Hilary Knight had a goal and two assists to lead the Boston Fleet to a 5-2 road win over the Ottawa Charge.
The win vaulted the Fleet into second overall in the PWHL with 38 points and kept Ottawa on the outside of the PWHL playoff picture looking in.
For Knight it was the continuation of a strong season after struggling in the PWHL’s first season.
“Last year there was a lot of things on Knight’s plate. She was starting this league, trying to build a culture within a new program that’s 26 women from across the world and you put a lot on your shoulders to try and build this thing the right way,” said Boston head coach Courtney Kessel. “I think it was heavy for her, and I think it would have been heavy for anyone. This year she’s settling in; she’s enjoying the game again. We have so much fun in the locker room and she’s just shining.”
Alina Muller opened the scoring for Boston before Ottawa’s Tereza Vanisova tied things at 1-1.
After a scoreless second period, Boston broke out in the third period with goals from Knight, Jill Saulnier, Theresa Schafzahl, and Lexie Adzija. Natalie Snodgrass got one back for Ottawa, but it was too little too late.
Important Points For The Boston Fleet
“I think any win at this point in the season is really important,” said Lexie Adzija. “The league is so close that every game is pretty much a playoff game now. Those three points are huge for us going into the final stretch here.”
Boston moved into second place overall with 38 points. They sit two points ahead of the Toronto Sceptres and three points ahead of the Minnesota Frost.
Missed Opportunity For Ottawa
The Ottawa Charge squandered a crucial opportunity to gain ground in the playoff race and now sit five points behind fourth place Minnesota. They have seven games remaining, but will need another team to struggle to slip in.
“It was a missed opportunity on our part today,” said Ottawa coach Carla MacLeod. “There are still good opportunities in front of us. […] There is a group of us that doesn’t realize that every game has the potential to start a run. That’s what we’ve got to strive to do here. We’ve got to start stringing points together. That’s how you move in this league.”
