The Boston Fleet will be docking on Causeway Street this spring.
The Professional Women’s Hockey League club announced Tuesday morning that the team will host the Montreal Victoire at TD Garden on April 11 at 7 p.m.
The game was originally listed on Boston’s schedule with a time and location to be determined, but the Fleet will play its first game on Garden ice against a longtime Boston rival.
The tilt will serve as the nightcap of a Saturday doubleheader at TD Garden. The Boston Bruins first play the Tampa Bay Lightning at 12:30 p.m. before the Fleet will hit the ice for the first professional women’s hockey game in the historic venue.
“This marks a special milestone in our club’s history,” said Fleet general manager Danielle Marmer. “The Boston-Montreal rivalry runs quite deep on the men’s side, but we’ve found a way to continue that in the PWHL as well. I expect this to be a really fun game for our fans to attend and one that’s going to mean a lot in terms of standings and just to continue on that rivalry.”
Montreal battled Boston last March at the Bell Centre, home of the Montreal Canadiens, in front of 17,324 fans. The Fleet will now return the favor on the home sheet of the Bruins in what has developed into one of the league’s fiercest rivalries. Of the 10 regular-season games played between the franchises, seven have required overtime. The Fleet notably swept Montreal in three straight overtime games in the 2024 PWHL semifinals.
Marmer said the organization has been working toward landing a game at TD Garden since the inaugural season in 2024 but faced struggles to align the venue’s crowded schedule with the PWHL’s. She said it was a priority entering year three.
TD Garden boasts a capacity of 17,850 for hockey games and brought in over 13,000 fans for the Women’s Beanpot in 2025. The WNBA’s Connecticut Sun held games at the Garden the past two years, selling out both.
“It’s a place that I think a lot of us have always wanted to play, especially representing the city of Boston and playing for the Boston Fleet, we’re really excited to get the opportunity to play at TD Garden and hopefully pack the place,” said Fleet captain Megan Keller.
The Fleet calls Lowell home for the majority of its home matchups this season. Boston hosts eight games at the Tsongas Center and four at Agganis Arena. Boston has games at Agganis this week on Wednesday (7 p.m.) and Sunday (3 p.m.) and doesn’t return to the Tsongas until Jan. 14.
Hot start
Boston (2-0-0-0) is the only unbeaten team in the early goings of the 2025-26 campaign, earning thrilling wins over Montreal (2-0) and the Toronto Sceptres (3-1). Boston has relinquished a league-best one goal thus far and has also yet to allow a power-play goal (3-for-3).
“Getting three points in this league is tough to do, so to be able to do that in the first two games, we’re obviously excited about that, but I think for us as a group we know that we still have things to work on and still have things to grow on,” Keller said. “That’s our focus after each game.”
The Fleet blanked Montreal in Lowell in its home opener before hitting the road and doling out an impressive 3-1 win over Toronto after battling back from a 1-0 deficit. Boston was the better team in all facets of the game against the Victoire — holding a 28-25 shots on goal advantage and playing a sound defensive game — before grinding out a blue-collar effort while being outshot 25-12 against Toronto.
While it is early, being able to win in a myriad of ways excites Marmer.
“If you have a team that can find different ways to win hockey games, that’s a really good sign,” Marmer said.
Frankel stands tall
Star netminder Aerin Frankel has a lot to do with Boston’s success. Frankel has stopped 49 of 50 shots and has been the anchor of the Fleet’s first two wins.
“There’s a confidence that she plays with, and seeing that come through in these first couple of games, that’s the start that you want for her,” Marmer said.
Frankel has certainly lived up to her billing as a franchise stalwart in her third year with the team. The Goaltender of the Year finalist led the PWHL in saves last season with 591.
Newhook fitting in
Boston’s stars have shown out in their first two games, with fixtures Susanna Tapani (2-1-3), Keller (1-1-2) and Alina Müller (1-1-2) carrying the offensive workload.
But rookie Abby Newhook has quickly assimilated herself as a middle-six forward with some playmaking punch for first-year bench boss Kris Sparre.
Newhook chose a pivotal time to pot her first career goal, tying the game at 1-1 against Toronto en route to a thrilling win on Saturday.
“She’s a player that’s come in and earned every opportunity,” Sparre said. “That last game in a big moment, we’re trying to find our rhythm in the game, and Abby goes in and wins a big 50-50 puck and sets up a goal to sort of spark our team.”
Newhook has experience playing on Garden ice. The Boston College product played in the Women’s Beanpot last year in a 4-1 win over Harvard in the third-place game.
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