Fleet Over Sirens

The Boston Fleet welcomed in the New York Sirens to the Tsongas Center last night for the last game before the Olympic break for both teams. It took some extra hockey and an extended shoot out but the home team prevailed. Nice to get the extra point in the standings and send the fans home happy.

The game had an auspicious start as the Fleet found themselves in a 5:3 penalty kill just 33 seconds into the opening frame. No game played in 10 calendar days and down 2 skaters on the opening shift: you would understand if the Fleet were done and buried by the first TV timeout. Unfortunately for the Sirens, the Fleet boast the best PK in the league (a ridiculous 96.7% rate coming into last night’s game) with an all-world goalie backing them up.

The Sirens only generated 2 SOG during the power play and neither found home. The Fleet were aggressive with puck pursuit in their own end and the 2 shots that found their way through? Aerin Frankel. The (other) Green Monstah was dialed. The Boston net minder was on top of the blue paint, tracking the puck extremely well and sharp on her angles from the opening draw. It’s almost as if Frankel was drawing energy from somewhere off the ice, as if somehow she was feeling some extra juice from the crowd.

Once the Fleet killed off the penalties the game settled into a great paced back and forth contest. Neither team had a decided advantage in the offensive zone and it was going to come down to who blinked first. Turns out it was NY. During a Boston PP just before the midway point of the opening frame, Abby Newhook buried a feed from Alina Müller to get the Fleet on the board. Müller and Haley Winn played high-low catch on the left wing wall before Müller smoked a pass to Newhook standing at the blue paint. Newhook wasted no time and tucked it short side under Kayle Osborne‘s blocker. 1-0 Fleet.

That score held until midway of the 2nd period before the Sirens tied it up. During a NY PP, Sarah Fillier made a great play to keep the puck in the BOS zone and found Casey O’Brien on the RW wall. O’Brien got the puck to Maja Nylen Persson at the opposite point who then found Fillier walking down the high slot. Fillier put the puck on net and Frankel made the initial save through heavy traffic. Kristin O’Neill was driving the net and was able to put the rebound home over the outstretched BOS net minder. Tie game.

Slow motion close up of the goal.

And then, just before the horn for the 2nd intermission, NY struck again when Kristýna Kaltounková got her 10th of the.year. Micah Zandee-Harti laid a no-look gorgeous feed from behind the net to Kaltounková out front and she punched it home. 2-1 Sirens.

That score held until the opening of the 3rd when the Fleet tied it up before many of the fans were back in their seats. Liz Schepers picked off an outlet pass and kept the puck in the NY zone before finding Theresa Schafzahl skating down towards the LW corner. Schafzahl put it right back to Schepers driving the slot and she punched it home under Osborne’s left leg. Tie game.

The pace picked up after the tying goal but neither side could gain the advantage until Boston made NY pay on the power play. Zoe Boyd put a clapper on net from the high slot and the rebound popped loose to the right post. Jamie Lee Rattray was circling and calmly collected the puck, toe-dragged around the NY defender and then tucked it top shelf. Absolute filth. Fleet lead 3-2.

Late in the 3rd, with the Sirens on a full press, Frankel stoned Fillier in front but Boston was unable to control/clear the puck and Kaltounková struck again. Jincy Roese had a drive on net from the left point and Kaltounková redirected it past Frankel. Tie game.

The teams took this one to overtime, and of course special teams were involved in the extra period as the Fleet killed off a 4:3 power play. Once the sides were back to 3:3 it really opened up and both goalies were excellent in the extra time and both shut the door on multiple grade A chances.

So it was on to the shootout. I mean if you’re going to shut down for the Olympic break, let’s give the fans as much hockey prior to the break that you possibly can right? Maybe not so good for the blood pressure, but def good for the hockey soul.

To the shootout we go:
BOS Hannah Brandt ❌
NY Kristýna Kaltounková ❌
BOS Susanna Tapani 🚨

NY Casey O’Brien 🚨

BOS Haley Winn ❌
NY Kaltounková ❌
BOS Brandt ❌
NY O’Brien ❌
BOS Tapani ❌
NY Sarah Fillier ❌
BOS Jamie Lee Rattray ❌
Sudden Death Shootout – Time to check that blood pressure!!
BOS Alina Müller 🚨

NY Maja Nylen Persson 🚨

BOS Müller 🚨

NY Persson ❌

I normally wouldn’t add commentary to a shootout goal. I mean it’s a weird way to end a game and there’s a reason it’s not done in the playoffs, BUT: Müller’s first goal? C’mon. That’s absolutely filthy. Osborne didn’t have a chance on that. She hit like what? 6 fakes? start counting at the leg kick – what she did was borderline unfair!

Enjoy it in slow motion

Good luck in the Olympics to all the players heading over and good relaxation to the ones that aren’t. See you in the second half.

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