PWHL Power Rankings: Sirens making noise at the bottom, Fleet creeping to the top
With just a handful of weeks left in the PWHL regular season, every point matters as teams try to lockdown postseason spots, while a couple of teams are trying to sneak their way back into the playoff race.
Hunter Crowther and Tyler Kuehl give their opinions on how the six teams performed last week and how things are shaping up as we close in on the Women’s Worlds break.
1. Montreal Victoire
Record: 10-6-2-5, +9
Last Week: 1st
Hunter’s Rank: 1st
Tyler’s Rank: 1st
Hunter: Just one game for the Victoire this past week, a 3-2 overtime loss to the Sirens, a game they might have picked up a win in if it weren’t for Corinne Schroeder’s 28-save performance for New York. Let’s look at the positives: Maureen Murphy, whose ice time has looked like the New York Stock Exchange this season, going up and down and back up then back down, scored her first goal in nearly two months this week.
One thing I’d like to see this week is Elaine Chuli get a start against one of the Fleet or Sceptres this week. I know she’s only started six games this season – just two since Jan. 30 – but I think it’s important to give the former Toronto Six netminder some ice time as the season winds down. Montreal will need a healthy Ann-Renee Desbiens for the playoffs, and a sharp Chuli doesn’t hurt, either.
Tyler: I know the Victoire haven’t been playing like the juggernaut they were earlier in the season, but this league has so much parity that even the best teams are due for a slip-up, especially against a last-place team like the Sirens.
The only thing I didn’t like about Montreal’s loss was how they came out of the gate. I know heading to Newark can be a drag, and taking on a team, at that point, had lost nine games in a row can feel underwhelming. However, for a team that is trying to lock down the regular season championship, you can’t take your foot off the gas.
Montreal is gearing up for another heated matchup with the Fleet on Tuesday night.
2. Boston Fleet
Record: 8-5-4-6, +10
Last Week: 4th (+2)
Hunter’s Rank: 3rd
Tyler’s Rank: 2nd
Tyler: Whew, doggies, this Fleet team is making my head spin.
One week, I feel like Boston isn’t good enough to keep up with the best teams in the league. The next, I believe they can beat anybody as long as Aerin Frankel is in action. “The Green Monster” was on display in this past Saturday’s win over the Ottawa Charge, coming in clutch to help the the Fleet secure a regulation win, pushing them to second place in the standings.
With points in eight straight games, this team is starting to look like a threat to not only get back to the playoffs but secure home-ice advantage in the semifinals. However, they need to find a way to support Frankel a little bit better, especially against teams like the Victoire and Toronto Sceptres. If they can start picking up wins against Canada’s top teams, I might even give them the title of ‘Walter Cup contender.’
Hunter: Another win! Did you know the Fleet are 5-3-2-1 in their last 11 games? Well, now you do, and guess what: Boston is second in the league standings, a sentence I really didn’t think I’d write at any point this season.
In my five takeaways this week, I gave a lot of love to Sarah Fillier in the MVP race, and while she likely won’t get many votes because of the Sirens’ record, Fleet captain Hilary Knight most definitely will. The 36-year-old is having a season of resurgence, with 12 goals and 24 points in 23 games, more than doubling her point total last season in one less game.
The Fleet will have a chance to close in on first place when they host the Victoire on Tuesday night.
3. Toronto Sceptres
Record: 9-2-5-7, +2
Last Week: 2nd (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 2nd
Tyler’s Rank: 3rd
Hunter: No games this week, nothing to report. Moving on…
Kidding, just two things to watch this week: will Sarah Nurse, who hasn’t played for the Sceptres since Feb. 1 after injuring herself in the Rivalry Series, make her return to the Toronto lineup? And the second thing: let’s see if Natalie Spooner goes beast mode and starts burying pucks in the net. Going scoreless in her first five games, Spooner had two in their March 6 win over the Victoire, but was held shotless against the Frost. Can she find that MVP form as we get closer to the playoffs?
Tyler: I do feel bad knocking the Sceptres down a peg, even though they didn’t play last week. However, now having the same number of games played as the Fleet, I think it’s warranted that Toronto takes a bump, especially considering they have fewer overall wins than Boston.
I hope the Sceptres use the rest to their advantage when they step back onto the ice this week. They have the tools to make a significant push, as we’ve already seen this season, and are close enough to Montreal that they could sneak into first if the Victoire go on a little slide over the next couple of months.
The Sceptres will play for the first time in 10 days on Wednesday night when they host the New York Sirens.
4. Minnesota Frost
Record: 7-5-4-9, +1
Last Week: 3rd (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 4th
Tyler’s Rank: 4th
Hunter: Losing both games in regulation last week to teams chasing them in the standings, it’s not a good time to be a Frost fan right now. With five games left on their schedule, part of me thinks they’ve given themselves enough room to squeak in the playoffs as a No. 3 or 4 seed. But what if they keep losing? What if they only win two of their last five? What if Ottawa and New York go nuts and rack up points? They’re not in control of their destiny, and that’s a scary situation.
Taylor Heise has two goals in her last 11 games and Grace Zumwinkle, last season’s Rookie of the Year, scored her first goal in 13 games on Sunday against the Sirens. Two of their top scorers are blueliners. Simply put, they need to be better.
Tyler: My biggest takeaway from the Frost in their loss to the Sirens on Sunday night was, for as much as they outshot New York, I didn’t think there were a ton of dangerous scoring chances, especially in the third period when they were down by two. It’s something I’ve been noticing in stretches over the last few weeks. Minnesota has been leading in offensive chances, but its grade-A opportunities are few and far between.
With back-to-back losses in regulation, both to teams that are sitting outside of the playoff picture. The Frost might start feeling the heat, especially since the Charge and Sirens both have two games in hand on Minnesota, with Ottawa and New York getting one more crack each before the regular season is said and done.
The Frost will have plenty of time to recuperate, as they don’t play again until March 26.
5. Ottawa Charge
Record: 8-1-4-10, -13
Last Week: 5th (-1)
Hunter’s Rank: 5th
Tyler’s Rank: 6th
Hunter: On one hand, you beat the Frost, got a two-goal performance out of Alexa Vasko and earned a much-needed three points in a 3-2 win. On the other, you lost Emerance Maschmeyer, easily your team MVP up until this point, and now she’s on Long-Term Injury Reserve for what could be the rest of the regular season.
Backup-and-newly-appointed-starter Gwyneth Philips held their own just a few days later through the first 40 minutes against the Fleet, but Boston was able to score twice in the first 10 minutes of the third, and the Fleet buried two empty netters to give themselves an eventual 5-2 win. They’re five points behind the Frost with two games in hand, but their chances look pretty slim if they can’t do one or both of stopping the puck and scoring with the puck.
Tyler: I know I might seem like a Negative Nelly about the Charge, especially since it was just one loss to the Fleet this past Saturday. Yet, I do have my concerns about how the team will be without Maschmeyer for the foreseeable future. Yes, Philips has the talent to be a difference-maker, and maybe with some more frequent starts, she’ll get into a rhythm. However, if she isn’t stellar in the final weeks, or the offense doesn’t find some consistency, Ottawa might be on its way to getting another good spot on the draft board.
The Charge has a few days off before taking on the Sirens this Saturday.
6. New York Sirens
Record: 5-4-4-10, +10
Last Week: 6th (+1)
Hunter’s Rank: 6th
Tyler’s Rank: 5th
Tyler: Sing it with me, Hunter! “I’m a believer!”
I might still be on little to no sleep from a night in Detroit, but enough Monkee-ing around. This team is playing with nothing to lose, and I’m here for it.
After going winless in nine straight games, the Sirens picked themselves up and pulled out two huge wins last week. After taking down the league-leading Victoire in a shootout, New York, inspired by their group of Michiganders, really impressed in the 4-1 win over the Frost at LCA on Sunday. Corinne Schroeder had two crucial confidence-boosting performances against two of the better offenses in the league, and while the Sirens have a lot of work to do to get into the playoffs, if they can build momentum…why not have a little chaos?
Hunter: An impressive team win for the Sirens against the defending champs in the Frost, playing in front of more than 14,000 fans at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit last Sunday, it was good to see the Sirens play a full 60 minutes and earn the regulation victory. And hey, if we really want to go crazy, they’re only eight points back of the Frost with seven games to go and two games in hand on Minnesota. So you’re saying there’s a chance?
Actually, no – I’m not saying that. It’s over for New York, and they will likely finish last for the second consecutive season. If there’s one positive to take, last year’s first-overall pick in Fillier is the league leader in points as of March 17. Even if you had her as your Rookie of the Year pick (as Tyler did ahead of the season), did any of us envision her to be this good?
The Sirens will have another tough test on their hands on Wednesday when they visit the Sceptres.