PWHL Boston Players Address Grind Of Inaugural Playoffs Run

LOWELL, Mass. — As the inaugural playoff season of the PWHL playoffs continues, players from PWHL Boston took a moment to reflect on how different the postseason has been for them at this stage of their careers.

Defender Kaleigh Fratkin played in both the Premier Hockey Federation and CWHL before signing a one-year contract with Boston before the club’s training camp.

“You’re playing in a five-game series, which is something a little bit different,” Fratkin told reporters following Game 2 of the finals. “I’ve played in a three-game series or a one-game elimination. It’s like a marathon. Just because you win one game, doesn’t mean you’re going to win it all.

“We knew it was going to be tough going into it. We came out really strong in our first series (against PWHL Montreal), and this one (against Minnesota) is gonna be a battle. We’re all aware of that and something that we’re all used to in some fashion.”

PWHL Boston captain Hilary Knight is one of the most decorated female hockey players, having won championships in the NCAA, CWHL and Premier Hockey Federation. She has also won gold medals in the Olympics and World Cup as a member of Team USA. Having played at all levels of competition, Knight understands the grind of a five-game series can put on the athletes’ bodies.

“I think the recovery time is a little bit different,” Knight said. “It’s everyone’s first having this type of contact (in the game), having this deep of a playoff run, having five-on-five played fully out like a true game should be at this point in the season.

“(…) Right now, it’s just go time. Continuing to show up and be hungry every single day like this team has been.”

Boston won the first game of the series, defeating Minnesota in a high-scoring affair that saw five goals in the second period. In Game 2, Boston was shutout 3-0 in its first loss of the postseason.

“I don’t think we played a bad game at all,” Knight said. “They were just able to capitalize on a couple of our errors there. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find the back of the net because Aerin Frankel stands on her head every single night for us.”

Knight added: “People are stepping up in different positions. It’s just great to have everybody activated in this game, and we just didn’t find the back and we’re going to work on that.”

With the Walter Cup Final tied 1-1, PWHL Boston will look to regain the lead in the best-of-five series when they travel to Minnesota for Game 3 on Friday. Puck drop from Xcel Energy Center is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game on NESN.