Thursday, January 2, 2025 | 6:30 p.m. CT | Xcel Energy Center
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Clay Matvick (Play-by-Play), Alexis Pearson (Analyst), Katie Storm (Reporter)
BOSTON FLEET
2-0-0-4 | 6 PTS | 6TH PLACE
Top Scorers: H. Knight (3G, 2A) and M. Keller (2G, 3A)
Last Game: 3-1 L at MTL on Dec. 30
MINNESOTA FROST
3-1-1-1 | 12 PTS | 2ND PLACE
Top Scorer: Claire Thompson – 6 GP, 1-7-8 PTS
Last Game: 3-2 L vs. MTL on Dec. 28
2024-25 SEASON SERIES: MINNESOTA LEADS 3-0 IN POINTS (BOSTON WON 8-7 IN 2024)
Dec. 4 at BOS: 2-1 MIN | Jan. 2 at MIN | Jan. 8 at MIN | Jan. 26 at MIN | Feb. 16 at BOS | May 3 at BOS
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Minnesota notched a 2-1 road win over Boston on Dec. 4. Including the playoffs, the road team in the matchup has won seven of the 11 all-time meetings (three regulation losses & one OT loss).
The last meeting in Minnesota was a 1-0 double overtime thriller in Game Four of the PWHL Finals. Boston’s Alina Müller scored the game’s lone goal at 98:36, just 71 seconds after video review disallowed a potential Minnesota winner. The game featured the longest goalless stretch in PWHL history.
The Fleet are coming off a 3-1 road loss to Montréal on Monday and have zero points in their three road games this season. In Boston’s first four road games last season, they earned three regulation wins and one overtime win.
Hilary Knight scored in the loss to the Victoire as her three goals this season have come in the three games in which Boston has scored just one goal. The Fleet are averaging 1.0 goals-per-game when their captain lights the lamp and 3.0 in games when she doesn’t.
Fleet defender Emma Greco returns to Minnesota for the first time since signing an offseason contract in Boston. She played in 32 total games for Minnesota, winning the Walter Cup.
Kelly Babstock will make her season debut for Boston after signing a 10-Day contract today. She recorded one assist in 12 games between regular-season and playoffs last season.
The Frost are the only PWHL team that has scored multiple goals in every game they have played this season. Meanwhile, the Fleet are the only PWHL team that has allowed multiple goals in every game they have played this season.
Claire Thompson leads the league in assists with seven while Taylor Heise is tied with Toronto’s Renata Fast for second most with six. The 13 assists by Thompson and Heise are three more than any other PWHL teammate duo this season. Thompson is riding a four-game point streak, Heise is on a five-game streak.
The Frost have scored first in five of their six games this season, tied with Ottawa for the most by any PWHL team. Last season, Minnesota scored first in their first four games but then allowed the first goal in five of their next six games.
Heise and Grace Zumwinkle played four seasons at the University of Minnesota with Boston’s Emily Brown (Blaine, MN). Zumwinkle and Brown co-coached a 2019 Minnesota Hockey Girls’ 15U Spring High Performance Hockey team. Frost defender Lee Stecklein won three NCAA titles with Fleet forward Hannah Brandt (Vadnais Heights, MN) on the Gophers (2013, 2015, 2016). Frost forward Kelly Pannek was a teammate for the last two. Frost goaltender Maddie Rooney was teammates with Fleet defender Sidney Morin (Minnetonka, MN) at the University of Minnesota-Duluth.
Frost rookie forward Kaitlyn O’Donohoe is expected to make her PWHL debut after signing a contract on Dec. 28.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
“We have to shake it [loss to Montréal] off, but we have to find a way to get some points. We're on the road for quite some time here, so the longer we wait, the more tired we're going to be heading into the end of those games. We have to find a way to win.” – Fleet Head Coach Courtney Kessel.
“It was good to get a little downtime and get a couple of days of practice in ahead of this game. Obviously, we’re familiar with a very good Boston team. They have high-end scoring talent, are solid defensively, and bring some of the best goaltending in the league night in and night out. We have to keep working on getting pucks to the net and taking advantage of the chances we create.” – Frost Head Coach Ken Klee.
THURSDAY’S GAME: The first PWHL puck drop of 2025 takes place at Xcel Energy Center where the Frost will play three times in seven days to open the New Year, including a rematch with Boston next Wednesday. The Minnesota crowd of 8,726 last Saturday was the largest in three Frost home games this season. This is Boston’s third of six straight games away from home and will be followed by the first stop on the PWHL Takeover Tour on Sunday in Seattle where they’ll take on Montréal. Tonight’s game features the league’s top two power plays with Minnesota at 28.6% (4/14) and Boston at 26.7% (4/15) with the advantage.