A Celebration of the PWHL: The Fleet’s Shootout Win and Olympic Send-Off at SGC Takeover Tour

As you may have heard, Sports Girls Club is currently hosting its Takeover Tour, featuring six events across six different cities. This week, I had the absolute pleasure of attending the Boston Fleet x Sports Girls Club Takeover Night.

Courtesy of Sports Girls Club

On January 28th, 4,697 fans packed the Tsongas Center to watch the Boston Fleet take on the New York Sirens. More than 850 of those attendees were there specifically for the SGC Takeover, creating an electric atmosphere from the moment the doors opened to the final horn. The night was a special celebration of community and a clear reminder of how vital the growth of women's hockey—and women's sports as a whole—truly is. Fans were treated to an unforgettable game that went all the way to a shootout, where the Fleet emerged with the win. The stakes felt even higher as this matchup marked the final game before the Olympic break.

In honor of the occasion, members of the 1998 U.S. Women's Olympic Hockey Team, who captured the first-ever women's Olympic hockey gold medal, were honored pregame and performed the ceremonial puck drop. The moment served as a powerful bridge between the sport’s groundbreaking past and its rapidly growing future, highlighting just how far women’s hockey has come.

Colleen Coyne, Katie King-Crowley, Shelley Looney, A.J. Mleczko, and Tara Mounsey of the 1998 U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey team performing the ceremonial puck drop. Courtesy of PWHL_Boston/X

Looking ahead to the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics, a remarkable 61 PWHL players will compete on the world’s biggest stage, representing roughly 30% of the league. That group includes 23 players from Canada, 16 from the United States, eight from Czechia, four from Finland, four from Sweden, three from Germany, two from Switzerland, and one from Italy. On this night alone, fans had the privilege of watching 13 future Olympians take the ice—seven from the Fleet and six from the Sirens. 

Fueled by the infectious energy in the building, the Fleet and Sirens delivered a thrilling, back-and-forth matchup. Just 17 seconds into the game, Boston's Liz Schepers took a minor penalty for holding, and only 16 seconds later, captain Megan Keller was sent off for cross-checking, giving New York over a minute of 5-on-3 power play time. Boston managed to kill it off, setting the tone early. 

At 9:45 of the first period, Abby Newhook opened the scoring for the Fleet with a power play goal, netting her fourth of the season. Alina Müller and Haley Winn picked up the assists. Boston carried that 1-0 lead into the first intermission, with both teams recording eight shots on goal each.

New York responded in the second period, taking control with a power play goal from Kristin O'Neill at 10:19. Assists came from Sarah Fillier and Maja Nylen Persson to tie the game at one. The Sirens struck again late in the frame when Maddi Wheeler found Kristýna Kaltounková in the slot at 18:59, giving New York a 2-1 lead heading into the third.

Face off at center ice following Kristin O'Neill's goal. Courtesy of karinna.leonard/Instagram

The Fleet wasted no time answering, and just 57 seconds into the period, Liz Schepers buried the centering feed from Theresa Schafzahl to even the score at two. Boston continued to press, forcing Micah Zandee-Hart to take back-to-back penalties. The Fleet capitalized on the second opportunity, with Jamie Lee Rattray cleaning up the rebound from Zoe Boyd's shot from the point to give Boston the lead. 

As time dwindled down, Kristýna Kaltounkovác reminded everyone why she was selected first overall in the 2025 draft. She notched her 11th goal of the season—and her second of the night—to tie the game and take over the PWHL goal-scoring lead. 

With the score tied late, Zoe Boyd was sent to the box for cross-checking at 18:03. Boston killed off yet another penalty, sending the game to overtime. New York controlled the extra frame, firing five shots on goal, and appeared poised to end it when they were awarded a power play at 3:50 following a Jamie Lee Rattray tripping call. Once again, the Fleet answered the bell, killing off the penalty and forcing a shootout. 

What followed was eight rounds of exciting back-and-forth action. Key saves from Aerin Frankel had all of the Tsongas Center chanting her name, and a pair of shootout goals from Alina Müller sealed the victory for Boston. The win lifted the Fleet to 30 points on the season and into first place in the PWHL standings. 

The first of Alina Müller's shootout goals. Courtesy of PWHL_Boston/X

In a dramatic shootout win that kept Boston undefeated at home, the SGC Takeover Tour night became a celebration of the skill, passion, and community that defines women's hockey. After the final horn, the Fleet and Sirens players selected for the Olympics returned to the ice to be honored, highlighting their incredible talent and the global stage that awaits them. The preliminary round of the Olympics begins February 5th with a matchup between Sweden and Germany, so be sure to catch the action as your favorite PWHL stars compete to win gold.

Edited by: Kelly Cassette