Around the PWHL: Playoff picture; Fantastic Fillier; Green Monster for MVP?

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This article was published 03/04/2026 (211 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With the countdown to the Walter Cup playoffs firmly on, two clubs punched playoff tickets this week.

Going into Friday’s action, the playoff-bound Boston Fleet are barely holding on to first place overall (51 points), just two points ahead of the Montreal Victoire (49 points) — who are also headed to the playoffs and who were set to clash against the Ottawa Charge for the fourth and final time this season Friday night.

Just as was speculated last week, all signs point to an Olympic goalie rematch as the Fleet’s Aerin Frankel and the Victoire’s Ann-Renée Desbiens continue to impress.

If anything, the jockeying this year has been setting up a thrilling playoff picture.

Now let’s check out what else happened around the league this week.

Highlight of the week

Take a bow Sarah Fillier.

Not only did the Georgetown, Ont., phenom score the game-winning overtime goal for the New York Sirens on Wednesday, her marker capped off a hat trick on the night and her third unanswered goal of the game.

How can anything else make the forward’s night more impressive? Her hat trick came against the Minnesota Frost — that’s right, the third-best team in the league and defending back-to-back Walter Cup champions.

The win also lifted the Sirens into sixth place with six games left on their regular-season schedule. Going into Friday night’s action, the club is only five points out of the fourth and final playoff spot and Fillier may have just sparked a playoff push for the Sirens.

‘Just give her the damn thing’

So said Boston’s head coach Kris Sparre this week. And… he’s not wrong.

The Fleet’s Frankel has made the case to claim this season’s Most Valuable Player title. The Green Monster, as she is belovedly known in Boston, recorded her third straight shutout and seventh shutout of the season March 27.

The netminder boasts a 1.17 goals-against average and a .954 save percentage while recording 16 wins and dropping five games (three in regulation and two in shootouts) so far this season.

But who is on Frankel’s tail? You guess it. Desbiens had 15 wins this season going into Friday night’s game against the Charge and boasts a 1.14 GAA, six shutouts on the season and is tied with Frankel with a .954 SV%.

A goalie has never won the MVP award in the PWHL. Looks like this one will come down to the wire and who finishes on top in the standings.

Until next season, Takeover Tours

The Takeover Tour comes to a close in Edmonton this week with the Fleet taking on the Vancouver Goldeneyes in the late game on Tuesday. This season saw 16 neutral-site games and the PWHL’s executive vice-president of business operations Amy Scheer is already working on next season’s edition.

While fans in Canada and the U.S. can look forward to watching their favourite teams grace their hometowns, Scheer did say the league isn’t “quite ready to leave North America yet.”

Scheer also doubled down on the league expanding by two to four teams for the 2026-27 season, and the Takeover Tour has been used by the league to test the waters for new markets.

Here’s to hoping the Prairies are on the shortlist.

Game to watch in Week 17

All eyes are on the Minnesota Frost.

After launching themselves into the top of the standings, the club has sputtered once again — most recently at the hands of the Sirens’ Fillier.

The team is back in action on Saturday (1 p.m. CT, CBC) against the Vancouver Goldeneyes.

This game should answer the question about both clubs and which direction the needle is trending.

The Goldeneyes still have six games to play, with 18 points available to claim.

The Frost sit in the same statistical position. But the team has lost its last three straight games — its last win coming over Vancouver back on March 21. Meanwhile, Vancouver is 1-2 in its last three games, coming off a 3-0 thumping by Montreal on Wednesday.

With both teams hungry to buck the trend — and with questions of whether the Goldeneyes can make the playoffs and whether the Frost deserve to be in a playoff position — Saturday’s clash should be a deciding matchup.

winnipegfreepress.com/graceannepaizen