PWHL Power Rankings: The Victorious Victoire are the team to beat

We are 66.6666666…percent through the 2024-25 PWHL season and the race for the playoffs is about to hit a high with the trade deadline and roster freeze on the horizon.

Hunter Crowther and Tyler Kuehl give their thoughts on how the teams are looking as we get into the month of March.

1. Montreal Victoire

Record: 10-4-1-4, +11
Last Week: 1st
Hunter’s Rank: 1st
Tyler’s Rank: 1st

Hunter: Two games, two wins, like clockwork. The Victoire’s 3-1 victory over the Sceptres was an entertaining back-and-forth, and I would love to see a five-game series between these two in the Walter Cup Final. Now we’ll get a rematch between them on Thursday. 

What stood out during their win over the Fleet last Saturday was how as the game progressed, it became clearer how much better Montreal was than their opponent. Even as Boston had the lead for most of the third, it was never in doubt that Montreal would tie it. 

Tyler: The Victoire had a pretty rough go of it two weeks ago, but they bounced back admirably in their past two games. How they played against the Sceptres and Fleet shows that this team has the maturity to go deep into the playoffs. The power couple of captain Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey stepped up in both games, with Stacey’s OT winner wowing the near-capacity crowd at Centre Bell.

With a seven-point lead atop the PWHL and a game in hand on the rest of the league, Montreal really needs to win just a few more games to have a good chance at securing the regular season title.

The Victoire is back in action on Tuesday night to take on the Minnesota Frost.

2. Toronto Sceptres

Record: 8-2-4-7, 0
Last Week: 2nd
Hunter’s Rank: 2nd
Tyler’s Rank: 2nd

Hunter: The Sceptres’ loss to the Victoire was their first regulation defeat in 10 games, which doesn’t sound as cool as last season’s 11-game winning streak, but hey, points are points. After such a long layoff, Natalie Spooner is still getting a feel for the game, and Savannah Harmon is looking more confident with each shift. 

Hannah Miller was out of Tuesday’s lineup with a lower-body injury, and fans are hoping she’ll make her return for this Thursday’s rematch against Montreal. Miller already surpassed last season’s offensive totals in fewer games and could end up being the league’s top scorer if she keeps up this pace. 

Tyler: The loss to the Victoire was the only chance Toronto had to make an impression and take over first place. Lost in the defeat was the fact that it ended the Sceptres’ six-game win streak and their nine-game point streak. Yet, in a tough game between two teams, Toronto showed they belong near the top of the standings, outside of being able to finish against Ann-Renée Desbiens.

Miller’s absence was noticeable against Montreal. With the extended layoff, the team hopes she will be back in the lineup for the final stretch of the regular season. With the absence of Sarah Nurse and Natalie Sponer still trying to find her footing, Toronto will need all of the offensive punch it can get if it wants to secure home-ice advantage.

The Sceptres will have a chance to get revenge on the Victoire this Thursday, their first game in 12 days.

3. Boston Fleet

Record: 6-5-3-6, +5
Last Week: 3rd
Hunter’s Rank: 1st
Tyler’s Rank: 3rd

Hunter: For a team that feels like they get outshot in nearly every game, the Fleet sure keep every game close, thanks in large part to arguably the best goalie in the world at the present moment in Aerin Frankel, whose .931 save percentage (SV%) and 1.95 goals against average (GAA) are only eclipsed by fellow all-elite netminder Ann-Renee Desbiens of the Victoire. 

Sure, they didn’t get a shot off in the entire third period against Montreal last week, but did you see Sidney Morin’s tip goal in the second? The defender goes straight to the net on a discombobulated three-on-two, then deflects a Susanna Tapani shot to give the Fleet the lead. 

Morin now has three goals and three assists on the season. With all the attention on Megan Keller, it’s nice to see another Fleet defender get on the scoresheet. 

Tyler: Even though the team has had to rely heavily on its goaltending, as Aerin Frankel is gaining some MVP consideration this season, the Fleet are chugging along in the thick of the battle with Toronto for home-ice advantage. Sure, they were heavily outplayed against the Victoire last Saturday, but Boston has reeled off points in five consecutive games, beating teams they should, such as the New York Sirens and Ottawa Charge.

If they can continue to grind through this stretch without someone like Hannah Bilka, and Frankel can continue to be a staple between the pipes, the Fleet are going to be given more a chance by critics than they did last year.

The Fleet will be hosting the Sirens for their final time this season on Wednesday night.

4. Minnesota Frost

Record: 6-4-3-7, 0
Last Week: 4th
Hunter’s Rank: 1st
Tyler’s Rank: 4th

Tyler: The Frost were terrible last week. They didn’t pick up a single point, failing to score a goal in the process.

Oh…that’s right. They didn’t play.

Since they had a bye week, Minnesota better come out with some zip with three games in a six-day span. After such a good start to the season (again), the team has been anything but impressive. The worst part is that the team can’t make the excuse of being shorthanded. Grace Zumwinkle and Dominique Petrie have been in the lineup for a few games, but outside of that 4-0 win back on Feb. 18, the Frost have been pretty pedestrian since the latest international break.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Melissa Caruso has made other calls to bolster their roster. Even with all of the talent and the fact they have the PWHL’s best offense, it’s clear Minnesota needs more if they want to repeat as champions.

Hunter: No games this past week, but likely for the best, considering the last month has been a mess for the Frost. Losers of four of their last five, Minnesota went from one of the league’s best to a team now fighting for its playoff lives. 

I still think they’ll make the playoffs and have a chance to defend their Walter Cup championship, but this team will need to play much better in the final third of the regular season if they want to play deep into May. 

The Frost head to Laval on Tuesday night for a big-time matchup with the Victoire, their first game in

5. Ottawa Charge

Record: 7-1-4-8, -6
Last Week: 5th
Hunter’s Rank: 1st
Tyler’s Rank: 5th

Hunter: Now that was a fun game between the Charge and Sirens, one that saw the two teams go back and forth and finish with Gabbie Hughes scoring her second of the game in overtime to give Ottawa a 5-4 win. As mentioned in my Players of the Week, in which Hughes was the top forward, she was dominant in February and into March, and will be huge for the Charge going forward. 

Keep an eye on Emily Clark, who scored her seventh of the year and now has a team-leading 14 points on the season. Also, a quick shoutout to former Toronto Six captain Shiann Darkangelo, who scored her fifth of the year and now has eight points, tied for fifth on Ottawa. She’s been a solid two-way forward all year, and it’s nice to see her get some production to complement that. 

Tyler: As I stated in this week’s takeaways, the Charge are becoming a fun team to watch again. Whether it be due to the excellent goaltending from Emerance Mascmeyer or Gwyneth Philips, or the two-way play for players like Tereza Vanisova and Emily Clark, Ottawa is living up to its namesake. Pair that up with a great performance from Hughes, and the team has points in all five games since the latest pause.

With just nine days until the trade deadline, it wouldn’t surprise me if GM Mike Hirshfeld made some moves to try and enhance his team’s stock. I think they need a little more offensive punch, and another reliable defender would really take a load off their goaltenders.

The Charge are coming off a nine-day break on Friday when they visit the Frost.

6. New York Sirens

Record: 4-3-4-9, -10
Last Week: 6th
Hunter’s Rank: 1st
Tyler’s Rank: 6th

Tyler: They have to win at some point…right?

I feel like we’re starting to become broken records with this Sirens team. I know we didn’t have the highest of expectations for them heading into this year, but being back in last place at this point of the season certainly wasn’t on my bingo card.

The problem is, I don’t know what this team can do to better itself. When Sarah Fillier and Alex Carpenter aren’t going, the odds are that they aren’t going to win without an amazing performance in net, which hasn’t happened a lot lately. You would think GM Pascal Daoust is going to try and add at the deadline. However, similar to the problem that persisted last year, I don’t know if he has enough depth to move in order to gain a quality player and “win” the trade.

Hunter: When it rains, it pours, and right now it’s thunder and lightning for the Sirens, a team that’s lost eight straight games dating back to Jan. 31. They put up a good fight against the Charge in a game that went to overtime, but they weren’t able to keep Ottawa from scoring a fifth. 

Speaking of giving up goals, Corinne Schroeder has now given up at least four goals in four straight games, increasing her goals against average to 2.75 and dropping her save percentage to .908. You can blame a lack of structure in their defensive zone, but it feels like everyone is a little off, and all the good will New York built up at the start of the season has dissolved, with the team on its way to another early exit. 

The Sirens will get a chance to finally score a win against the Fleet on Wednesday night in Lowell.

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