If you’ve watched women’s hockey over the past few years—NCAA, international or professional—chances are you’ve seen goalie Aerin Frankel, who starred at Northeastern University before becoming an essential part of the Boston Fleet and Team USA, stealing games, anchoring title runs and, generally, making the impossible look routine.
At just 26, Frankel is a finalist for PWHL Goaltender of the Year, a reigning world champion, and, in the eyes of many, the best goalie in the women’s game.
Instagram @aerin.frankel / Via instagram.com
Still, Frankel is far from complacent. “I think I’m just trying to get better,” Frankel told us in a late-season phone interview when asked if earning a label such as ‘Best Goalie in the World’ is a goal. “Every season presents new challenges—injuries, mental toughness, ups and downs. There are so many great players in this league, but the goalie that can be the most consistent? That says the most. I’m trying to be the goalie that gives my team the best chance to win.”
Frankel’s journey to the top began in Chappaqua, NY, a leafy suburb north of New York City. Frankel started skating at a young age, mostly at the Westchester Skating Academy, and quickly gravitated to hockey. “I loved it right away,” she said. “It was something I wanted to try, and I stuck with it.” She played alongside boys for years, only switching to girls' hockey when she left home for prep school.
That leap took her to Minnesota’s Shattuck-St. Mary’s, one of the most prestigious prep programs in the country. “I took a lot of time to make that decision,” she recalled. “I decided I wanted to do boarding school and start playing with the girls and get recruited. I didn't want to fall out of the reach of D1 coaches. I was so obsessed with hockey... At Shattuck we played a 60- or 70-game schedule, which was more than the schools in New England play. They have a lot of resources to create great hockey players. Even though it was a risk because it was far from home, it worked out great.”
It sure did, ultimately landing Frankel in Boston at Northeastern University, where she would build one of the most decorated college goaltending careers in history.
She didn’t start as a star. “I came in as a backup,” she said. “I didn’t know what kind of opportunity I’d get. I chose Northeastern because of my conversations with the coaches, the academics, and because I loved the city of Boston. Then I just put in a lot of hard work and waited for my opportunity.”
When that shot came, she made the most of it. Frankel racked up shutouts, led Northeastern to two straight Frozen Fours, and in 2021, won the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award as the top player in women’s college hockey. She also found a mentor in Northeastern head coach Dave Flint, who had worked with Team USA goaltenders. “He has helped me so much,” she said. “He was a big reason I went there. He played a big part in my development and he's still a very close person to me.”
After graduating, Frankel played in the PWHPA’s Showcase events while waiting for something more stable. Fortunately, she already had a place on the national team. “I was in a really good place because I had made the national team,” she shared. “I had a lot of friends and role models on that team. Without them, I would have been lost. Everyone [in the PWHPA] was hoping there’d be one league and I was hearing from the older girls to be patient. Those were the players I trusted and would make me a better player or person.”
I knew there were rumblings of one league and [the PWHL] came together at a great time for someone in my position.”
Frankel didn’t just land in this exciting new league—she stayed right where she wanted to be. “I was really hoping I could stay in Boston,” she said. “It’s definitely become my home. When I got the call from [Fleet GM] Danielle Marmer, I was super excited.”
The excitement has gone both ways as she’s proven herself on the ice. Frankel had a phenomenal first season that went literally as long as possible—to a fifth and final game of the league’s inaugural Finals, which the Fleet lost despite Frankel’s stellar post-season stats (1.45 GAA and a .953 save percentage).
She was looking every bit as strong this season with the Fleet and took that play right into the IIHF World Championship, where she was effectively unbeatable: a microscopic 1.05 GAA, .945 save percentage and Best Goaltender honors as Team USA claimed gold. The one hiccup came late in the gold-medal game, when Frankel collided with Team Canada’s Laura Stacey and was forced out with an upper-body injury. “I was still able to celebrate with my teammates,” she said, which put the capper on an overall wonderful experience. “It was awesome. We were really amazed by the passion of the fans. It made for a great environment for all the games. We grew a lot and achieved our goal to win, and it was very fun to be with the other players.”
The Fleet came back after the Worlds break in the thick of the playoff chase but went 1-2 in their three games with a still-recovering Frankel playing only 20 minutes total down the stretch. The Fleet ended in a tie for fourth place, missing out on the playoffs to the eventual champion Frost on a tiebreaker. It was a disappointing end to the season for the team, but Frankel and her team figure to come back stronger next season.
At the same time, her popularity in Boston has only grown. One incredible Beantown viral moment came when Frankel, dubbed the “Green Monster,” visited the wall and mascot with the same nickname in a post-Worlds visit to the famed Red Sox stadium, Fenway Park.
Besides playful trips to one of sport’s most iconic venues, the playful Frankel is also developing a reputation for her restaurant game. She started an Instagram account called @painbyromaine, where she reviews Caesar salads from different spots across Boston and beyond. “I’m a foodie,” she said. “I’ve tried so many restaurants. A friend of mine has an espresso martini account, and I figured since I order Caesars all the time, why not do that? It started as a joke, but now people send me their own pictures and reviews. It’s a fun little side thing.”
She’s also the de facto team planner on road trips. “I’m usually the first person to look at the hotel, where we’re staying, what restaurants are nearby, and then convince people to come with me,” she told us with a laugh.
Frankel even dipped into coaching this past season, joining the staff at nearby Stonehill College as a part-time goalie coach. “I did a little in the fall before [The PWHL] season started,” she said. “It’s something I enjoyed, and I need to touch base with them again soon.”
More coaching—and/or restaurant reviewing—might be in her future, but for now, Frankel is focused on the present: on building towards a Walter Cup in Boston, staying sharp with Team USA as it looks ahead to the 2026 Olympics and continuing to prove that consistency can take you a long way in hockey.
