After their playoff-clinching game, Boston and Montreal reunite again for the semi-final series. A five-game series deciding who will face the Toronto/Minnesota series winner, for a chance to win the first-ever PWHL championship. Boston would be without Canadian forward Jamie Lee Rattray after she was involved in an open ice hit. She has not yet been placed on the long-term injured reserve list, so there is a chance she will play in this series.
This was a very physical game between both teams, with 7 penalties in the game, 5 of those being given to Boston.
Boston had a rough start to this game, only putting up 2 shots in the first period against Montreal’s 12 shots on goal. The game was scoreless heading into the second period. Montreal was running Boston around and was outplaying them.
Just a little over a minute into the second period, Montreal gets on the board after a shot from Laura Stacey gets behind Aerin Frankel, and Kristin O’Neill bats it into the net. The goal was originally credited to Laura Stacey but was later credited to O’Neill.
The second period looked a lot like the first period on Boston’s end. Still not much action on the offensive side of the ice, but as the time winded down, Boston started to wake up, putting 8 shots on net this period. Montreal had a commanding shot advantage (10-25)
Montreal held that one-goal lead for about 20 minutes until Boston’s Lexie Adzija got Boston back into this game and tied it up. The goal was originally thought to be from Sophie Shirley but immediately after it was credited to Adzija. The game was tied but Boston still had a lot of ground to make up after a poor performance through the first 40 minutes of the game.
Boston was a different team in the third period, but it was not enough, and Montreal could not put the puck past Aerin Frankel. By the end of the third, the game was still tied, and Frankel was up to 42 saves out of 43 shots.
Overtime was no different than the rest of the game. Montreal continued to put shots against Frankel but she was not giving. With six minutes left to go in the first overtime, Megan Keller put a shot on Desbiens, which was saved, but Desbiens could not gain control of the loose puck, and Susanna Tapani put the loose puck into the back of the net to secure the first game win for Boston. A phenomenal game from Aerin Frankel was what kept Boston in this game. Frankel now holds the record for most saves in a game, with 53 saves.
Game two is on Saturday back at Place Bell, Boston holds the series lead 1-0. A win for Montreal will tie the series. A win for Boston would bring this series to an elimination game.
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