From Boston to Italy and back, Fleet goalkeeper Aerin Frankel is almost impossible to score on

It was more of the usual, not some in-the-zone outlier. Goaltender Aerin Frankel has excelled at every level: a storied career at Northeastern, medals from years of international competition, all that time protecting the net for the PWHL’s Boston Fleet. Why would her Olympic Winter Games debut—a .979 save percentage and a 5-0 record—be any less impressive?

During the U.S. Women’s Hockey Team’s gold medal run at Milano Cortina 2026, Frankel recorded three shutouts, a first in Olympic women’s hockey history. “Obviously, it’s a cool stat,” said Frankel, who was too focused on the games to notice.

Look, she had a wonderful time. After all, it was the Olympics! Frankel even brought along the gold medal to meet the Boston media in late February.

“I already have so many memories from the Olympic experience that I’m going to take with me forever,” Frankel said in her first presser back with the Fleet. “But it’s nice to have a little memento, a reminder, of the whole thing. It means so much to bring one of those back here. It’s been incredible.”

Frankel, 26, can save games standing on her head and keep it on straight. She was more inclined to talk about seeing Milan with her family and sampling the local cuisine, including, yes, her beloved Caesar salads. (Frankel’s take, shared with thepwhl.com: “They were quite different than I’m used to! The dressing used in Italy was mostly a mayonnaise base and not quite as flavorful as in the States”)

U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!

The U.S. women’s team’s thrilling OT gold medal win against Canada also threatened to obscure Frankel’s economical, seemingly effortless play. But PWHL teams know Frankel, in her third season with the Fleet, all too well.

There’s a good reason why she’s called the Green Monster.

Earlier this month, Frankel completed the first seven-game winning streak in her PWHL career; she opened the season with five straight wins. At one point, post-Olympics, she allowed just three goals in three games. The stinginess is nothing new. As of March 22, Frankel had given up one or fewer goals 13 times, including five shutouts, a PWHL single-season record. And that does not include her trio of imposed international goose eggs.

Frankel reached 12 wins in 16 games. She had that many wins total last season, when she led the PWHL in games and minutes played and was a finalist for Goaltender of the Year.

“I haven’t been doing anything differently this season,” Frankel told thepwhl.com.

Did the momentum from the Olympics elevate her play? “I’ve been trying to stay present and take it game by game,” Frankel told us. Has the increased profile helped in any way? “No.”

What was it like to be so dominant in front of the world? “Anytime you get 23 of the best players in the world together, it makes your life so much easier,” she demurred. “You can rely on your teammates for absolutely anything.”

Fleet star defender Megan Keller, Frankel’s teammate on the U.S. team, disagreed.

“She's the best goalie in the world, in my opinion,” said Keller, who scored the game winner in the gold medal game against Canada. “I’m lucky that I get to play in front of her year-round, because I know whenever I make a mistake, she has my back.”

Some of Frankel’s saves in the gold medal game “were out of her mind,” said Keller, who added that Frankel does that daily in practice. “To have people understand and watch her do it on the biggest stage in the world in the biggest moment probably of her life, is incredible.”

Frankel has played in international tournaments since 2019, but what she encountered was “unlike any experience I’ve had.”

“The love and support from so many people back at home, and honestly, all over the country for our team and being so invested in our success and following the journey was something that was really special,” Frankel said.

More than 5.3 million viewers tuned into the women’s hockey gold-medal game on USA Network, the most-watched women’s hockey game on record, according to Sports Business Journal.

“I think people who just started watching hockey at the Olympics now are going to be following the league, which is one of the most important things,” said Frankel, who added that casual fans now want to see the stars they rooted for over those two weeks.

In addition to Frankel, Fleet teammates Keller and Haley Winn represented the United States. The heroics of Alina Müller, Frankel’s college friend and current roommate, earned Team Switzerland, the bronze. In all, seven Fleet players represented five countries in Italy.

Instagram @aerin.frankel / Via instagram.com

“I don’t think they’ll be disappointed when they see the product on the ice with the PWHL,” Frankel said. “I think they’ll be hooked. Hopefully, we got a few more Boston Fleet fans.”

Fleet head coach Kris Sparre deemed the team’s first practice back post-Olympics “electric.” The team has seemed energized ever since, and the timing could not be better as the Fleet, who have been at or near the top of the PWHL standings all season, steer their way into the home stretch of the PWHL regular season.

“We've been down this road many times before, and we find ways to get it done,” Sparre said after the team’s March 10 overtime win against Vancouver. “For me, confidence comes from two things: preparation and experience. We have both of those.”

And, it turns out, a little more.

“We have the character in this room,” he said. “We have a group that sticks together in the big moments, and we stay composed and find ways to get it done.”

When Sparre said that, he was flanked by Frankel and right wing Shay Maloney. During Frankel’s press conference not two weeks earlier, the gold medal sat innocently on the dais next to the microphone. It could have been a water bottle or a silenced cell phone. The celebration was over. Aerin Frankel, as usual, had to get back to work.