Welcome back to The Ice Garden’s weekly PWHL power rankings! Check back every Friday for a new installment and remember: if you think your team is ranked too low, it’s definitely, totally, 100% because we hate them.
Gather ‘round, everyone, it’s rankings time! We have lots to discuss from an exciting week around the league. Then, looking ahead, the PWHL is set for a big weekend, with the annual Battle on Bay Street slated for Saturday and the Washington, DC Takeover Tour game, which is tracking very well for attendance, slated for Sunday. With just 12 days to go before the nearly month-long Olympic break, look for many of these games to have an almost playoff-like intensity as teams aim to get into a good position before pressing pause.
The task of coming up with the occasional Lord of the Rings PWHL power rankings themes has been appointed to me, and if I don’t find a way, no one will. So, kicking off this season’s Middle-Earth themes, I’ve cooked up some appropriate Lord of the Rings quotes for each team.
#1. Boston Fleet (8-0-2-2, 26 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: 1 (-)
This Week’s Results:
- Sun., Jan. 11 vs. OTT: 2-1 SOL
- Wed., Jan. 14 vs. TOR: 2-1 W
Upcoming Schedule:
- Sun., Jan. 18 @ SEA: 10 p.m. ET, Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA (NESN, Sportsnet, PWHL YouTube Channel)
Quote:“You shall not pass!” –Gandalf the Grey, The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Quote from roughly 1:25-1:30.
You shall not pass the Fleet in the standings or power rankings.
This team really likes to play in their home state. After a disappointing loss in Halifax, the Fleet returned to their primary home venue, Lowell’s Tsongas Center, for the first time in 52 days, and they made sure to give the fans something to cheer for. It was a low-offense game from both Boston and Toronto, with just three goals and 43 shots combined, but one in which the Fleet managed to extend their lead at a critical moment–something that has cost them dearly in their recent losses–while staying true to their defensive structure. Plus, in more good news for the team, Alina Müller is off the schnide after a nine-game goal drought, opening the scoring on Wednesday with her second tally of the season (and first against a goaltender). She’s been playing well despite the points not coming as much as she may like, but if the floodgates can open for her offensively, that would be a huge boost to the league’s leaders. They have a quiet week ahead with just one meeting with the Torrent in Seattle before they get a 10-day reprieve to practice and recover from a hectic road schedule.
#2. Montréal Victoire (5-2-0-4, 19 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: Tied for third (+1)
This Week’s Results:
- Sun., Jan. 11 vs VAN: 1-0 W
- Tue., Jan. 13 vs OTT: 2-1 W
Upcoming Schedule:
- Sun., Jan. 18 @ NYS: 2 p.m. ET, Capital One Arena, Washington, DC (CBC, CBC TV, MSG, Monumental Sports Network, PWHL YouTube Channel)
- Wed., Jan. 21 @ MIN: 7 p.m. ET, Grand Casino Arena, St. Paul, MN (TSN, RDS, FanDuel Sports Network North, PWHL YouTube Channel)
Quote:“That’s for Frodo! And for the Shire! And that’s for my old Gaffer!” —Samwise Gamgee, The Return of the King (2003)
That’s three wins in a row for Montréal, and they’re ready to keep fighting for more.
After snapping a three-game skid in overtime against Minnesota last week, the Victoire built on that success with two regulation wins. They kicked off the week with a solid, albeit unspectacular, defeat of the struggling Goldeneyes in Québec City, before snapping the red-hot Charge’s six-game win streak thanks to their oft-mystical depth scoring. They have a tough week ahead, with a trip to DC up first against a streaking and well-rested New York group, before they’re off to visit an always-challenging Frost squad. They’ll need their offense to step up this week, because three goals across two games is not usually a recipe for a regulation win against anyone, but particularly not their upcoming opponents.
#3 (tied). Minnesota Frost (5-1-2-3, 19 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: Tied for third (even)
This Week’s Results:
- Sun., Jan. 11 vs SEA: 6-2 W
Upcoming Schedule:
- Fri., Jan. 16 @ NYS: 6 p.m. CT, Prudential Center, Newark, NJ (FanDuel Sports Network North, Sportsnet, PWHL YouTube Channel)
- Wed., Jan. 21 vs MTL: 6 p.m. CT, Grand Casino Arena, St. Paul, MN (FanDuel Sports Network North, TSN, RDS, PWHL YouTube Channel)
Quote:“She’s always hungry. She always needs to feed. She must eat.” —Gollum, The Return of the King (2003)
Quote from roughly 1:13-1:21.
Minnesota is always hungry. They always need to score. They must win another Walter Cup.
After a tough week last week, the Frost got back in the win column in style with a 6-2 thumping of the Torrent. They outshot Seattle a whopping 45-26, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a shot chart quite like this one. It’s unheard of to dominate a team so completely in the PWHL. If they had another game this week, or if New York had played at all, they would have had a good chance to slide up a spot in the rankings. However, that wasn’t the case, and considering that part of their domination was simply Seattle playing poorly, keeping them here another week felt right. After all, no PWHL team is good enough to force their way into taking nearly every shot from the slot. Anyway, the Frost have a couple of good games on the docket this week, with a visit to the red-hot Sirens up first before they return home again to take on the Victoire. That game will kick off the team’s first true homestand of the season, which will provide them with a heck of an opportunity to bank some points heading into the Olympic break.
#3 (tied). New York Sirens (6-0-0-5, 18 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: Tied for third (-)
This Week’s Results:
- No games this week.
Upcoming Schedule:
- Fri., Jan. 16 vs MIN: 7 p.m. ET, Prudential Center, Newark, NJ (FanDuel Sports Network North, Sportsnet, PWHL YouTube Channel)
- Sun., Jan. 18 vs MTL: 2 p.m. ET, Capital One Arena, Washington, DC (MSG, Monumental Sports Network, CBC, CBC TV, PWHL YouTube Channel)
- Tue., Jan. 20 vs OTT: 7 p.m. ET, Prudential Center, Newark, NJ (MSGSN2, Amazon Prime, PWHL YouTube Channel)
Quote:“Looks like meat’s back on the menu, boys!” —Uglúk, The Two Towers (2002)
Quote from 2:23-2:26.
After a week off, looks like Sirens hockey is back on the menu, folks!
The Sirens got the week off, which is great for practice but terrible for momentum considering they’re riding a four-game win streak. However, that extra rest will be quickly made up for, as tonight’s meeting with Minnesota kicks off a stretch of three games in five days. It’ll provide the group with a bit of adversity, which will be a good test to see how far they’ve come since, historically, adversity has not been the Sirens’ friend. One big question heading into this busy stretch is whether the team will finally give goaltender Kayle Osborne a break, as she has played all 11 of the team’s games this season. There isn’t much travel involved this week, with just a quick jaunt down to DC in the middle of two home games, but three games in five days is still a lot to ask of any goaltender. They’d be wise to give rookie Callie Shanahan a look before the week is through, perhaps against a lower-octane opponent like Ottawa.
#5. Ottawa Charge (3-4-0-6, 17 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: 7 (+2)
This Week’s Results:
- Fri., Jan. 9 vs. VAN: 4-2 W
- Sun., Jan. 11 @ BOS: 2-1 SOW
- Tue., Jan. 13 @ MTL: 2-1 L
Upcoming Schedule:
- Tue., Jan. 20 @ NYS: 7 p.m. ET, Prudential Center, Newark, NJ (Amazon Prime, MSGSN2, PWHL YouTube Channel)
Quote:“Po-tay-toes. Boil ‘em, mash ’em, stick ‘em in a stew” —Samwise Gamgee, The Two Towers (2002)
Quote from 1:08-1:12.
Win-ning. Do it by one goal, two goals, while getting outplayed, it doesn’t matter. The Charge are finding a way.
Despite the loss to end the week, the results from the rest of the league finally allowed me to give Ottawa a little more respect in the rankings. Montréal snapped the Charge’s winning streak at six, but their two wins this week finally pulled them out of the league’s basement. They now sit in fifth place, just two points back of Montréal and Minnesota, who are tied for second place. That’s something, especially considering how this team was looking just a few weeks ago. However, now comes the real test of the team’s growth: how they respond now that the win streak is over. After three games in five days this week, the Charge have a quiet one ahead, with just one game on the docket on Tuesday. However, a win over the streaking Sirens would go a long way towards instilling some legitimate belief that their win streak was more than just otherworldly goaltending and lucky bounces.
#6. Seattle Torrent (3-1-1-5, 12 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: 5 (-1)
This Week’s Results:
- Sun., Jan. 11 @ MIN: 6-2 L
Upcoming Schedule:
- Sun., Jan. 18 vs. BOS: 7 p.m. PT, Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA (NESN, Sportsnet, PWHL YouTube Channel)
- Tue., Jan. 20 vs. TOR- 7 p.m. PT, Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA (Amazon Prime, PWHL YouTube Channel)
Quote:“I do not doubt his heart, only the reach of his arm.” —Eomer, The Return of the King (2003).
Quote from 0:46-0:49.
I do not doubt the Torrent’s skill. Only their ability to execute their game plan with even a smidge of consistency.
One word: yikes. Not only did they lose 6-2 in their lone game this week, but they tortured goaltender Hannah Murphy by letting Minnesota pour 45 shots on her, almost all of which came from the slot. I don’t know what happened to the defensive structure this team purports to play with, but there wasn’t even a hint of it on Sunday. They’ll return home this week to face the Fleet, who are off to an excellent start but have struggled a bit on the road, and Toronto, who have just been struggling in general. Their focus needs to be on locking things back down defensively first, because you’re not winning any games when your shot chart looks like it did on Sunday. Then, they can turn their attention back to trying to find an offensive rhythm, because that also remains a problem. In short, there is still lots of work to be done in the Emerald City.
#7. Toronto Sceptres (4-0-3-5, 15 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: 6 (-1)
This Week’s Results:
- Wed., Jan. 14 @ BOS: 2-1 L
Upcoming Schedule:
- Sat., Jan. 17 vs VAN: 3 p.m. ET, Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON (Sportsnet, PWHL YouTube Channel)
- Tue., Jan. 20 @ SEA: 10 p.m. ET, Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA (Amazon Prime, PWHL YouTube Channel)
- Thu., Jan. 22 @ VAN: 10 p.m. ET, Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, BC (Sportsnet, PWHL YouTube Channel)
Quote:Every LOTR fan’s favorite fun fact scream —Aragorn, The Two Towers (2002)
Skip to 0:35 for the moment.
It might be wordless, but Aragorn’s very real broken toe scream is about the only way to describe what’s going on in Toronto right now.
Things are not going well in Sceptresland. The loss this week brought their streak to four (three regulation, one shootout), which is tied for the longest in team history. They’ve been shut out once and scored a mere four goals during it. Head coach Troy Ryan repeatedly referenced commitment during his postgame press conference on Wednesday, which is not a good thing to be lacking 12 games into a season, to put it simply. It’s hard to say what, if anything, will right the ship in Toronto, but with three games on the docket this week, they’ll need to figure it out quickly. They kick things off with their annual Battle on Bay Street game, which has been kind to them in the past, before heading out on a West Coast road trip that has been kind to no one so far this season. Perhaps a lack of time to dwell on things is what the Sceptres need right now.
#8. Vancouver Goldeneyes (3-1-1-7, 12 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: 8 (-)
This Week’s Results:
- Fri., Jan. 9 @ OTT: 4-2 L
- Sun., Jan. 11 @ MTL: 1-0 L
Upcoming Schedule:
- Sat., Jan. 17 @ TOR: 12 p.m. PT, Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON (Sportsnet, PWHL YouTube Channel)
- Thu., Jan. 22 vs. TOR: 7 p.m. PT, Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, BC (Sportsnet, PWHL YouTube Channel)
Quote:“What’s taters, precious? What’s taters, eh?” —Gollum, The Two Towers (2002)
What’s a road win, precious? What’s even a good road performance, eh?
There’s not much new to report here about the Goldeneyes this week. They’re still a terrible road team, and that’s still a big problem. The good news is that they face off against an equally struggling Toronto squad twice this week. The first one will be in the extremely hostile Scotiabank Arena, but the second will mercifully be back in Vancouver. And in more good news, Sarah Nurse has been activated off LTIR and will play her first game since the season opener tomorrow. There’s no time like the present to get back on track, but even if they do, it won’t erase the damage their struggles have caused. Much like in Seattle, there is still a lot of work to be done here if they hope to make the playoffs, let alone challenge for a Walter Cup.