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PWHL notebook: Boston GM Danielle Marmer feels team turning corner

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PWHL notebook: Boston GM Danielle Marmer feels team turning corner


As her team stands at the halfway point of its inaugural Professional Women’s Hockey League season, Boston general manager Danielle Marmer feels her squad has accomplished quite a bit, but still has plenty to prove.

Fresh off a big 2-0 road win last weekend in Minnesota, Boston (4-2-2-4) has posted back-to-back regulation wins for the first time. They have 18 points, moving them into sole possession of fourth place, two points ahead of Ottawa and New York, and just three shy of third-place Toronto.

As they hit the road against Montreal on Saturday at Verdun Auditorium, Boston will look to maintain its winning ways.

“I think we’re getting into a groove,” said Marmer. “We’re excited about the team we have. We’ve got an awesome group of hockey players. It’s a special group and I’m excited about the second half.”

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It hasn’t been easy. Boston has struggled to find its identity, especially on home ice. The team has just two victories at the Tsongas Center in eight games, including a 4-3 overtime win against Ottawa on Jan. 27. But the squad is hoping their back-to-back wins, including its stellar 3-1 road victory over Ottawa on Feb. 21, will serve as a springboard in the month ahead.

“We’ve had a tough stretch at home for a bit,” said Marmer. “February was a long month for us with the all-star break and rivalry series, so to cram in a bunch of games for that month with no breaks and not get the outcome that we wanted was hard at times. But I think that those are moments in seasons that define teams. You learn a lot from the losses. I’m happy with how we bounced back the past two games.”

According to Boston defenseman Kaleigh Fratkin, the team has been working hard at turning things around.

“We’ve had some highs and lows over those wins and overtime losses,” said Fratkin. “We’ve run the gamut in all outcomes, but overall we’ve been doing a good job building on each game.”

“Like all the teams, we’re trying to find our footing in this league,” said assistant captain Jamie Lee Rattray. “I think we’re finally starting to hit our stride. We’ve had our ups and downs in terms of consistency, but I really think we’re starting to figure out what works for our group. The two wins in two games definitely helps.”

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Frankel fantastic

Goaltender Aerin Frankel made 41 saves for her first shutout of the season, as Boston blanked Minnesota, 2-0, last Sunday in front of 10,186 PWHL fans at the Xcel Energy Center.

Frankel’s shutout came despite Boston being outshot in all three periods, including a 15-7 blitz in the third with Minnesota trailing by a goal. The 24-year-old Northeastern product has now posted back-to-back regulation wins, sporting a 1.72 goals against average, third best in the league, and .940 save percentage.

“She’s been phenomenal,” said Marmer. “That’s why we took her in free agency, because we knew how valuable she would be for this group. We believe in all the goaltenders. We wanted to give everyone an opportunity to show what we had with her and Emma (Soderberg). Aerin has just been so solid that it’s hard not to go back with her. It’s exciting to see her take her game to where we know it could be.”

Müller, Keller lead way

Forward Alina Müller and defenseman Meghan Keller lead Boston’s attack with 10 points each.  The pair are tied for fourth overall among the PWHL scoring leaders.

A Northeastern University product and Boston’s top overall draft pick, Müller is also tied for the league lead with eight assists. She has adapted well to the pro game.

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“Alina has stepped in and has been able to make an impact right off the bat,” said Marmer. “Her confidence and composure with the puck on her stick is so impressive for her age. We have high expectations for her to continue to develop her game.”

Meanwhile, Keller continues to loom large on the Boston blueline. The former Boston College Eagle is tied for the scoring lead among PWHL defenders with 10 points. She has three goals and seven assists in her first 12 games.

“I think Megan the best defenseman in the world,” said Marmer. “She just dominates. I wouldn’t want to go into a corner with her. I think she makes other players feel that same way. They don’t want to end up in a battle with her, which is a special quality. She’s just a generational player in my opinion.”

Forwards Loren Gabel, new acquisition Susanna Tapani and Rattray round out the top five Boston scorers with seven points each.

Packing them in

Sunday’s game at Xcel Energy Center in Minnesota generated the third-highest attendance figure of the season (10,186). More than one-third of all first-half games were sold out.

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The league set a women’s hockey attendance record with a crowd of 19,285 on Feb. 16 at Scotiabank Arena for the Battle on Bay Street featuring Montréal at Toronto. Their total first-half attendance is 183,925 for an average of 5,109 per game.

“It’s exceeded expectations by a long shot,” said Marmer. “We felt the product was exciting enough, but just didn’t know if we were going to get it in front of enough people. You can see the success in the numbers.”

“A lot of us were pretty optimistic about what the league could do in the first year,” said Rattray. “I’ve been really happy with the people that have shown up everywhere. The buzz is there.”

Fans show their support for Boston earlier this season at the Tsongas Center. Attendance for PWHL games has been strong across the league. (James Thomas photo)
Boston goaltender Aerin Frankel loses her stick and dives backwards to save the puck from Montreal forward Sarah Bujold. (James Thomas photo)
Boston goaltender Aerin Frankel loses her stick and dives backwards to save the puck from Montreal forward Sarah Bujold. (James Thomas photo)



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Boston Fleet open 2025-26 season with 2-0 win over Montreal – The Boston Globe

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Boston Fleet open 2025-26 season with 2-0 win over Montreal – The Boston Globe


Last season, Montreal was the puzzle the Fleet just couldn’t seem to solve.

The Victoire won four of the teams’ six meetings in 2024-25, and seemed on pace to repeat their success against the Fleet to start this season with wins in both of the teams’ preseason games against each other.

But the Fleet bucked that trend in their season opener, beating Montreal, 2-0, in front of a crowd of 5,166 at Lowell’s Tsongas Center.

Susanna Tapani scored in the first minute and captain Megan Keller added an insurance goal in the third period. Aerin Frankel made 25 saves to preserve her first shutout of the season.

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Boston was hot from the jump and broke away just one minute into the first period when veteran forward Jamie Lee Rattray corralled a high puck at the blue line and brought it down to her stick before sending a pass to Tapani, who carried it into the circle sent a pass toward the crease of Ann-Renee Desbiens, the reigning PWHL goalie of the year.

After moving through a scrum of players, the puck bounced off Montreal forward Shiann Darkangelo’s skate and snuck past Desbiens’s outstretched left leg to give the Fleet a 1-0 advantage just 1:13 into the game.

Montreal — which also boasts the reigning MVP and league leader in goals Marie-Philip Poulin — tested Frankel nine times in the first frame. The Victoire’s two biggest chances came within the final 10 seconds of the period when the Victoire’s previously dormant offense came to life and forced the Fleet goaltender to make two saves in quick succession.

Montreal stayed hot to open the second period and put the Tsongas Center crowd on edge, but fans leapt to their feet when Keller sent a rebound shot into the back of the net with eight minutes remaining in the second period. Their cheers quickly turned to boos as officials waved it off because Sophie Shirley made contact with Desbiens in the crease.

The Fleet then had another prime opportunity as the second period waned when Poulin went to the box to serve a double minor penalty, but Boston didn’t manage a single shot on Desbiens before the end of the frame.

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The Fleet returned from intermission with 50 seconds remaining on the power play, and Montreal killed it off, but their return to even strength didn’t last long.

Poulin hit Teresa Schafzahl into the boards and went to the box for illegal body checking, and Jill Saulnier jumped to Schafzahl’s defense and started a brawl with Laura Stacey, earning Saulnier and Stacey each a trip to the penalty box as well.

Boston capitalized on the player-up opportunity, when a bit of chaos in front of the net allowed Keller to poke a loose puck past Desbiens, who was out of position near the right post, to make it 2-0.

The Fleet will play Saturday in Toronto before returning to face Vancouver at Agganis Arena on Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. (NESN).


Emma Healy can be reached at emma.healy@globe.com or on X @ByEmmaHealy.

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4 arrested in Boston shoplifting incidents, police say

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4 arrested in Boston shoplifting incidents, police say


Boston police arrested four people on Friday in shoplifting incidents at Lululemon and Alo stores in the city.

Officers were told just before 4 p.m. that two female suspects had stolen merchandise from the Alo store at 776 Boylston Street and were then stealing from inside of the Lululemon store. Police say they were able to stop the suspects as they were exiting the store, and a further investigation showed that one suspect had stolen merchandise from both locations, totaling approximately $516.

A 15-year-old girl was arrested and is expected to be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court for two counts of shoplifting by asportation, police said.

Then, at about 5:15 p.m., officers were again contacted and told that there were two known shoplifters inside of the store. The suspects, who were allegedly seen concealing multiple items into their jackets, pants and bag, were also stopped as they exited the store, and police recovered approximately $1,422 in stolen merchandise.

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Both 31-year-old suspects — identified as Kayla Harris, of Boston, and Demetrius Little, of Roxbury — are charged with larceny over $1,200 and conspiracy. They’re also expected to be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court.

A short time later, at about 6 p.m., officers were told that a group of individuals were attempting to conceal items. Police were able to stop the group as they headed in the direction of Huntington Avenue. One suspect immediately attempted to get away, according to police, but the suspect was quickly stopped, leading to a struggle.

The suspect allegedly actively resisted officers, who continued to give verbal commands to stop resisting. The suspect — a 14-year-old boy — was placed into handcuffs, and approximately $296 in stolen merchandise was recovered, police said. He’s expected to be arraigned in Boston Juvenile Court for shoplifting by concealing merchandise and resisting arrest.

Attorney information wasn’t immediately available for anyone arrested, and Boston police say it’s too early in their investigation to determine if these incidents are connected to other notable shoplifting occurrences that have occurred at these stores in recent weeks.

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Geekie Lifts Bruins to 2-1 Overtime Win Against Kings  | Boston Bruins

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Geekie Lifts Bruins to 2-1 Overtime Win Against Kings  | Boston Bruins


“Maybe a little bit of opportunity. Just being able to seize it a little bit better, too and take advantage of that. Just kind of trusting myself more in those situations,” Geekie said of his goal-scoring growth. “It is easy to build confidence when you have confidence. I think over the last year, it’s slowly been building.” ​

The B’s displayed a new look to their top six on Friday, which featured Geekie on the second line with Steeves and Marat Khusnutdinov. The Czech trio of Matěj Blümel, Pavel Zacha and Pastrnak made up the first line.

“I think overall, it was just a better overall fit. We spread it out a little bit,” Sturm said. “I thought the Czech line was pretty good. The other guys were better, too. We just don’t want to put everything on one line and put the pressure on them all the time.”

The Kings found the 1-1 equalizer with a shorthanded goal from Joel Armia at 13:03, which forced overtime. Geekie’s ensuing tally sent the Bruins flooding onto the ice to celebrate the 2-1 win.​

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“[Geekie] worked even more this summer on his shot, on his release. Everything pays off. It’s been nice to see that hard work gets rewarded. I believe in that, and he’s one of them,” Sturm said. “The way we played today, it was really outstanding. One of the better games we’ve played.”

Beating the Kings carried a little extra meaning for Sturm, too, who spent seven years in the organization as both LA’s assistant coach and the head coach of its AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign. Friday was his first time back in the building as an NHL head coach.

​“Anyone knows when you leave, you come back to your old stomping grounds, you want those two points badly,” Lindholm said. “I think we played our strong Bruins game tonight – kind of like the identity [Sturm] wants us to play. It was a perfect win that way.”​

The Bruins are back in action on Sunday in San Jose for an 8 p.m. ET game against the Sharks at SAP Center.

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