DETROIT (AP) — In front of the largest audience to attend a professional women’s hockey game in the United States on Saturday night in Detroit, Boston defeated Ottawa 2-1 in a shootout. Hannah Brandt and Hilary Knight each scored goals in the shootout, and Aerin Frankel stopped four of the five shots she faced.
The game, which took place on the Red Wings’ home ice as part of the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s Takeover Weekend, had an announced crowd of 13,736, which was more than the 13,316 that saw Minnesota win their home opener against Montreal on January 6.
When 19,285 people attended the sell-out Battle on Bay Street between Toronto and Montreal at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on February 16, Montreal and Toronto set a new Canadian record. On the Penguins’ home ice in Pittsburgh on Sunday, the teams square off.
With seven games left in the regular season, Boston (4-4-2-7) and Ottawa were tied for the fourth and final playoff spot going into Saturday’s game. Both clubs treated the match as though it were a playoff match. Boston took a 1-0 lead thanks to a goal from Knight three minutes into the contest. However, Ottawa responded at the 15:20 mark when Emily Clark beat Frankel with a shot that went just under the crossbar during a power play. Neither side was able to score in regulation or in the 5 minutes overtime
Ottawa hit the crossbar twice early in the match, while their captain, Brianne Jenner, missed an open shot in overtime. Despite no goals scored in the first round of penalty shots, Kateřina Mrazova and Brandt each found the net in the following rounds. Frankel, for Boston, made crucial saves in the shootout to secure the win. Both goalkeepers, Maschmeyer and Frankel, made 25 saves each. Ottawa has struggled in games beyond regulation this season, losing four of their first seven overtimes and two of the last three shootouts. Boston’s Loren Gabel suffered a shoulder injury during the game and had to leave the ice. Manon Rheaume, a Michigan resident and pioneering female hockey player, dropped the ceremonial first puck.
