Boston Fleet to play Montreal, Toronto at Boston University’s Agganis Arena
By golly – the Boston Fleet is actually going to be playing in Boston.
On Friday, the team and the PWHL announced that the Fleet will be hosting two games at Agganis Arena on the campus of Boston University.
First, Boston will be hosting the rival Montreal Victoire on March 8 at 2 p.m. ET. The second game will come a couple of weeks later, on March 26, when the Fleet welcomes the Toronto Sceptres at 7 p.m. ET.
“We are thrilled to bring the Boston Fleet to Agganis Arena for these two games,” Fleet Director of Business Operations Laura Marie Cancro said in a release. “It presents a wonderful opportunity to expose fans in central Boston to the PWHL and engage with our fan base on the south shore and Rhode Island.”
Agganis is the current home of the BU Terriers men’s hockey program. Opened in January 2005, the barn has a capacity of 6,150. The purpose of the two games is allegedly part of a league-wide initiative to have games at alternate home venues, easing the travel for some fans to see games firsthand.
“Agganis Arena has a rich hockey history,” head coach Courtney Kessel said. “It’s going to be a great, new experience for our athletes to take the ice in another storied venue. For fans who haven’t had the chance to see a game live, this is the perfect chance to take in the fast-paced, highly skilled, and physical style of play our team brings to the ice.”
While the male Terriers play at the newer Agganis, the women still play inside the old Walter Brown Arena, which has been in operation for over half a century.
Agganis is certainly a hop, skip and a jump from the Fleet’s usual home. The Tsongas Center in Lowell, also home to the UMass-Lowell men’s and women’s teams, is over 30-plus miles from the heart of Boston – a drive that could take over an hour, given the traffic in Beantown.
The March 8 game will be a homecoming for some players, especially Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin. The BU alum burst onto the scene with Terriers across four seasons from 2010 to 2015. Poulin later had her number retired by the program.
The Fleet (2-2-2-4) are fifth in the PWHL, two points back of the Ottawa Charge for the last playoff spot.