On October 15th, the Boston Fleet released their schedule for the upcoming season. The other five teams in the PWHL also released their schedules. The schedules consist of 30 games for each team (15 home and 15 away). The regular season starts on November 30th and ends on May 3rd. This is a 6 game increase and a month-earlier start. Here is the full season schedule and a season preview:
“There’s a lot to look forward to as we head into season two,” said Boston Fleet General Manager Danielle Marmer. “Each team improved through the draft, raising the overall quality of play across the league, so we know every game will be a battle. I imagine our team is especially excited for our first meeting with Minnesota. And, of course, the Boston-Montréal rivalry lived up to the hype after last year’s intense playoff series. Last season, the playoff picture came down to the final game of the regular season, so there isn’t a game on this schedule we can afford to overlook. We have some unfinished business to attend to.”
November:
(A) Saturday, November 30th, vs Toronto at Coco-Cola Coliseum (2:00 PM EST)
December:
(H) Wednesday, December 4th, vs Minnesota at Tsongas Center (7:00 PM EST)
(H) Sunday, December 8th, vs New York at Tsongas Center (4:00 PM EST)
(H) Tuesday, December 17th, vs Ottawa at Tsongas Center (7:00 PM EST)
(A): Friday, December 27th, vs Toronto at Coca-Cola Coliseum (7:00 PM EST)
(A): Monday, December 30th, vs Montreal at Place Bell (7:00 PM EST)
January:
(A) Thursday, January 2nd, vs Minnesota at Xcel Energy Center (7:30 PM EST)
(H) Sunday, January 5th, vs Montreal (Date and time TBD)
(A) Wednesday, January 8th, vs Minnesota at Xcel Energy Center (7:30 PM EST)
(A) Saturday, January 11th, vs Ottawa at TD Place (2:00 PM EST)
(H) Wednesday, January 22nd, vs Toronto at Tsongas Center (7:00 PM EST)
(A) Sunday, January 26th, vs Minnesota at Xcel Energy Center (3:00 PM EST)
(H) Friday, January 31st, vs New York at Tsongas Center (7:00 PM EST)
February:
(A) Wednesday, February 12th, vs New York at Prudential Center (7:00 PM EST)
(A) Friday, February 14th, vs Toronto at Coca-Cola Coliseum (7:00 PM EST)
(H) Sunday, February 16th, vs Minnesota at Tsongas Center (1:00 PM EST)
(A) Monday, February 17th, vs New York at Prudential Center (4:00 PM EST)
(A) Thursday, February 20th, vs Ottawa at TD Place (7:00 PM EST)
(A) Sunday, February 23rd, vs New York (Time and Location TBD)
March:
(A) Saturday, March 1st, vs Montreal (Time and Location TBD)
(H) Wednesday, March 5th, vs New York at Tsongas Center (7:00 PM EST)
(A) Saturday, March 8th, vs Montreal (Time and Location TBD)
(A) Saturday, March 15th, vs Ottawa at TD Place (2:00 PM EST)
(H) Tuesday, March 18th, vs Montreal at Tsongas Center (7:00 PM EST)
(H) Wednesday, March 26th, vs Toronto (Time and Location TBD)
(H) Saturday, March 29th, vs Ottawa (Time and Location TBD)
April:
(H) Wednesday, April 2nd, vs Ottawa at Tsongas Center (7:00 PM EST)
(H) Saturday, April 26th, vs Toronto at Tsongas Center (Time TBD)
(A) Monday, April 28th, vs Montreal at Place Bell (Time TBD)
May:
(H) Saturday, May 3rd, vs Minnesota at Tsongas Center (Time TBD)
“There’s a lot of excitement in our group around announcing our upcoming schedule,” said Boston Fleet Head Coach Courtney Kessel. “As last season progressed, we felt the investment from our fans, so today is not only exciting for us, but also for them. We’re all eager to get back to the rink and pick up where we left off.”
Season Preview
2023-24 By The Numbers
2023-24 Regular Season Record: 8-4-3-9
Home Record: 3-3-2-4
Away Record: 5-1-1-5
2023-24 Season Finish: 3rd In league, 1st amongst American teams. Defeated in 5 games in the Walter Cup Finals after completing a sweep against Montreal in the semi-finals.
“I’m itching to get the back to Boston and get the season going,” said Boston Fleet forward Jamie Lee Rattray. “I feel like our group really found a way to come together and play the right way as the year went on last season. Looking forward to hitting the ground running with a phenomenal group of people.”
Key Things to Watch This Season
The Tsongas Center is the beloved home arena for the Fleet. With a capacity of 6,500, Boston averaged a total of 3,770 fans over the season. Their highest attendance game in Tsongas Center was game 5 of the Walter Cup Finals. A total of 5,964 fans attended. There is no doubt that as the season went on, more and more fans arrived at Tsongas Center. Multiple comments appeared on Twitter. Various accounts expressed that Boston does not have a strong enough fan base to fill their arena. The Boston fan base hopes to prove those statements wrong this upcoming season. Another thing to look at before the season is potential neutral-site games. Boston has a total of 4 games with no venue named. Could TD Garden be a potential venue to host a PWHL game? The neutral-site games in the inaugural season gained a lot of support and new fans throughout the U.S. and Canada. Amy Scheer, the PWHL’s senior Vice President, announced their plans to add 2 expansion teams in the 2025-26 season. These neutral-site games will give great feedback on where to place these new teams.
Will The Fleet Return to The Finals This Season?
Some fans throughout the league will call Boston’s comeback a miracle. Boston was in a battle for a playoff spot between Ottawa for a good portion of the season. Boston’s chances were not looking good before the Women’s World Championship break. After returning to the PWHL, something sparked a strong fight in that team. Boston won 4 of their 5 last games of the season. After an intense back-and-forth fight with Montreal, they clinched their playoff spot. Meanwhile, Ottawa was eliminated by Minnesota. Boston swept Montreal in the semi-finals of the playoffs. However, they ultimately lost to Minnesota in the final game of the season. Their final game was not their best performance. Over the last two months of the season, their performance showed that Boston is a playoff contender. Can they carry this energy into next season and host more Walter Cup Finals games at Tsongas Center?
Players to Watch:
Hilary Knight is one of the star players in the PWHL. She is a 9-time gold medalist at the Women’s World Championship. She is the most decorated athlete in WWC history. However, her first season in the PWHL was underwhelming. Knight played 32 games last season. She only recorded 6 goals and 5 assists, and she failed to get on the scoresheet in the playoffs. While she managed to collect a +8 rating in her first season, her second season will be interesting to watch. Will we see the Hilary Knight that we know and love? There was speculation she was dealing with an injury during the season. However, neither Knight nor the Fleet confirmed anything.
Hannah Bilka is a rookie you want to keep an eye on this season. Bilka was drafted fourth overall in the 2024 PWHL draft. She is a dynamic skater. She is known for her vision and playmaking ability. She recorded 78 points during her years at Boston College. She is one of the highest skilled players to come out of the draft on a roster. She is a silver medalist on Team USA.
Loren Gabel is projected to make a comeback this upcoming season. Due to injury, She only played 23 games in her first season. In those 23 games, she recorded 4 goals and 3 assists. She is another dynamic player who will contribute to many Boston goals this season.
Taylor Girard is another player who will be returning from an injury. Girard sustained a leg injury during a game and missed the playoffs. She has spent the summer doing rehab and is getting herself prepared for season number two. In 23 games, she recorded 4 goals and 2 assists. She was one of Boston’s strongest forwards in the first season. She will be a big part of their success in the second season.
Projected Lineup:
Alina Muller – Susanna Tapani – Hannah Bilka
Jamie Lee Rattray – Hannah Brandt – Hilary Knight
Loren Gabel – Lexie Adzija – Ilona Markova
Shay Maloney – Jillian Dempsey (camp invite) – Kelly Babstock (camp invite)
David Gustafsson
Megan Keller – Emily Brown
Jessica Digirolamo – Sydney Bard
Daniela Pejšová – Sidney Morin Hadley Harmetz
Aerin Frankel
Emma Söderberg
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