PWHL Players of the Week: Frankel and Keller step up for Boston, Dalton explodes with Montreal

In a week that saw an influx of scoring, a few Professional Women’s Hockey League players were especially impressive.

From clutch saves to big offensive performances, these three were good enough to earn DFO’s Player of the Week honors:

Claire Dalton (F, Montreal)

Through the first 10 games, Claire Dalton played a solid depth role but never really showed up as an offensive threat.

That changed last week.

It started last Sunday when Dalton scored a power-play goal in Montreal’s 2-1 win over Minnesota, temporarily closing the gap on the first place. It was the 25-year-old’s first goal since the opening game of the season.

Then in a game against Ottawa, Dalton notched a hat trick, including scoring Montreal’s first “jailbreak” goal of the season.

The former Yale captain was credited with the game-winning goal in Montreal’s 6-3 win, pushing the team to the top of the league standings.

Dalton is now sixth in the league with five goals.

Megan Keller (D, Boston)

While Boston has had its share of struggles recently, Megan Keller has been one of the team’s most consistent blueliners this season.

The U.S. National Team mainstay leads all defenders in points per game at 0.91. In Boston’s split with Ottawa, the Farmington Hills, Michigan native posted two assists in a 4-2 loss last Monday before assisting on Susanna Tapani’s game-winning goal in the second bout.

Keller has been on the top pair since the season began and has played a lot lately with Kaleigh Fratkin. An early candidate for defender of the year, Keller is tied with New York’s Ella Shelton for most points among blueliners with 10.

Aerin Frankel (G, Boston)

Aerin Frankel was one of the goaltenders who arguably came into the season with the most pressure. With her national team pedigree and having just backstopped the Americans to a World Championship, the expectations were high.

It hasn’t always been easy, but the 24-year-old played well in a 3-1 victory over Ottawa on Wednesday after an equally impressive effort two nights before – albeit, in a loss.

With a 3-2-2 record, Frankel is fourth in the PWHL in goals-against average (1.94) and save percentage (.928) – good to best her Canadian counterpart, Ann-Renée Desbiens.