained out for Canada, while Finland’s Jenni Hiirikoski played just 2:06 before leaving the game with an injury.

Ann-Renée Desbiens (PWHL/Montréal Victoire) made 17 saves for the shutout. Sanni Ahola (PWHL/Ottawa Charge) stopped 18 of 23 shots faced in the loss.

The Leaders

Scoring

• Laura Kluge (GER), 3-4—7

• Caroline Harvey (USA), 2-5—7

• Thea Johansson (SWE), 4-2—6

Goaltending

• Aerin Frankel (USA), .978 sv%, 0.33 GAA

• Ebba Svensson Traff (SWE), .964 sv%, 0.67 GAA

• Alice Philbert (FRA), .933 sv%, 3.00 GAA

Time on ice (average)

• Laura Fortino (ITA), 27:24

• Katarina Jobst-Smith (GER), 26:10

• Gabrielle de Serres (FRA), 26:07

Faceoffs

• Alex Carpenter (USA), 72.15% (57/79)

• Lina Ljungblom (SWE), 70.59% (36/51)

• Sofie Lundin (SWE), 66.67% (20/30)

Group A Standings

1. United States (12 points)

2. Canada (9 points)

3. Czechia (4 points)

4. Finland (3 points)

5. Switzerland (2 points)

Group B Standings

1. Sweden (12 points)

2. Germany (8 points)

3. Italy (6 points)

4. Japan (3 points)

5. France (1 point)

Upcoming Games - Quarterfinals

Friday, Feb. 13

• 10:40 am ET: Czechia vs. Sweden

• 3:10 pm ET: USA vs. Italy

Saturday, Feb. 14

• 10:40 am ET: Canada vs. Germany

• 3:10 pm ET: Finland vs. Switzerland

Share

Japan was eliminated from quarterfinal contention, meaning the three Group B quarterfinal spots are taken by Sweden, Germany and the host Italy. Sweden, with an undefeated 4-0 record, finished atop the group. The United States also clinched the top spot in Group A, with a perfect 4-0 record. Canada will end up either second or third depending on Thursday’s result. Switzerland will finish fifth in the group.

With France finishing 10th in the final rankings, Japan will finish ninth. Akane Shiga and Mei Miura end the tournament with three points each, both with a goal and two assists. Rui Ukita had two goals and led the team in TOI, playing an average of 22:28 per game. Miyuuu Masuhara played 137:18 in net and had a .867 save percentage and 3.50 GAA.

Subscribe now

Results & Highlights

All eyes were on the US/Canada match today, and Team USA came up with a commanding 5-0 win over a Canadian team that simply looked outmatched and without an answer. Canada was, of course, without captain Marie-Philip Poulin, who is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. It sounds like she’s unlikely to play in Thursday’s final preliminary round game but is expected to return at some point in the tournament.

Elsewhere, Finland beat Switzerland 3-1, with all of the offense coming in the second period. Japan’s Olympic hopes ended with a 4-0 loss to Sweden, and Germany scored late to win 2-1 over the host Italy to end preliminary round play.

Some of the highlights:

• With her 14th goal, Alina Müller has set a new record for most career goals in Swiss women’s hockey history at the Olympics. Müller is playing in her fourth Olympics. She's currently got 14 goals + 12 assists for 26 points in 23 games.

• Germany’s Laura Kluge scored the game-winning goal at 58:31. She leads all skaters with seven points, tied with USA defender Caroline Harvey.

• Team USA is young, and the youth is certainly talented. Players under the age of 25 accounted for 12 points in today's 5-0 win over Canada. Current NCAA Division I players accounted for nine points, including three goals. Abbey Murphy had three assists and drew four penalties!

• With an assist in Tuesday’s game, Hilary Knight is now one point away from becoming Team USA’s all-time leading scorer at the Olympics in women’s hockey.

• Today’s game marked the first time ever that Canada has been shut out in the Olympics in women’s hockey.

The Leaders

Scoring

• Laura Kluge (GER), 3-4—7

• Caroline Harvey (USA), 2-5—7

• Thea Johansson (SWE), 4-2—6

Goaltending

• Aerin Frankel (USA), .978 sv%, 0.33 GAA

• Ebba Svensson Traff (SWE), .964 sv%, 0.67 GAA

• Alice Philbert (FRA), .933 sv%, 3.00 GAA

Time on ice (average)

• Laura Fortino (ITA), 27:24

• Katarina Jobst-Smith (GER), 26:10

• Gabrielle de Serres (FRA), 26:07

Faceoffs

• Alex Carpenter (USA), 72.15% (57/79)

• Lina Ljungblom (SWE), 70.59% (36/51)

• Sofie Lundin (SWE), 66.67% (20/30)

Group A Standings

1. United States (12 points) - clinched top spot in Group A

2. Canada (6 points)

3. Czechia (4 points)

4. Finland (3 points)

5. Switzerland (2 points)

Group B Standings

1. Sweden (12 points)

2. Germany (8 points)

3. Italy (6 points)

4. Japan (3 points)

5. France (1 point)

Upcoming Games

• Thursday, Feb. 12, 8:30 AM ET: Canada vs. Finland (final prelim game)

Subscribe now

Subscribe now

Results & Highlights

Italy clinched its first-ever quarterfinal berth with a 3-2 win over Japan, with Kristin Della Rovere scoring the game-winning goal. Germany narrowly bested France 2-1 in overtime, ending France’s tournament. Elsewhere, the United States powered to a 5-0 win over Switzerland in Gwyneth Philips’ Olympic debut, and Canada beat Czechia 5-1.

If you missed any of today’s action, I was on the daily recap duty for The Ice Garden today, so here’s a shameless plug to check out my piece there. I highlighted the Germany/France game, but there’s tidbits about the others in there, too.

Some of the highlights:

• Matilde Fantin (Penn State) had two goals for Italy. With three goals in as many games, she is currently her team’s leading scorer.

• Della Rovere’s game winner was her first Olympic goal. A few others also scored their firsts, including Estelle Duvin (France), Haley Winn (USA), Hannah Bilka (USA) and Caroline Harvey (USA).

• France’s Gabrielle de Serres led all skaters in their game with 26:52 played.

• Canada spent 6:52 on the power play and scored twice on the advantage in their game, while Czechia spent 6:53 and scored once.

• Laila Edwards led all U.S. skaters in ice time, playing 22:42. She had three shots; Harvey led the team with five shots.

The Leaders

Scoring

• Thea Johansson (SWE), 4-1—5

• Alex Carpenter (USA), 3-2—5

• Laura Kluge (GER), 2-3—5

Goaltending

• Emerance Maschmeyer (CAN), 1 shutout, 0.00 GAA

• Aerin Frankel (USA), .960 sv%, .50 GAA

• Ann-Renée Desbiens (CAN), .947 sv%, 1.00 GAA

Time on ice (average)

• Laura Fortino (ITA), 26:33

• Gabrielle de Serres (FRA), 26:07

• Katarina Jobst-Smith (GER), 25:50

Faceoffs

• Alex Carpenter (USA), 78.33% (47/60)

• Lina Ljungblom (SWE), 73.68% (28/38)

• Blayre Turnbull (CAN), 73.68% (14/19)

Group A Standings

1. United States (9 points)

2. Canada (6 points)

3. Czechia (4 points)

4. Switzerland (2 points)

5. Finland (0 points)

Group B Standings

1. Sweden (9 points)

2. Italy (6 points)

3. Germany (5 points)

4. Japan (3 points)

5. France (1 point)

Sweden & Italy have clinched spots in the quaterfinals. France has been eliminated from contention, so it’ll be either Germany or Japan nabbing that final quarterfinal spot.

Tomorrow’s Games

• 6:10 AM ET: Japan vs. Sweden

• 10:40 AM ET: Italy vs. Germany

• 2:10 PM ET: Canada vs. USA

• 3:10 PM ET: Finland vs. Switzerland

Share

Subscribe now

Results & Highlights

Sweden now remains undefeated through three games after a decisive 4-0 win over France on Sunday. All of Sweden’s offense came in the first 20:56, with a three-goal first period and the final goal coming early in the second period.

Czechia also got their offense early, with both goals in a 2-0 victory over Finland coming in the first period. It’s Czechia’s first win of the tournament, which moves them up to second in Group A standings for the time being.

Some of the highlights:

• Thea Johansson opened the scoring for Sweden just 3:39 in, for her tournament-leading fourth goal. Sara Hjalmarsson, Hanna Thuvik and Lisa Johansson also scored for Sweden. Thuvik’s goal was her first at the Olympics.

• Emma Söderberg made 14 saves in her first Olympic shutout. It was also her first action at this year’s tournament. Sweden, meanwhile, put up 49 shots against Alice Philbert. Hilda Svensson led all skaters with eight shots on goal, while captain Anna Kjellbin lead her team with 23:26 in ice time.

• Tereza Pištěková scored her first Olympic goal, getting Czechia on the board just 2:57 in. Natálie Mlýnková added to the lead later in the opening frame, while Klára Peslarová made 25 saves for her first Olympic shutout. Mlýnková led all skaters with six shots on goal.

• Anni Keisala tended the net for Finland, her first action of the tournament.

• Sára Čajanová led all Czechia skaters in ice time (23:31), while Nelli Laitinen (21:48) led the Finnish skaters. Elisa Holopainen accounted for five shots on goal.

The Leaders

Scoring

• Thea Johansson (SWE), 4-1—5

• Hanna Olsson (SWE), 1-4—5

• Sara Hjalmarsson (SWE), 2-2—4

Goaltending

• Emerance Maschmeyer (CAN), 1 shutout, 0.00 GAA

• Aerin Frankel (USA), .960 sv%, .50 GAA

• Ebba Svensson Traff (SWE), .9429 sv%, 1.00 GAA

Time on ice (average)

• Katarina Jobst-Smith (GER), 25:54

• Gabrielle de Serres (FRA), 25:52

• Lara Christen (SUI), 25:07

Faceoffs

• Blayre Turnbull (CAN), 88.89% (8/9)

• Sinja Leemann (SUI), 87.50% (7/8)

• Alex Carpenter (USA), 78.95% (30/38)

Group A Standings

1. United States (6 points)

2. Czechia (4 points)

3. Canada (3 points)

4. Switzerland (2 points)

5. Finland (0 points)

Group B Standings

1. Sweden (9 points)

2. Germany (3 points)

3. Japan (3 points)

4. Italy (3 points)

5. France (0 points)

Tomorrow’s Games

• 6:10 AM ET: Japan vs. Italy

• 10:40 AM ET: Germany vs. France

• 2:40 PM ET: Switzerland vs. USA

• 3:10 PM ET: Canada vs. Czechia

Share

Subscribe now

Results & Highlights

Germany recorded its first win of the tournament with a 5-2 win over Japan, including two goals from Nicola Hadraschek-Eisenschmid. Sandra Abstreiter (Montréal Victoire) had 20 saves in the win. Thea Johansson scored twice for Sweden as they powered to a 6-1 win over Italy, helping Sweden remain undefeated. Team USA also remains undefeated after a decisive 5-0 win over Finland, while Canada won its tournament debut with a 4-0 win over Switzerland.

Some of the highlights:

• Multiple players registered their first Olympic goals, including Germany’s Nicola Hadraschek-Eisenschmid, Emily Nix and Daria Gleißner; Japan’s Yumeka Wajima and Mei Miura; Sweden’s Jessica Adolfsson, Hanna Olson, Thea Johansson & Sofie Lundin; Italy’s Franziska Stocker; USA’s Taylor Heise, Megan Keller & Abbey Murphy, and Canada’s Julia Gosling & Daryl Watts.

• Team USA outshot Finland by a margin of 49-11; props to Sanni Ahola (Ottawa Charge) for standing tall against the barrage, just a few days after she and half of her team were either sick or quarantined with norovirus exposure. Through two games, the Americans have outshot their opponents 91-25 and outscored them 10-1.

• Canada held Switzerland to just six shots on goal through 60 minutes of play, putting up 55 of their own shots on Saskia Maurer. Just like Ahola, Maurer deserves a fair bit of credit here for keeping the game as close as it was. And, she didn’t face much, but props to Emerance Maschmeyer (Vancouver Goldeneyes) on her first Olympic shutout.

• Here’s a helpful hint for teams facing Canada: stay out of the penalty box. Three of Canada’s four goals today came on the advantage. They’re lethal.

The Leaders

Scoring

• Thea Johansson (SWE), 3-1—4

• Megan Keller (USA), 1-3—4

• Laura Kluge (GER), 1-3—4

Goaltending

• Emerance Maschmeyer (CAN), 1 shutout, 0.00 GAA

• Aerin Frankel (USA), .960 sv%, .50 GAA

• Ebba Svensson Traff (SWE), .9429 sv%, 1.00 GAA

Time on ice (average)

• Gabrielle de Serres (FRA), 26:39

• Katarina Jobst-Smith (GER), 25:54

• Lara Christen (SUI), 25:07

Faceoffs

• Blayre Turnbull (CAN), 88.89% (8/9)

• Sinja Leemann (SUI), 87.50% (7/8)

• Sofie Lundin (SWE), 82.35% (14/17)

Group A Standings

1. United States (6 points)

2. Canada (3 points)

3. Switzerland (2 points)

4. Czechia (1 point)

5. Finland (0 points)

Group B Standings

1. Sweden (6 points)

2. Germanyt (3 points)

3. Japan (3 points)

4. Italy (3 points)

5. France (0 points)

Tomorrow’s Games

• 10:40 AM ET: France vs. Sweden

• 3:10 PM ET: Czechia vs. Finland

Share

Subscribe now

Results & Highlights

In the early game of the day, Japan beat France 3-2. Following that, Czechia and Switzerland played a tight game that needed an eight-round shootout to be decided, with Switzerland coming out on top, 4-3.

Some of the highlights:

• Miyuu Masuhara made her Olympic debut in net for Japan, after being named to the team in 2022 but not seeing any game time. She made 23 saves in the win.

• Japan’s 1-0 lead (on a goal by Rui Ukita) lasted just 1:08 before Lore Baudrit tied it for France. Makoto Ito broke the tie in the third. Suzuka Maeda potted an empty-net goal, which would end up being the game winner as Gabrielle de Serres scored late on the power play to close the gap.

• New York Sirens first overall draft pick Kristýna Kaltounková scored her first Olympic goal in her Olympic debut.

• Switzerland scored twice in the final 10:27 of regulation (Alina Müller, Lara Christen) to force overtime.

• Switzerland’s Ivana Wey scored twice in the shootout to win it. The victory will be a big one down the line in determining the final Group A standings.

The Leaders

Scoring

• Lina Ljungblom (SWE), 2-0—2

• Hayley Scamurra (USA), 2-0—2

• Gabrielle de Serres (FRA), 2-0—2

(Alex Carpenter, Kristin Della Rovere, Alina Müller, Natálie Mlýnková, Tessa Janecke, Lisa Johansson & Jenna Raunio also each have two points.)

Goaltending

• Ebba Svensson Traff (SWE), .9375 sv%, 1.00 GAA

• Martina Fedel (ITA), .9333 sv%, 1.00 GAA

• Aerin Frankel (USA), .9286 sv%, 1.00 GAA

Time on ice (average)

• Gabrielle de Serres (FRA), 26:39

• Matilde Fantin (ITA), 25:51

• Katarina Jobst-Smith (GER), 25:34

Faceoffs

• Sofie Lundin (SWE), 100% (8/8)

• Sinja Leemann (SUI), 85.71% (6/7)

• Tessa Janecke (USA), 80% (8/10)

Group A Standings

1. United States (3 points)

2. Switzerland (2 points)

3. Czechia (1 point)

4. Canada (has not played yet)

5. Finland (has not played yet)

Group B Standings

1. Sweden (3 points)

2. Italy (3 points)

3. Japan (3 points)

4. Germany

5. France

Tomorrow’s Games

• 6:10 AM ET: Germany vs. Japan

• 8:40 AM ET: Sweden vs. Italy

• 10:40 AM ET: USA vs. Finland

• 3:10 PM ET: Switzerland vs. Canada

Share