LOWELL — The refrain was loud and clear when the inaugural PWHL season began: Boston’s team was loaded with talent. Top to bottom, the roster was seemingly unstoppable.
But as the season progressed, Boston ran into growing pains. Every team was world-class, and Boston found itself frustrated with regulation and overtime losses. After April’s World Championships break, Boston was in fifth place in the new six-team league, fighting for its playoff life.
But fight back they did. And as a result, Boston qualified for the inaugural PWHL Playoffs.
“We’ve been a different team since the World break,” said Boston coach Courtney Kessel after her club’s wild 4-3 victory over Montreal Saturday at Tsongas Center.
Coming into the regular-season finale, Boston had won three of its last four. Thanks to New York’s 5-2 win over Minnesota earlier Saturday, all Boston needed was a win in regulation to get a playoff shot.
Boston’s premiere players — Hilary Knight, Aerin Frankel, Megan Keller, and Alina Müller — turned on their firepower with the season on the line. But at the end of the day, it would be a longtime pro and one of the roster’s unheralded players who would extend Boston’s season.
After Montreal came back to tie the game with three third-period tallies, defender Kaleigh Fratkin scored the game-winner with 1:20 left in regulation to lift Boston to 8-4-3-9 (35 points) and lock up the postseason berth.
Montreal (10-3-5-6, 41 points) started the game strong, both with the crowd and in play. They inserted longtime PHF Boston Pride captain and Winthrop native Jillian Dempsey as their starting center. But after killing a Montreal power play, Boston took control.
Fittingly, it was captain Knight, the American face of the league, who led the way. Taking the puck from Kelly Babstock, Knight muscled one past the outstretched pad of Montreal goalie Ann-Renée Desbiens with 4:41 left in the first period.
Met with loud screams from the sellout crowd of 5,964, the goal not only gave Boston an early lead, but marked the first Boston point for recent acquisition Babstock.
“She’s a ball of energy; a fireball,” said Knight. “She has so much energy, so for her to step up and get a point was great.”
A little over two minutes later, it was former Northeastern star Müller pushing the lead to two with her fifth of the season, off a rebound of a Susanna Tapani shot at 18:42.
The game had gotten progressively chippy throughout the first period, causing Knight and Montreal captain Laura Stacey to have an extended discussion with the officials after the period ended. Despite the conversation, the game continued to have a biting quality, with matching roughing calls just three minutes into the second.
After the four-on-four, another one of Boston’s stars, Keller, extended Boston’s lead to 3-0 after a smart setup by Knight and Hannah Brandt.
Marie-Philip Poulin, the former Boston University star and four-time Canadian Olympian, was sent to the penalty box for cross-checking a minute later. While Boston peppered Desbiens, Montreal successfully killed the penalty.
Even though Montreal had locked up second place, the visitors took their game to a higher level in the third. A power play finally got Montreal untracked, and Merrimack College product Mikyla Grant-Mentis scored her first PWHL goal, at 3:43, to begin the visitors’ comeback.
Montreal continued to pressure and frustrate Boston, and scored another power-play goal off the stick of Mariah Keopple to bring the game within one with 7:30 left in regulation.
Montreal spread its talented forwards around Frankel, and Boston’s defense was unable to stop them from setting up. With Desbiens pulled early for an extra attacker, Poulin tied things up with her 10th goal of the season with 3:09 left.
But instead of wilting, the hosts responded in kind. With less than two minutes left, Müller had a breakaway denied by Desbiens. But on the following play, Fratkin slapped a shot past the Montreal goalie for her first tally of the season.
Montreal pulled the goalie again, but Frankel made two final saves, giving her 28 for the game, to preserve the win Boston desperately needed.
It was a victory that lived up to the roster’s preseason fanfare, and Knight is happy that their effort and abilities shined at just the right time.
“The commitment has never wavered,” said Knight. “We’re winning these games at the last second now.”
Kat Cornetta can be reached at sportsgirlkat@gmail.com.