Highlights and Press Conferences available on Boston and Toronto YouTube channels
LOWELL, MA (January 13, 2026) – The Boston Fleet recorded their fifth straight regulation win on home ice to open the 2025-26 season with a 2-1 victory over the Toronto Sceptres on Wednesday night at the Tsongas Center. With the win, Boston widens their lead atop the PWHL standings with a seven-point cushion over Montréal and Minnesota, while Toronto remains in sixth place following a fourth straight loss. After a scoreless first period, Alina Müller put the Fleet on the board with her second goal of the season 45 seconds into the middle frame, just as time expired on a power play, and stands alone as Boston’s all-time leading scorer. The alternate captain picked up her second point with an assist on Shay Maloney’s winning tally at 18:18 of the third period. The goal was particularly special for Maloney, scoring on a night where the Fleet were raising awareness for mental health, a cause she supports as an athlete ambassador for the organization Sophie’s Squad. Emma Maltais put the Sceptres on the board to make it a one-goal game at 18:18, the only goal Toronto was able to find in a period where they outshot Boston 9-5. Aerin Frankel earned her league leading seventh win of the season with 21 saves, while Raygan Kirk took the loss with 19 saves. Toronto returns to action on Saturday in the third annual Battle on Bay Street at Scotiabank Arena where they’ll host the Vancouver Goldeneyes. Boston travels to Seattle to face the Torrent on Sunday night. The two teams will reunite at Agganis Arena on Mar. 17.
QUOTES
Boston Head Coach Kris Sparre on the Fleet's penalty kill this season: “Your best penalty killer is your goaltender, number one. We have (Aerin) Frankel in the cage most nights and that helps a lot. Then, Stefanie McKeough, our penalty kill coach has done a wonderful job of having a system in place, but within the system having a real identity to the penalty kill. The identity is we want to pressure and not let you set up. I think those trigger points on the penalty kill are clear, they're concise, our players know when to go. I think she's done a wonderful job of that and credit to our players for buying in.”
Boston Alternate Captain Alina Müller on scoring her second goal of the season: “It was time to get [a goal]. We had a lot of chances on the power play and thankfully we were able to get one in... That was probably the one I tried to put in the net the least out of all the chances I've had the last few games, but sometimes it goes that way. In the end, I just want to help the team win. It doesn't matter how, I'll do whatever it takes.”
Toronto Head Coach Troy Ryan: “I don’t know if that [no game in a week] had an impact. It was probably my favourite [week], from a practice perspective. I think we had 3-4 practices and I thought we probably looked the best we’ve ever looked in our practices. I was pretty happy coming into this game thinking it would translate. I think we had a slow start, and then obviously when we took that penalty I think they got up seven or eight to one on shots on goal, but we climbed our way back into it. We’re just in a bit of a spell right now where we’re struggling to score goals, and our power play isn’t giving us any help in that area.”
Sceptres goaltender Raygan Kirk: “We hadn’t been in this building yet this year, and it’s been a while since we played Boston. I think there’s room to grow from a lot of things that happened today. I think we fought well at the end, but we all know what we need to commit to and we’ll take that into Saturday.”
NOTABLES
Boston has allowed just three goals against in five games on home ice and remain the only PWHL team that is undefeated in their home state or province this season. This was their second win of the season at the Tsongas Center, following a 2-0 victory over Montréal in the season opener.
The Fleet have won each of their last three games against the Sceptres and four-straight against them at the Tsongas Center dating back to Apr. 18, 2024.
Boston has scored the first goal in nine of their 12 games this season, most in the PWHL, and have won seven of those games. They have not allowed a second period goal in six games, the last of which occurred on Dec. 19 in St. Paul.
Toronto has tied the longest losing streak in team history at four games (three in regulation and one in a shootout). The last time the Sceptres lost four consecutive games (three in regulation and one in overtime) was last season from Dec. 3-21, 2024. Heading into tonight’s matchup, the Sceptres were undefeated with three wins in road games determined by one goal.
The Sceptres scored for the first time since a 3-2 shootout loss to Seattle on Jan. 3, ending the longest shutout streak in regular season team history after 133 minutes, 23 seconds without a goal scored.
The Fleet improved their league leading penalty kill to 96.3% with two successful kills tonight. The Sceptres went 0-for-2 on the power play and lowered their eighth ranked conversion rate to 7.7%.
Alina Müller recorded her second multi-point game of the season and is now Boston’s all-time leading scorer with 42 career points (14G, 28A) in 62 games, surpassing the mark previously held by former captain Hilary Knight (21G, 19A) in 54 games across the league’s first two seasons. The Swiss Olympian snapped a four-game pointless drought and scored her first goal since Nov. 29 in Toronto.
Shay Maloney netted her second goal and third point of the season to break a five-game point drought. Of her five career goals, tonight’s was her first game-winner and brings her one third of the way to matching her rookie season point total of nine (3G, 6A) in 30 games.
Emma Maltais scored her second goal of the season and the tenth of her career in 66 games all-time as a Sceptre. The Canadian Olympian has not gone more than two games without a point this season and has four points (2G, 2A) in her last seven games.
Aerin Frankel has allowed one or fewer goals against in eight of her 11 starts, doubling the four she recorded in 23 starts during the 2024-25 season. The soon-to-be first-time U.S. Olympian carries a goals-against-average of 1.25 and save percentage of .948.
Raygan Kirk has now suffered four losses despite allowing two or fewer goals this season and is still searching for her first win since Toronto’s season opener on Nov. 21 in Minnesota.
Haley Winn recorded her sixth assist of the season and is tied for first in rookie scoring and third among all defenders with seven points in 12 games. The Fleet second overall pick has picked up an assist in consecutive home games played in Boston.
Megan Keller tallied her sixth assist of the season to become the first defender to reach double digits in points and the first in PWHL history to record at least 10 points in each of the league’s three seasons. The Fleet captain and U.S. Olympian has produced five of her 10 points (3G, 2A) in the team’s five games in Massachusetts.
Keller appeared to have scored her league leading fourth power play goal of the season at 17:10 of the first period, but the goal was disallowed following a review by the PWHL Central Situation Room, in consultation with the on-ice officials. It was determined on the play that Abby Newhook had made incidental contact with the goalkeeper at the same time the goal was scored.
Jill Saulnier produced her third assist in her 12th game of the season, matching her total across 24 games in the 2024-25 season. Two of her three assists this season have come against Toronto.
Claire Dalton snapped a five-game pointless drought with her third assist of the season, and first on a goal that was not scored on an empty net. The Sceptres forward is now a third of the way to reaching nine points, a total she recorded in each of her first two seasons with Montréal.
Ella Shelton picked up her second assist in her last four games and is now tied for the lead in scoring among Sceptres defenders with four points (2G, 2A) in 12 games.
Jessie McPherson dressed for her first game of the season as Toronto’s backup goaltender with Elaine Chuli out of the lineup due to illness.
THREE STARS
1. Shay Maloney (BOS) 1G
2. Alina Müller (BOS) 1G, 1A
3. Emma Maltais (TOR) 1G
STANDINGS
Boston: 26 PTS (8-0-2-2) – 1st Place
Toronto: 15 PTS (4-0-3-5) – 6th Place
UPCOMING SCHEDULES
Toronto: Saturday, Jan. 17 vs. Vancouver (Scotiabank Arena) at 3 p.m. ET
Boston: Sunday, Jan. 18 at Seattle at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT