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.
Off the ice, the PWHL hit yet another major milestone this week, with their all-time attendance crossing two million fans during Wednesday’s Takeover Tour game in Chicago. They’ll hit another one this coming week, with Saturday’s Takeover Tour game in Detroit set to become the first nationally televised game in the United States via ion.
Meanwhile, little changed on the ice this past week, with teams performing about as expected, thereby keeping the standings murky. However, there are a few matchups this week that could start to separate the three-team packs battling for the first three seeds and then for the fourth. It’s a wacky schedule this week to match that vibe, with Sunday and Wednesday each boasting three-game slates but then just two other games the rest of the week, one tonight and one Saturday. Get your multi-screen setups ready, folks.
What’s this week’s power rankings theme, question? Project Hail Mary. The book or the movie, question? The book, because yours truly can’t go see the movie until Tuesday. Will there be spoilers ahead, question? You betcha, so proceed with caution if you have not read the book and/or seen the movie and don’t want it spoiled.
I reiterate, spoilers ahead for Andy Weir’s novel, “Project Hail Mary,” and by extension, the recently released movie. All spoilers are contained in the quote and theme paragraphs, and although not all are spoilery, read at your own risk.
#1. Boston Fleet (11-5-2-4, 45 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: Tied for second (+1)
This Week’s Results:
- Saturday, March 21 vs SEA- 3-0 W
- Tuesday, March 24 vs VAN- 2-0 W
Upcoming Schedule:
- Friday, March 27 @ TOR- 7 p.m. ET, Coca-Cola Coliseum, Toronto, ON (NESN, Sportsnet, PWHL Youtube Channel)
- Sunday, March 29 @ MIN- 4 p.m. ET, Grand Casino Arena, St. Paul, MN (FanDuel Sports Network North, Sportsnet, PWHL Youtube Channel)
Quote: “Fist my bump” – Rocky (Chapter 29)
The Fleet secured back-to-back shutouts for the first time in team history this week, and Aerin Frankel has the same amount of shutouts this season alone (6) as the next goaltender, Ann-Renée Desbiens, has in their career. If that doesn’t deserve a cosmic fist bump, nothing does.
After a tough start to their three-game homestand last week, the Fleet closed it out in style by shutting out the Torrent and Goldeneyes. However, this weekend is going to be a big test, as they head to Toronto to face a rested and hungry Sceptres squad before departing for Minnesota, where a likely angry Frost team awaits after they got shut out by the Victoire. Both of these teams also just so happen to be the only ones to beat the Fleet by multiple goals this season, although the spare goals in both games were empty-netters. Regardless, the Fleet will need to find a way to bring something resembling Saturday’s effort out on the road with them if they hope to maintain their spot in the top seed battle.
#2. Montréal Victoire (11-4-2-5, 43 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: Tied for second (-)
This Week’s Results:
- Sunday, March 22 @ OTT- 2-1 OTL
- Wednesday, March 25 @ MIN- 3-0 W
Upcoming Schedule:
- Saturday, March 28 vs NYS- 1 p.m. ET, Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI (CBC, Radio-Canada, ion, PWHL Youtube Channel)
- Wednesday, April 1 vs VAN- 7 p.m. ET, Place Bell, Laval, QC (TSN, RDS, PWHL Youtube Channel)
Quote: “Good. Proud. I am scary space monster. You are leaky space blob.” – Rocky (Chapter 25)
The Montréal continue proving that they’re much more of an efficient, scary monster than an inefficiently designed leaky blob this year.
The Victoire did not bring their best game with them to Winnipeg this week, yet they still managed to steal a point from an increasingly desperate Charge squad. Then, they followed it up with a complete win over the Frost, who they’re scrapping with in the standings. Desbiens was a big part of all that, as she continues to state her case opposite Frankel for Goaltender of the Year, and quite possibly for the Billie Jean King MVP award. Meanwhile, Montréal continues to get offensive contributions from throughout the lineup, which is particularly important with Marie-Philip Poulin landing on LTIR this week. All things considered, the Victoire continue to roll, and the belief that this year will be different come playoff time grows with each game.
#3. Minnesota Frost (11-3-3-5, 42 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: 1 (-2)
This Week’s Results:
- Saturday, March 21 @ VAN- 3-1 W
- Wednesday, March 25 vs MTL- 3-0 L
Upcoming Schedule:
- Sunday, March 29 vs BOS- 3 p.m. CT, Grand Casino Arena, St. Paul, MN (FanDuel Sports Network North, Sportsnet, PWHL Youtube Channel)
- Wednesday, April 1 @ NYS- 6 p.m. CT, Prudential Center, Newark, NJ (FanDuel Sports Network North, Scripps Sports Network, MSG, TSN, PWHL Youtube Channel)
Quote: “Usually you not stupid. Why stupid, question?”- Rocky (Chapter 21)
Usually Frost not struggle offensively. Why struggle this week, question?
After racking up 13 goals on 83 shots last week, the Frost’s offense has returned to Earth. They managed just three goals on 44 shots (6.8% shooting percentage), and were shut out at home by the Victoire, who seem to have their number this season. Overall, despite securing three points in the standings, it was a forgettable week. Next up is a visit from a hot, albeit offensively questionable, Boston squad, followed by a trip to see the struggling Sirens, who are at risk of missing the playoffs for the third straight season. If Minnesota hopes to keep pace in the race for first place, they would do well to secure at least half of those available points. Getting their offense back on track will be a big part of that.
#4. Toronto Sceptres (8-1-5-8, 31 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: 4 (-)
This Week’s Results:
- No games this week
Upcoming Schedule:
- Friday, March 27 vs BOS- 7 p.m. ET, Coca-Cola Coliseum, Toronto, ON (Sportsnet, NESN, PWHL Youtube Channel)
- Sunday, March 29 vs VAN- 1 p.m. ET, Coca-Cola Coliseum, Toronto, ON (TSN, PWHL Youtube Channel)
- Wednesday, April 1 @ OTT- 9:30 p.m. ET, Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, AB (TSN, Scripps Sports Network, PWHL Youtube Channel)
Quote: “Will it hold? If not, the force of the centrifuge will fling me off into space and I’ll become Adrian’s newest moon”- Ryland Grace (Chapter 22)
After the Taumoeba escape and annihilate the Hail Mary’s fuel, Grace thinks to use the beetles’ Astrophage to get back to Rocky’s ship and refuel. However, to do that, Grace has to make a sketchy EVA to get the beetles out of the nose of the ship, where there are no tether points. Add in the fact that Grace has to battle significant centripetal force during the EVA, and there are plenty of reasons to believe that, should he slip, he’s a goner. Likewise, the Sceptres made the sketchy decision to struggle for a long stretch this season. Yet, somehow, they find themselves precariously in the final playoff position. Will it hold? If not, they’ll become the fourth original six PWHL team to miss the playoffs.
The Sceptres got some time to rest this week, but that may not be such a good thing. They flipped the script on their season coming out of the international break, but despite their six-game point streak, Toronto was not quite playing good enough hockey to make anyone confident this shorter break would also be no big deal. That concern has only grown, with Raygan Kirk set to miss at least the next two games. Her turnaround is perhaps the biggest reason the Sceptres have been able to crawl back into a playoff spot, and while Elaine Chuli has been mostly good this year, she hasn’t played since January 22. If she falters, Toronto is in trouble.
#5. Ottawa Charge (5-7-1-9, 30 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: 6 (+1)
This Week’s Results:
- Sunday, March 22 vs MTL- 2-1 OTW
Upcoming Schedule:
- Sunday, March 29 @ SEA- 7 p.m. ET, Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA (Sportsnet, Scripps Sports Network, PWHL Youtube Channel)
- Wednesday, April 1 vs TOR- 9:30 p.m. ET, Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, AB (TSN, Scripps Sports Network, PWHL Youtube Channel)
Quote: “It’s a simple idea, but also stupid. Thing is, when stupid ideas work, they become genius ideas. We’ll see which way this one falls.”- Ryland Grace (Chapter 18)
It’s a simple idea, largely relying on Gwyneth Phillips to steal enough games to get into the playoffs, but also stupid. In fact, it’s as potentially life-threateningly stupid as Grace and Rocky’s plan to fly the Hail Mary slow enough to go fishing for Astrophage predators on Adrian, while also having to thrust away from the planet at an angle to avoid crashing into its atmosphere or vaporizing their fishing device. However, when stupid ideas work, they look genius. We’ll see what Ottawa’s verdict is come April 25.
Ottawa made Jocelyne Larocque’s first professional game in her home province extra memorable with an overtime win in their lone game of the week. The Charge are more reliant on overtime than is good for them, but two points are better than no points. This next week is massive for Ottawa, as they face a Seattle squad destined for the Gold Plan before a massive showdown with Toronto on Wednesday. If the Charge hope to squeak into the playoffs again, they need to redeem their no-show in March 8’s similarly important game against the Sirens and beat the Sceptres. If they don’t, it’s hard to imagine they’ll be playing May hockey again.
#6. New York Sirens (8-0-3-11, 27 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: 5 (-1)
This Week’s Results:
- Wednesday, March 25 @ SEA- 4-1 L
Upcoming Schedule:
- Saturday, March 28 @ MTL- 1 p.m. ET, Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI (ion, CBC, Radio-Canada, PWHL Youtube Channel)
- Wednesday, April 1 vs MIN- 7 p.m. ET, Prudential Center, Newark, NJ (MSG, Scripps Sports Network, FanDuel Sports Network North, TSN, PWHL Youtube Channel)
Quote: “I’ve gone from ‘sole-surviving space explorer’ to ‘guy with wacky new roommate.’ It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out.”- Ryland Grace (Chapter 15)
The Sirens have gone from looking like they’ll not only break their last-place finish curse, but make the playoffs, to looking like they’re going to become the first PWHL team to miss the playoffs in all three seasons. The wacky new roommate turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to Grace, but you won’t be able to say that about the Sirens missing the playoffs for three straight years.
New York’s fall from grace continued this week. They’re 2-0-2-6 in their last ten games, and while they haven’t slipped any farther down the standings, they’re now four points back of the final playoff spot. Kayle Osborne has not been playing at the same level since returning from the Olympic break, and their puck luck remains terrible. Things will only get tougher this week with games against two of the league’s best on the docket. Time is yet again rapidly running out for the Sirens.
#7. Seattle Torrent (6-1-2-13, 22 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: 8 (+1)
This Week’s Results:
- Saturday, March 21 @ BOS- 3-0 L
- Wednesday, March 25 vs NYS- 4-1 W
Upcoming Schedule:
- Sunday, March 29 vs OTT- 4 p.m. PT, Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA (Scripps Sports Network, Sportsnet, PWHL Youtube Channel)
Quote: From Chapter 4, when Ryland Grace first kills an Astrophage:
Eva Stratt: “How did you do it? What killed it?”
Grace: “I penetrated the outer cell membrane with a nanosyringe.”
Stratt: “You poked it with a stick?”
Grace: “No!” I said. “Well. Yes. But it was a scientific poke with a very scientific stick.”
Stratt: “It took you two days to think of poking it with a stick.”
Grace: “You…be quiet.”
About once a month, the Torrent think to try killing an opponent by scoring more than three goals. It’s successful every time, raising plenty of questions about why they don’t attempt it more often.
The Torrent might have started this week with a disappointing loss, but they finished it with a convincing win over a Sirens team that should have been more desperate to steal points. It doesn’t really change Seattle’s fortunes, but hey, having something to celebrate now and then isn’t such a terrible thing. That said, they would still be smart to lose more than they win for the next couple of weeks, so they can be eliminated from playoff contention sooner and start working towards that first overall pick.
#8. Vancouver Goldeneyes (6-1-4-11, 24 points)
Last Week’s Ranking: 7 (-1)
This Week’s Results:
- Saturday, March 21 vs MIN- 3-1 L
- Tuesday, March 24 @ BOS- 2-0 L
Upcoming Schedule:
- Sunday, March 29 @ TOR- 10 a.m. PT, Coca-Cola Coliseum, Toronto, ON (TSN, PWHL YouTube Channel)
- Wednesday, April 1 @ MTL- 4 p.m. PT, Place Bell, Laval, QC (TSN, RDS, PWHL Youtube Channel)
Quote: “Grumpy. Angry. Stupid. How long since last sleep, question?”- Rocky (Chapter 25)
Defensively porous. Offensively inept. Just bad. How long until the Gold Plan, question?
Just as Seattle’s hopes and dreams came crashing down last week, so did the Goldeneyes’ in this one. For starters, they couldn’t get much going in the final game of their homestand against a hot Minnesota team. Then, they generated a bunch of shots against Boston, but the Fleet largely kept them to the perimeter, and perimeter shots are not going to beat Frankel. Vancouver is now seven points back of fourth-place Toronto, and while a regulation win over them this week would be tremendously helpful, it’s hard to imagine playoffs are in this team’s future.