The Seattle Torrent returned from the Olympic break facing a difficult reality. Captain Hilary Knight and forward Hannah Bilka—two of the team’s most important offensive players—were suddenly unavailable due to injuries sustained during the Games, leaving Seattle to reshape its lineup in the middle of a season where goals have been hard to come by.
Through their first three games back, the results have been mixed, but the stretch has revealed something encouraging. With Knight and Bilka out, Seattle has started to find contributions from elsewhere in the lineup, particularly from Mikyla Grant-Mentis, Jessie Eldridge, and Danielle Serdachny.
Seattle entered the Boston game on March 11 sitting last in the PWHL standings at 4-1-2-9 with 16 points, having lost four straight games while being outscored 16-8 during that stretch. Much of that deficit came at five-on-five, where Seattle scored just five even-strength goals across those four games.
The lack of even-strength scoring has been a season-long problem for the Torrent. Seattle entered the week with 25 even-strength goals—among the lowest totals in the league—which has forced the team to rely heavily on special teams and individual moments of offense. But the most recent game offered a glimpse of how Seattle might generate offense moving forward.
Grant-Mentis bringing energy to Seattle’s middle six
Against the first-place Boston Fleet, Seattle controlled large stretches of play and finished with a 37-28 advantage in shots on goal, one of the few times this season the Torrent have clearly driven the shot battle. The pressure finally paid off late in the third period. Mikyla Grant-Mentis tied the game with a short-handed jailbreak goal with just over five minutes remaining before Danielle Serdachny scored the game-winner less than two minutes later, lifting Seattle to a 3-2 comeback win.
Grant-Mentis’ goal came on the penalty kill, where her speed has become an increasingly important part of Seattle’s transition game. The forward jumped on a loose puck, broke through the neutral zone, and finished the chance herself, turning a defensive situation into one of the biggest momentum swings of the game.
Grant-Mentis entered the stretch with five points on the season, but her role has expanded as Seattle looks for players capable of driving offense beyond its top line.
Eldridge continuing a quietly strong season
Eldridge, meanwhile, has quietly become one of the team’s most important offensive drivers in recent weeks. The forward has been on one of the strongest stretches of her season, entering the Boston matchup riding a five-game point streak with nine points, including five goals in those five games after scoring just twice in her first 11 appearances.
Her two power-play goals in Seattle’s loss to Ottawa before the Boston game were another example of how she has stepped into a larger offensive role. With Knight unavailable—a player who typically anchors Seattle’s top offensive situations—Eldridge has seen increased usage on both the power play and in late-game offensive scenarios.
The underlying numbers from the last few games also suggest Seattle’s process has been stronger than the results. Against Boston, the Torrent generated 37 shots while allowing just 28, continuing a trend where Seattle has been able to suppress chances against some of the league’s strongest teams even when the goals haven’t followed. In earlier matchups against the Fleet this season, Seattle held Boston to 23 and 21 shots in two games, an indication the defensive structure has largely held up at five-on-five.
What Seattle has lacked is finishing, something that players like Serdachny are beginning to provide.
Serdachny’s growth showing up in key moments
The forward’s game-winning goal against Boston was a timely example of her offensive instincts. Positioned in the offensive zone, Serdachny found open space and quickly finished a feed from Natalie Snodgrass, giving Seattle the lead just 1:27 after Grant-Mentis tied the game.
For Serdachny, moments like that represent a key step in her adjustment to the professional game. The Canadian forward entered the season expected to be part of Seattle’s long-term core, but like many first-year players, she has needed time to adjust to the pace of the professional game. Recently, that growth has started to translate into production. The recent lineup shuffle has given her more offensive opportunities, and the Boston game may be an early indication of how she could grow into that responsibility.
Seattle’s offensive depth has also been supported by the playmaking of Julia Gosling, who recorded three assists across the team’s previous two games, including two primary assists in Ottawa. Together, those contributions point to a broader shift in how the Torrent are generating offense.
Seattle’s playoff hopes will depend on finding more sustained scoring down the stretch. Over the past three games, the Torrent have at least started to show where that offense might come from.