PWHL Power Rankings: Frost and Victoire duke it out for first
As we are about a third of the way through the 2024-25 PWHL season, the race for first place is seeing two talented two teams lead the charge, though a couple of teams aren’t too far behind them.
Hunter Crowther and Tyler Kuehl give their thoughts on where the six teams stand after a busy week of action.
1. Minnesota Frost
Record: 4-3-1-2, +5
Last Week: 2nd (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 1st
Tyler’s Rank: 1st
Hunter: The Frost responded well after a 5-0 loss to the Sirens last week. Minnesota recorded two wins, including a 4-2 victory over the Montreal Victoire helped them regain the top spot in both the league standings and Daily Faceoff Power Rankings. Their game against Montreal was strong, as it seemed they had the puck the entire night and controlled the pace of play.
With goals in three of her last four games, Britta Curl is tied for the league lead in goals with five, and looks every bit as comfortable in the professional game as she did in college. Sophie Jaques looked great in her return, scoring a goal and an assist in 20:13 of ice time against Montreal. Also, it appears Maddie Rooney has taken over the starting role, posting a 5-1-0 record with a .916 save percentage (SV%).
Tyler: Whoever sat first in my rankings was going to be determined by who won that game on Sunday in Denver. That crowd wasn’t just treated to seeing some of the best players in the world but also the best matchup of the regular season so far. Minnesota came to play against the Victoire, and showed why they were champions last year.
It is kind of stunning to see the Frost leading the league in goals, but with players like Coyne Schofield and Heise producing, along with Britta Curl-Salemme tied for the league lead in goals, it is easy to understand why. Also, seeing Jaques return in style with two points against Montreal is a good sign for a team trying to stay atop the PWHL standings.
The Frost are back in action on Wednesday when they visit the New York Sirens.
2. Montreal Victoire
Record: 4-2-1-2, +2
Last Week: 1st (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 1st
Tyler’s Rank: 2nd
Hunter: The Victoire’s win over the Toronto Sceptres in front of a sold-out Rogers Arena in Vancouver, B.C. was impressive, particularly the individual performances of Marie-Philip Poulin and Ann-Renee Desbiens, both of whom were named to our Daily Faceoff Players of the Week. Poulin’s two-goal game might be what fuels an offensive resurgence in the 2025 portion of the schedule.
Sunday’s loss to the Frost was a stinger, a rare off night for netminder Elaine Chuli, but you’re going to have games like that over the course of a full season. Nice to see Ohio State Buckeyes legend Jennifer Gardiner score her first goal since the season opener, as Montreal will need to improve its depth scoring if they want to stay near the top of the hill.
Tyler: I really didn’t want to knock Montreal down a peg, especially since they had to deal with considerable travel comparable to an NHL team, something that very PWHL teams have had to deal with up until this point. That said, when the puck drops, they need to show they can step up against the best teams in the league. The Victoire certainly didn’t play badly against the Frost on Sunday, but they definitely ran out of gas.
I would like to see Gardiner get going. The Canadian product has been posting points here and there, but if she can build on her recent performances, she can add to the secondary scoring group that will put Montreal head and shoulders above the rest.
The Victoire will have a chance to get revenge on the Frost in their next game on Friday.
3. New York Sirens
Record: 3-2-1-3, +6
Last Week: 3rd
Hunter’s Rank: 3rd
Tyler’s Rank: 4th
Hunter: It’s fair to say it wasn’t the best week for the Sirens, largely outplayed by a surging Charge group and barely able to squeak out a 1-0 overtime win against the Sirens. It’s hard to evaluate New York, because you’ll have dominant performances like their 5-0 win over Minnesota Jan. 4, then produce a pair of stinkers like this past week. They play the Frost again this Wednesday, and how they perform against a Minnesota squad looking for revenge will be a good litmus test.
Also, it’s not often you allow three goals and still finish with a .919 SV%, but Kayle Osborne looked strong in her first-career PWHL start against ottawa. Facing 37 shots against Ottawa, the Colgate grad kept the Sirens in it and gave them a chance to come back in the second half. New York will be happy to know they have strong depth behind Corinne Schroeder.
Tyler: The Sirens’ performance against the Charge certainly made me question the team’s legitimacy. However, their bounce-back effort against the Sceptres shows this team has the resilience it lacked during the inaugural season. Despite the controversial finish, New York took the play to Toronto. Schroeder had another outstanding performance in the 1-0 overtime victory.
That said, the Sirens are still in a good spot. Not only are they in a playoff spot, but they are just five points out of first place, a stat that was far from the truth last season. If players like Carpenter and Fillier receive support from the bottom half of the lineup, New York will be contending for the top spot in the PWHL.
The Sirens will be hosting the Frost on Wednesday night.
4. Ottawa Charge
Record: 4-0-2-3, -2
Last Week: 4th
Hunter’s Rank: 4th
Tyler’s Rank: 3rd
Hunter: Tuesday’s performance against the Sirens was arguably the Charge’s best of the season, and the team is really starting to play as a full unit. Jocelyne Larocque and Victoria Bach have looked strong since they joined the Charge, earning plenty of ice time and looking comfortable, as Bach scored her first goal with Ottawa on Saturday against the Fleet.
Emily Clark has been a beast in all ends of the rink, third in total ice time and generating plenty of shots. Her, Tereza Vanisova and Shiann Darkangelo lead the club with three goals each, but beyond that, the team needs depth scoring, and there’s no doubt the team is hoping captain Brianne Jenner and Katerina Mrazova can start producing.
Tyler: I like the type of gritty confidence the Charge is playing with. When they were winning games earlier this season, it was solely because of the play from Maschmeyer. However, we saw Ottawa control stretches of the game, especially in their win over the Sirens. The Charge took the play to New York, creating numerous scoring chances against a team that is prone to giving up grade-A opportunities.
If the Charge can bring out that kind of spunk more often, they will be much higher on this list.
I was also impressed with Gwyneth Philips in the overtime loss to the Fleet. In just her second start of her pro career, she had to make a few key saves to keep her team in the game.
The Charge get set for another edition of the Battle of Ontario on Tuesday night.
5. Boston Fleet
Record: 2-2-2-4, -4
Last Week: 5th
Hunter’s Rank: 5th
Tyler’s Rank: 5th
Tyler: I was tempted to put the Fleet in fourth after a very successful week. However, with the play of the Sirens and Charge, I can’t quite make that move…yet.
Boston is starting to impress me. With points in four straight games, they are closing in on a playoff spot. Picking up a win against the Victoire was huge for their confidence, and taking the Frost to overtime on the road was important as well. Then, Sidney Morin’s heroics beating the Charge put the Fleet within a win of fourth place.
Aerin Frankel’s play has been crucial toward the team’s success, though we’ve seen Emma Söderberg also step up when called upon. Along with young stars such as Hannah Bilka stepping up, the Fleet is beginning to swarm.
Hunter: Only one game this past week, but an entertaining 2-1 overtime win over the Charge gave the Fleet just their second win in six games. Morin was the star of the show, scoring both her first and second goals of the season, doubling last season’s total.
For some reason, the team doesn’t play again until Jan. 22, which gives them time to reflect on the first one-third of the season. Hilary Knight and Megan Keller have been terrific, and Aerin Frankel continues to be one of the best goalies in the world. But a lack of depth scoring and too many one-goal losses leave them on the outside looking in. Is it time to make a move?
Boston is going to have a break, not playing until Jan. 22 when they host the Sceptres.
6. Toronto Sceptres
Record: 2-0-2-5, -7
Last Week: 6th
Hunter’s Rank: 6th
Tyler’s Rank: 6th
Tyler: I’m ready to put the Sceptres into Lake Ontario. I don’t care how close the games are. I don’t care that they picked up a point in the OT loss to the Sirens. The fact of the matter is this: if Toronto isn’t playing Boston, they ain’t winning, simple as that.
They’ve scored a whole three goals over the past three games, which is incredibly disappointing since they have so many great players like Sarah Nurse, Daryl Watts and Renata Fast. Here’s the thing – even when Natalie Spooner returns, I don’t think she can turn this team around.
Hunter: What’s disappointing for this Sceptres group is that I thought they were the better team in both their losses this week, especially in Sunday’s defeat to the Sirens. In a league where there are only 30 regular-season games, the excuse of “it’s early” runs dry faster than you think.
This team could still catapult itself into a playoff spot with a string of wins, but that will have to come sooner than later. With three games this week against Boston, there’s no better time than now.
The Sceptres have an opportunity to make a statement when they visit the Charge on Tuesday.