PWHL Players of the Week: Miller, Roese and Frankel push their teams up the standings

In another entertaining week of PWHL action, a few faces stood out and played important roles in their team’s success.

From great plays to big saves to playing underrated roles for their team, these players were difference-makers as the race for the playoffs heats up.

Hannah Miller (F, Toronto Sceptres)

I was very close to giving this week’s forward spot to the Ottawa Charge’s Emily Clark, but Hannah Miller continues to chug along and has quickly become the Sceptres’ go-to scorer. With Sarah Nurse out for the foreseeable future and Natalie Spooner still finding her footing, Miller’s production is keeping the Sceptres near the top of the league standings.

The one-time Olympian played a huge role in both of Toronto’s wins this past week. Miller assisted on all three of Toronto’s goals in the 3-2 overtime win over the Charge in the Takeover Tour game in Edmonton. Then, on Wednesday against the New York Sirens, her two goals and four points powered the Scetpres to a 4-1 victory, helping the team extend its win streak to five games.

If you’re keeping track, that means Miller has been involved with each of Toronto’s last seven tallies. With 10 points in her previous eight games, the former St. Lawrence star has shot to the top of the pops in the PWHL, leading the league with 22 points–the first player to hit 20 points thus far. She and Montreal Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin are the only two players who have scored 10 goals this season.

Jincy Roese (D, Ottawa Charge)

While Roese might not get the same attention that Renata Fast or Claire Thompson have been getting this season, Jincy Roese has been a key member of the Charge’s blue line and logged some heavy minutes for a team that put itself within striking distance of a playoff spot.

The 27-year-old posted assists in three straight games, picking up helpers in the loss to Toronto as well as the 3-2 overtime loss to the Boston Fleet this past Thursday (we won’t talk about that giveaway in OT). Then, against the league-leading Victoire on Saturday, Roese was on the ice for an incredible 37:32, second among skaters in the game behind her defense partner Jocelyne Larocque, who played a whole five more seconds. In total, the Charge limited the mighty Montreal squad to just 16 shots on goal in a 3-1 win.

Roese has been a solid presence on the back end for the Charge this season, and playing someone of Larocque’s caliber has given her confidence over the past few games. Defenders like her are the reason Ottawa has earned points in every game since the international break.

With two goals and seven assists for nine points in 16 games this season, Roese is tied for sixth in scoring among PWHL defenders.

Aerin Frankel (G, Boston Fleet)

“But Tyler, didn’t Hunter Crowther name Aerin Frankel the Daily Faceoff goaltender of the week last week?”

Why, yes, random reader, but if you saw her efforts this past week, you won’t question the method of my madness.

“The Green Monster” lived up to her namesake, especially last Monday against the Sirens. Frankel turned away 35 of New York’s 36 shots, helping the Fleet grab a 4-1 win. Then, she was masterful again on Thursday against the Charge, making 21 saves in the OT victory.

The U.S. national team star has been on a tear for the past couple of months, winning seven of her last eight appearances, and has helped the Fleet move back into the top four. Only Charge netminder Emerance Maschmeyer has stopped more rubber this season. Frankel is second in the PWHL in goals-against average (1.89) and save percentage (.931) among qualified goaltenders. She’s also tied for the most wins (9) with Victoire backstop Ann-Renée Desbiens.

As we saw in last year’s playoffs and in many international tournaments before, Frankel is the difference between winning and losing for Boston. If she can keep playing at this level, and the team in front of her continues to find ways to score, watch out.

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