Seattle Pushes PWHL-Leading Boston to the Brink, But Falls in Shootout Thriller
After nearly a month on the road, the Seattle Torrent finally returned home to Climate Pledge Arena on Sunday night-and they didn’t waste a second reminding the league why CPA is one of the toughest barns to visit. Facing the PWHL’s top team, the Boston Fleet, Seattle dictated the pace, dominated the shot chart, and had the better of the scoring chances. But in a game that had everything-big saves, big hits, and even a Nobel Peace Prize winner in the building-it was Boston’s Aerin Frankel who stole the show and the extra point.
Frankel, the Fleet’s rock in net all season, turned away 36 of 37 shots, then outdueled the Torrent in a five-round shootout. Hanna Brandt, who had missed earlier in the shootout, came back around to bury the lone goal in the final round, giving Boston a 2-1 win in a game Seattle very much deserved to take.
Let’s break it down.
First Period: Physicality, Power Plays, and a Familiar Nemesis
Sunday night was more than just a game-it was Seattle’s Black History Celebration, part of the PWHL’s Unity Game series. The energy in the building was electric from puck drop, and so was the physicality.
Early on, Julia Gosling took a heavy open-ice hit from Boston’s Daniela Pejšová that drew a minor for illegal body checking-Seattle’s first power play of the night. The Torrent fired four shots on goal during the advantage, including a dangerous look from Alex Carpenter that rang iron, but Frankel was dialed in from the start.
Seattle’s Aneta Tejralová, back in the lineup after a two-game suspension, was sent off for a hit to the head midway through the period. Boston didn’t register a shot until Susanna Tapani finally tested Corinne Schroeder from the left circle-an easy stop for the Seattle netminder.
The period took a turn when Mikyla Grant-Mentis was whistled for slashing, setting up a brief 5-on-3. Boston needed just four seconds to capitalize. Megan Keller, the Fleet’s captain and power-play weapon, blasted home her fifth of the season-and fourth with the player advantage-to put Boston up 1-0 at 12:28.
Seattle head coach Steve O’Rourke was irate after a missed call on Hilary Knight, who was hauled down on a shorthanded breakaway. No whistle, but Seattle killed off the penalty and kept pushing.
Frankel denied Danielle Serdachny in tight and stoned Jessie Eldridge on the rebound. Despite the deficit, Seattle led the shot count 11-4 after one.
Second Period: Gosling Lights the Lamp, Schroeder Steals the Spotlight
If the first period was about missed chances, the second was about making one count.
Before the puck dropped, the CPA crowd erupted when Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai appeared on the video board. She had met with Torrent players earlier in the day, and her presence only added to the night’s meaning.
Moments later, Brooke Bryant found Gosling with a slick cross-ice feed, and the forward didn’t hesitate-one-timing it past a sliding Frankel to tie the game at 1-1. That’s Gosling’s fifth of the season, and her 10th point overall.
Seattle fed off the goal with a dominant shift in the offensive zone, eventually forcing an icing. Anna Wilgren delivered a punishing neutral zone hit on Brandt that drew gasps from the crowd, and the Torrent’s third power play looked more like a shooting gallery. Hannah Bilka nearly tipped in an Eldridge feed at the top of the crease.
Then came The Schroeder Show.
First, Jill Saulnier found herself alone in front, stickhandling through a highlight-reel sequence of dekes. Schroeder stayed square and patient, making a sprawling save. Not long after, she raced out of her crease to beat a pair of Fleet skaters to a loose puck, clearing it with authority.
After two, Seattle held an 18-10 edge in shots and had all the momentum.
Third Period: All Gas, No Finish
The third period was a story of iron, effort, and a goalie duel for the ages.
Wilgren clanged one off the crossbar for Seattle. Boston’s Jamie Rattray answered with a shot that struck the underside of the opposite bar-but neither found twine.
Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe were in the house, sitting alongside Malala in a suite. Bird flashed the double “V” for victory, and the crowd responded with a roar. The stars were out, and the game on the ice was matching the moment.
Seattle outshot Boston 11-2 through the first 11 minutes of the frame, but Frankel refused to blink. One of her best stops came in the final seconds of regulation, robbing Natalie Snodgrass with a glove save down the slot. That was save No. 33-and she wasn’t done yet.
Overtime: Heart-Stopping Moments, Clutch Goaltending
The extra frame had no shortage of drama.
Hilary Knight nearly ended it early, but a bouncing puck at the point led to a breakaway the other way for Haley Winn. Schroeder stood tall again, turning aside the near end-to-end chance.
And with under a minute to go, Shay Maloney slipped behind the Seattle defense, but Schroeder made her 19th and final save of the night to send it to the shootout.
Shootout: Frankel Seals It, Brandt Ends It
Five rounds. Ten shooters. One goal.
Seattle went first in each round, but Frankel had the answers. She poke-checked Bilka, stoned Wilgren, denied Carpenter, Knight, and finally Gosling. Schroeder matched her save for save-until the final round.
Brandt, who had been turned away earlier, came back with a slick move and buried the game-winner. Boston took the extra point, but Seattle walked away with plenty to build on-and a crowd that knows this team is right there with the league’s elite.
What’s Next
Seattle doesn’t have long to dwell on the result. They’re back at it Tuesday night at Climate Pledge Arena against the Toronto Scepters. The Torrent will be looking to convert strong performances into wins-and if Sunday night is any indication, they’re knocking on the door.
Meanwhile, the PWHL continues to make history. Earlier in the day, 17,228 fans packed Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., setting a new U.S. attendance record for a women’s hockey game as the New York Sirens edged Montreal 2-1. That mark eclipses the 16,014 who watched Seattle host Minnesota back in November.
Women’s hockey is rising-and Seattle is right in the thick of it.