PWHL

The Boston Fleet are ready to take a sold-out TD Garden by storm

"We know this place is going to be full of Boston Fleet fans, but it's a step in the right direction for women's hockey in general.”

The Boston Fleet will play their first game at TD Garden on Saturday. Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP

April 9, 2026

4 minutes to read

During a recent Bruin’s game, Boston’s barn erupted in applause as the TD Garden videoboard showcased Megan Keller’s golden goal in the 2026 Winter Olympics.

That chorus of cheers only grew louder after a trio of Team USA gold medalists in Keller, goaltender Aerin Frankel, and defender Haley Winn, all players for the Boston Fleet, were featured on the Jumbotron during the Bruins’ eventual win over the Dallas Stars on March 31.

Alongside that group of Fleet stars, Boston forward Alina Muller — an Olympic bronze medalist with Switzerland — was also honored for her performance on the international stage.

For Frankel — the star netminder who fueled both Team USA’s run to a gold medal and the Fleet’s surge as a Walter Cup contender — that reception is only destined to grow in decibels when the Fleet take to the same ice on Causeway Street Saturday night.

TD Garden gives an ovation to Olympic gold medalists and Boston Fleet stars Megan Keller, Aerin Frankel, and Haley Winn.

Fleet forward and Olympic bronze medalist Alina Muller is also here as well: pic.twitter.com/3DGrxr0qeO
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) March 31, 2026

“We’ve been waiting a long time for this one,” Frankel said on NESN of the Fleet’s upcoming game at TD Garden against the Montreal Victoire. “To be able to play in a sold-out TD Garden is something I probably wouldn’t believe I’d be doing if you told me this a few years back.

“But just to see the growth of the league over the past few years has been incredible. That’s the goal here. And obviously, we know this place is going to be full of Boston Fleet fans, but it’s a step in the right direction for women’s hockey in general.”

Saturday’s matchup against Montreal will mark the first time that the Fleet will play at TD Garden — with Boston using both Lowell’s Tsongas Center and Boston University’s Agganis Arena as their home venues over the PWHL’s first three seasons.

Much like the Fleet, the PWHL as a whole has surged as of late — fueled in part by the added attention fixated on the sport following Team USA’s gold-medal triumph in Milan.

The Fleet announced on March 5 that their TD Garden game was sold out, more than a month before the puck is to be dropped.

With a crowd capacity of more than 17,800, Saturday’s game between Boston and Montreal will stand as one of the highest-attended in PWHL history.

The anticipated bout comes just a week after the league set a new U.S. arena attendance record with 18,006 fans at Madison Square Garden for a matchup between the New York Sirens and Seattle Torrent.

“Selling out both Madison Square Garden and TD Garden is a true testament to our fans, whose passion has fueled the growth of the PWHL,” Amy Scheer, PWHL Executive Vice President of Business Operations said in a league release. “Playing for the first time at these two world-class arenas will be another step in what has already been a historic season for our league, and the atmosphere for fans and players alike will be nothing short of incredible.”

Saturday’s showdown will represent a clash of the top teams in the league, as Montreal and Boston sit atop the standings in first and second place, respectively.

Since the PWHL’s first season in 2024, the Fleet and Victoire have met in 11 regular-season games, with seven decided in overtime or a shootout.

“I think I’m most excited that all the fans are going to be cheering for us,” Muller told NESN of playing at TD Garden. “ I mean, the crowds this year have been amazing. And also in other buildings, sold-out crowds, over 15,000 people. But they’re mostly against us.”

Frankel has been the backbone of Boston’s success this season, sporting a .955 save percentage and seven total shutouts across 22 games.

The former Northeastern star nearly stretched her shutout streak to four straight games before it ended at 236:45 on Tuesday, with Vancouver Goldeneyes defender Sophie Jaques firing a puck past her at 5:44 in the third period.

But, that was the lone blemish for Frankel, as Boston extended its win streak to five straight games with a 5-1 victory over Vancouver.

Frankel’s play between the pipes and a skilled blueliner corps led by Keller and Winn have played a major role in Boston’s resurgence after missing the postseason last season.

But, Boston’s offense also seems to be turning the corner with playoff hockey fast approaching. Ten different Fleet players landed on the scoresheet Tuesday against the Goldeneyes, while forward Jessie Eldridge scored Boston’s first power-play tally since Feb. 28.

Montreal will present a daunting challenge for Boston, with the Victoire also in the midst of a five-game win streak — all without captain Marie-Philip Poulin in the lineup.

Montreal goalie Ann-Renée Desbiens will also be a tough matchup for the Fleet, as she’s right behind Frankel with a .954 save percentage and six shutouts.

Stefanie McKeough — the Fleet’s acting head coach with bench boss Kris Sparre away from the team following the birth of his second child — believes Saturday’s game will be a rewarding night for a Fleet team that has quickly ingrained itself in Boston’s sports sphere in the span of a few years.

“I think something that I’ve learned in my life, as I get up in my years here, is perspective,” McKeough said Tuesday after Boston’s win against the Goldeneyes at Rogers Place … [Fleet forward Abby Newhook] and I were sitting beside each other on the plane a couple weeks ago, and she was like, ‘Hey, did you watch ‘The Rise’— the documentary they did, and and then a couple other of the rookies spoke up and were like, ‘Yeah, we didn’t know that that’s what it took.’

“And so I think now — we’re sitting in the Edmonton Oilers media room, and we’re selling out MSG and all these other things. Perspective is a big thing.”