Fleet Itching To Ramp Up This Aspect Of Game In Second Season

NATICK, Mass. — The Boston Fleet enter Year 3 of the PWHL with their new name and logo, and the mission to accomplish “unfinished business” while building their identity of being a physical team on the ice.

Several Fleet players chimed in on the team’s desire to capitalize on that strength while adhering to the league’s rules.

“That’s definitely a way that we like to play here in Boston is be physical, and we want our presence known out there,” defender Megan Keller said. “I think the game happens so fast, sometimes it gets away from you, and we’re still trying to figure that a little bit out.

“But, I think, definitely going into Year 2, I think there is more of a consensus on reffing or players, and we sort of figure it out a bit. But, I mean, hockey’s hockey and you see it at every level. There’s always going to be plays that happen fast and that’s just something we need to be prepared for.”

Theresa Schafzahl played collegiately at the University of Vermont and never understood why women’s hockey was different from men’s.

“I like it. It’s pretty physical, more physical than it was in college, and personally, I really enjoy it,” Schafzahl said. “I never really understood why it was different than the men’s game in that regard. It still is a little bit, but I really like the point where it’s at now. It allows us to not really hold back in situations. You get to play hard, and that’s part of the game for us. It’s natural instincts when you’re going into a puck battle, and you want to win it; use your body and be a little physical.”

As they prepare for game action in Season 2, the players will attempt to navigate around what will be deemed a clean check rather than a penalty.

“I think it’s going to elevate a lot this year,” Fleet forward Lexie Adzija said. “Last year was the first year we kind of got into that physicality, kind of got introduced to it more. I think it’s just going to elevate this year and I think everybody’s working everything, all the kinks out.

“I compare it to a normal business startup, and that’s what the league is. … And it takes a startup five years to really understand the fundamentals and get everything right. So, is our call going to be perfect this year? No. But, it’s working with each other to develop that and then get to the point where we fully understand. But I think this year, the difference is, we know how to be physical and we know how to protect ourselves against the physicality.”