The Boston Fleet dropped their second straight in a 3-1 loss to the Montréal Victoire on Monday to end the year 2-0-0-4 and in last place in the PWHL’s standings through the 2024-25 season’s first six games for Boston. The win was Montréal’s first regulation victory of the season on home ice and moved the team ahead of Minnesota for first place in the PWHL standings.
Montréal got on the board first in the final minute of the opening period when Claire Dalton scored her first goal of the season following an onslaught of dangerous opportunities for the hosts.
Fleet captain Hilary Knight scored her third goal of the season when she tied things up at the 10-minute mark of the second period. Knight received the feed from linemate rookie Hannah Bilka as she was crashing the net and put the puck past Montréal goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens.
But besides Knight’s goal, the Fleet struggled offensively, only getting 19 shots on Desbiens. The Victoire had 31 shots on Fleet goaltender Emma Söderberg, who made 28 saves in the loss.
The Fleet and the Victoire earned a combined 31 penalty minutes in Monday’s contest, but neither team scored a power play goal. Instead, Kristin O’Neill’s shorthanded goal in the second period served as Montréal’s game-winning goal.
The Victoire scored once more in the second period to bring the score to 3-1, and Boston could not get shots off during the third and, as a result, no goals. The Fleet had just two shots in the third period despite having nearly half the period on the power play.
As time expired in the second, the Victoire’s Catherine Dubois check to Megan Keller’s head resulted in a major penalty and game misconduct for the forward. Keller returned to start the third period, but Boston only got one shot off on the five-minute advantage. The Fleet had two additional power play opportunities, but they struggled to maintain any offense.
Boston will start 2025 in Minnesota as the Fleet travel to play the Frost for the second time this season on Jan. 2. The Fleet lost 2-1 in the teams’ first meeting of the season – and Boston’s home opener – on Dec. 4.
