The PWHL playoffs rolled into the Tsongas Center in Lowell, Massachusetts on May 14, 2024. The matchup featuring Boston vs Montreal was the first ever PWHL playoff game held in Massachusetts. Boston entered the game already with a 2-0 series lead, and were looking to close out the series with a sweep. The winner of this series will go on to face the winner of the Toronto and Minnesota series for the first ever PWHL Finals.
The thing that stuck out the most to me from the night, is that Aerin Frankel is an absolute superstar. They say all you need is for the goalie to get hot and you can make a long run. Well, Aerin Frankel is on fire. Several times throughout the night, the crowd erupted into “Frankel” chants after big saves.
Marie-Philip Poulin opened up the scoring for Montreal 15:39 into the first period, assisted by Mikyla Grant-Mentis and Madison Bizal. 13:35 into the second period, Maureen Murphy struck on the power play to put Montreal up by two. Marie-Philip Poulin and Erin Ambrose picked up the helpers. Sophie Shirley finally put Boston on the board 7:06 into the third period making it a 2-1 game in favor of Montreal. Amanda Pelkey and Sidney Morin grabbed the assists. With time winding down, Alina Müller got called for a boarding penalty 15:38 into the third. While this was a pretty deflating call initially, Boston netted a short-handed game tying goal. Amanda Pelkey was the goal scorer, with Hannah Brandt and Megan Keller picking up the assists. This is how things ended in regulation.
OVERTIME
Much like the first two games of the series, this game went to overtime. Game one ended in the first overtime period, while the second game of the series went to triple overtime. Just 1:02 into bonus time of game three, Susanna Tapani deposited the game winner, and series clincher, sending Boston to the first ever Walter Cup Final. The crowd erupted and all you could see was a sea of waving white towels.
KEEPING UP WITH PWHL BOSTON
PWHL Boston will be moving on to The Walter Cup Finals. They will square off against the winner of the Toronto vs Minnesota series, which is heading to game five Friday night in Toronto. It has been an interesting series so far, with every game being won by the home team with a shutout. Head to the links provided below to keep up on the latest announcements and updates!
PWHL BOSTON – WEBSITE – FACEBOOK – X – INSTAGRAM
PWHL – WEBSITE – X – FACEBOOK – INSTAGRAM – YOUTUBE
TSONGAS CENTER – WEBSITE
DANCE YOUR FACE OFF – WEBSITE – INSTAGRAM – FACEBOOK – X – YOUTUBE