The Boston Fleet beat the New York Sirens 1-0 on Wednesday night at Prudential Center, extending their winning streak to six games behind Aerin Frankel's fourth shutout of the season. Boston improved to 12-2-0 on the year with 35 points, level with the Montréal Victoire atop the PWHL standings but having played two fewer games.
Frankel stopped every shot she faced to lower her goals-against average to 1.30 and push her save percentage to .948. She is 11-2 through 15 starts this season.
The loss drops the Sirens to 7-8-2, still sitting fifth in the standings with 24 points. New York has now gone 0-3-1-1 in its last five games and sits two points behind the Ottawa Charge for the fourth and final playoff spot.
The Fleet scored the game's only goal in the second period. Details on the scorer were not immediately available from the box score data.
Boston's defensive structure has been the story of their season. The Fleet have allowed just 25 goals through 16 games, the fewest in the PWHL. And Frankel has been the anchor of that effort, posting shutouts in four of her 15 starts.
The Sirens came in with the league's co-leading scorer in Sarah Fillier, who has 29 points on the season. But Fillier and the rest of New York's attack could not crack Frankel on this night. The Sirens have scored just four goals in their last four games.
For Boston, the two games in hand over Montréal loom large. The Victoire have been on a tear of their own, winning six straight and nine of their last ten. The race for first place and home-ice advantage in the Walter Cup playoffs will likely come down to the final week.
The Sirens face a difficult stretch ahead as they try to hold onto playoff positioning. Ottawa is surging with a 7-2-0-1 record in the last ten, and Toronto sits level with New York at 24 points with one more game played.
Boston returns to action Saturday. New York hosts Minnesota on Sunday.