It was round two for the Boston Fleet at Agganis Arena last Wednesday.
The stage was set for an electric faceoff between the second-place Toronto Sceptres and the third-place Fleet — two teams with something to prove and a cause to rally for.
Toronto hoped to secure a spot in the playoffs as the Fleet looked to rectify their last loss at Agganis in March.
It was Youth Hockey Night, celebrating local youth league teams from the greater-Boston area and the future of women’s ice hockey. The Fleet invited local girls’ teams to attend and be featured throughout the game.
Having missed the Fleet’s last homestand at Agganis on March 8, I was excited to take in my first in-person PWHL game.
Walking on Commonwealth Avenue towards the arena, the sidewalks were littered with fans decked out in Fleet jerseys and PWHL swag.
At 6 p.m. sharp, fans started filing in and taking their seats. They were greeted with a Fleet-sponsored DJ blasting music from an upper suite — a preview of the energy that was sure to come. While the DJ was no BU Pep Band, she was a crowd pleaser, eliciting cheers from the Fleet faithful.
As the warm-up tunes played, some of the youth players were led to the benches to watch the pros warm up. When the Fleet and Sceptres took the ice, they were met with fan-made signs lining the boards, portraying their goaltender as a brick wall or asking for pucks from their favorite player.
My favorite sign read, “CEO of the Söderberg Fan Club,” showing support for the Fleet’s backup goaltender Emma Söderberg, who hails from Sweden.
After warm-ups concluded and the music cut out, the ice was washed with a green hue — a signal that the game was about to begin. The Fleet’s hype video played on the jumbotron, and it did its job well.
After a season without branding, the Fleet leaned into their new identity to rally the crowd with its dynamic visuals and spirited animations.
With the crowd amped up, the Boston University women’s ice hockey team captains — part of the reigning Hockey East Champion team — had the honor of the ceremonial puck drop in front of the fans and youth teams, illuminating the future of women’s hockey.
Local youth teams got to join the pros on the blue line as the starting lineups were read. It was surreal to see young players at the beginning of their hockey journey side-by-side with seasoned professionals at the top of their game in a brand new league.
The PWHL has brought young women’s empowerment to the forefront of its operations, emphasizing that that league serves to inspire and support future generations of female hockey players, writing “We are here to show what is possible. We are here to spark new dreams,” on its website.
With the teams lining up to face-off for the official puck drop, the game was underway.
During a first period full of penalties but low on playmaking, the Fleet broke through choppy waters and captain Hilary Knight scored a powerplay goal to get Boston on the board.
The crowd’s roar was deafening for the captain’s goal and the fans broke out into “Let’s Go Boston” chants as the Fleet’s shots on goal climbed quickly in the time remaining in the period. Boston registered the only goal in the period with twelve shots on goal.
After a scoreless second period, the Fleet’s composure against the Sceptres wavered in the final frame when forward Daryl Watts scored off a wide rebound from Aerin Frankel to even the score. It was all but over for the Fleet, Toronto scoring two more goals in the next seven minutes.
Fans started another chant to bolster their team’s spirits after the quick goals against, and Knight came back to score her second of the night for the Fleet with eight minutes remaining.
After that, every rush up the ice electrified the crowd and every steal had the same impact as a hit against the boards — the arena was invigorated, and I was feeling it too, unable to take my eyes off of the ice for the entire game.
A slew of penalties from some questionable calls by the officials late in the third turned the crowd against the referees. Boos rained down onto the ice in defense of the players as the Fleet went short-handed with five minutes left.
With three seconds left in the game, Toronto had regained a two-goal lead and the teams teetered on a fight. Fans jeered the officials when the players were assessed with five-minute penalties as the game drew to a close and the final seconds wore off of the clock.
In Boston’s second game of the season on BU’s campus, the Sceptres sank the Fleet with a final score of 4-2 in front of a sold-out arena, but in the larger scope of the team and the sport, the fan engagement will go down as a win.
Among 6,150 attendees, I felt the energy of every single person.
In such a short time, the city has welcomed the Fleet and rallied behind their team like it’s been here for years, proving that professional women’s ice hockey has a future in Boston.
I can’t wait to return for another game where the passion for women’s sports and women’s hockey is palpable and growing.
