Around the PWHL: Olympic fever, Captain Clutch, Boston undefeated, Madison Square Gardens game

Olympic fever ramped up Friday with both Canada and the United States naming their Olympic rosters for the Milan-Cortina Games in February. The news came along with two Manitobans making the cut to sport the Maple Leaf: Ste. Anne’s Jocelyne Larocque and Winnipeg’s Kati Tabin.

This will be the fourth straight trip to the Olympics for Larocque. The veteran defender boasts two gold medals from the 2014 Sochi and 2022 Beijing Games, and a silver from Pyeongchang in 2018. Larocque has currently logged three points in the last 10 games with the Ottawa Charge going into Friday night’s action.

It will be the first Olympic games for rising star Kati Tabin. The defender made her Rivalry Series debut back in November. The Montreal Victoire defender has racked up a goal and three assists through her first nine games this season.

On the American side, outside of the usual stalwarts, the standout pick is the Charge’s Gwyneth Philips. Not only did the U.S. sweep the Canadian squad in the Rivalry Series, outscoring Canada 24-7 through the four-game series, Philips was the reason the U.S. took gold at the women’s world championship last April.

Aerin Frankel had left the game in the third period after a collision with Canadian forward Laura Stacey when Philips got the call. The goaltender stood on her head, making 17 saves and backstopping her team to an overtime victory.

Philips also had a breakout 2024-25 season with Ottawa, leading the team to its first Walter Cup final against the Minnesota Frost.

Now let’s get to the action from the week that was.

Highlight of the week

What would be a week in women’s hockey without Captain Clutch? Marie-Philip Poulin’s three-point game Sunday was capped off by netting the overtime winner, lifting the Montreal Victoire 3-2 over the Minnesota Frost in a thriller.

Poulin got the Victoire on the board in the third with an equalizer before recording an assist on Abby Roque’s equalizer to push overtime.

The three-time gold (Vancouver 2010, Sochi, Beijing) and silver (Pyeongchang) medallist was named to Team Canada’s Olympic roster for the fifth time Friday.

No place like home

The Boston Fleet remain unbeaten at Agganis Arena as they bounced back from a two-game losing skid Wednesday night with a 2-1 win over the visiting Seattle Torrent.

With the victory, the Fleet made PWHL history as the first team to win seven regulation games in the first 10 of a season. And Boston did it in style in front of a season-high, sold-out crowd.

Historic rumble at the Gardens

The New York Sirens announced Thursday the club will play host to the Seattle Torrent on Apr. 4 in a historic first game for the PWHL at Madison Square Gardens. The Sirens play across the Hudson River at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

The game will be the primetime matchup in a doubleheader at the Gardens, with the New York Rangers playing host to the Detroit Red Wings in a matinee game.

Game(s) to watch in Week 8

There isn’t one standout game, necessarily, to watch this week, but it will be interesting to keep an eye on the Ottawa Charge, Vancouver Goldeneyes, Seattle Torrent and Montreal Victoire.

The four teams all sit within a point of each other, with Ottawa, Vancouver and Seattle tied at 12 and Montreal with a slight advantage at 13.

All four are in action, and with Ottawa playing three games (Friday against Vancouver, Sunday against Boston, Tuesday against Montreal), they have the most opportunity to lift themselves out of the basement. Seattle has the least advantage, only playing one game on Sunday against Minnesota.

Expect another shuffle in the standings after Week 8.

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