Record crowd sees thrilling PWHL game at LCA

Hannah Brandt and Hilary Knight each scored shootout goals and Aerin Frankel saved four of the five shots she faced as Boston beat Ottawa in a shootout, 2-1 in front of the largest crowd to watch a professional women’s hockey game in the United States Saturday night in Detroit.

The Boston squad includes Michigan natives Megan Keller (Farmington/North Farmington HS), Taylor Girard (Macomb/L’Anse Creuse North) and Shiann Darkangelo (Brighton).

The game was part of the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s Takeover Weekend, with Ottawa and Boston playing on the Red Wings’ home ice with an announced crowd of 13,736, surpassing the 13,316 that watched Minnesota win its home opener against Montreal January 6. Montreal and Toronto hold the Canadian record when a sell-out crowd of 19,285 watched the Battle on Bay Street between Toronto and Montreal at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto February 16 and those teams meet Sunday in Pittsburgh on the home ice of the Penguins.

Boston (4-4-2-7) and Ottawa came into Saturday’s game tied for the fourth and final playoff slot with seven games remaining in the regular season. Both teams approached the contest as if were itself a playoff contest. Knight scored just three minutes into the game to give Boston a 1-0 lead, but Ottawa answered at the 15:20 mark when Emily Clark fired a shut just under the crossbar to beat Frankel on a power play. Neither team scored again in regulation or in the five-minute overtime.

Ottawa (5-0-6-6) had two shots clang off the crossbar early in the game and Ottawa captain Brianne Jenner had an open shot over a sprawled Frankel clank off the upright in the final half-minute of overtime.

Neither team scored in the first round of penalty shots, but Kate ina Mrázová scored for Ottawa in the second and Brandt answered to make it 1-1. Frankel denied Savannah Harmon in the third round and Knight put Boston in front. Frankel turned away shots from Jenner and Natalie Snodgrass to earn the win.

Ottawa’s Emerance Maschmeyer and Frankel turned in brilliant work in goal. Both had

ADAM SHEEHAN — FOR MEDIANEWS GROUP Boston’s Megan Keller, a North Farmington graduate, surveys a faceoff, as her team topped Ottawa, 2-1in a shootout at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit Saturday as part of the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s Takeover Weekend, playing in front of the largest United States crowd to witness a professional women’s hockey game.