Sign in Subscribe
PWHL

2024-25 PWHL Power Rankings: Week 10 (01/31-02/06)

Disney/Pixar movies make their triumphant return to the power rankings this week.

2024-25 PWHL Power Rankings: Week 10 (01/31-02/06)
Montréal Victoire players celebrate a goal against the New York Sirens. Photo courtesy of the PWHL.

Welcome back to The Ice Garden’s weekly power rankings! Check back every Friday for a new installment and remember: if you think your team is ranked too low, it’s definitely, totally, 100% because we hate them.

The 2024-25 PWHL season has somehow already turned double digits, but it's currently on pause for its second international break. 65 of the league’s 156 players and numerous staff members fanned out to go to the USA-Canada Rivalry Series, Euro Hockey Tour, and Olympic qualifiers, while the rest are still hard at work in their club cities. Luckily, PWHL fans won’t have to wait much longer for games to pick back up, as the schedule resumes on Tuesday. In the meantime, tune into any international games you can access to get your women’s hockey fix!

After kicking off January with regular Disney movies, it felt right to begin February with Disney/Pixar. With nearly endless options to choose from in the realm of Disney, don’t be surprised if this becomes a trend! Now, without further ado, let's dig into what Pixar scene or quote my brain decided described your team this week.

Help TIG Grow With A Paid Subscription!

#1. Montréal Victoire (8-3-1-2, 31 points)

Three Victoire players celebrate a goal with a group hug. They are off to the side of the crease, and Sirens netminder Kayle Osborne is out of focus in the background. The Victoire are wearing cream away uniforms, while Osborne is in teal.
Montréal Victoire players celebrate a goal against New York. Photo courtesy of the PWHL.

Last Week’s Ranking: 1 (-)

This Week’s Results:

  • Sun, Feb 2 @ NYS- 2-1 W

Upcoming Schedule: 

  • No games this week

Pixar Scene: Bruce tries to eat Dory and Marlin- Finding Nemo (2003)

Heeeeeeeere’s Pou. With five goals in her past two games– including both the Victoire goals against the Sirens– Poulin now leads the league in goals while looking as scary good as ever. However, this week she also decided to mirror Bruce's temporary relapse with an out-of-character reckless hit (that probably warranted a suspension but only got a fine). The scene similarities don’t end with Poulin, as the rest of the team is as dangerous as those bombs in the distance and they've been terrorizing the rest of the league like they're Marlin and Dory. 

I really don’t have much to say here anymore. The Victoire are simply dominant and showing no signs of slowing down. They probably should be without their captain for a game or two after her hit, and it feels like most other players would have been suspended, but I don’t make the decisions. At least it's probably safe to say it won’t happen again. Other than that, check out my colleague J's recent column for a more in-depth dive on the state of the team than I can give here.

#2. Minnesota Frost (5-4-2-4, 25 points)

Thompson is back to the camera as she raises her arms in celebration as she skates away from the blueline. She is wearing a purple home uniform.
Claire Thompson celebrates during a game against the Toronto Sceptres. Photo courtesy of the PWHL.

Last Week’s Ranking: 2 (-)

This Week’s Results:

  • Did not play.

Upcoming Schedule:

  • Tue, Feb 11 @ TOR- 6 p.m. CT, Coca-Cola Coliseum, Toronto, ON (FanDuel Sports Network North, Amazon Prime, PWHL Youtube Channel, thepwhl.com)
  • Thu, Feb 13 @ OTT- 6 p.m. CT, TD Place, Ottawa, ON (FanDuel Sports Network North, TSN, PWHL Youtube Channel, thepwhl.com)

Pixar Scene: Frozone needs his super suit- The Incredibles (2004)

Quote starts at 0:16.

The Frost have the power, but they need to find their super suit so they can really unleash them if they hope to keep pace with the Victoire. I don’t know what that super suit might be, but if their season is anything like a Disney movie, they'll find it just in time.

Minnesota had the week off, so there isn’t much to say here. They’re a great team that looks primed for another run, but Montréal is still the team to beat in the PWHL. Their scheduling remains a bit weird, as they're the only team with two games on the docket this week despite already playing the most games in the league. They hit the road to face Toronto, who has been playing better recently, and an increasingly hapless-looking Ottawa team that could come out of this break with renewed desperation. Either way, it’ll be interesting to see how the Frost come out after two weeks between games.

#3. Boston Fleet (3-3-2-5, 17 points)

Five Fleet players celebrate with a group hug. Hannah Brandt is also skating to join. They are wearing green home uniforms.
Boston Fleet players celebrate during a game against the Sirens. Photo courtesy of the PWHL.

Last Week’s Ranking: 4 (+1)

This Week’s Results:

Upcoming Schedule:

  • Wed, Feb 12 @ NYS- 7 p.m. ET, Prudential Center, Newark, NJ (NESN, MSGSN2, TSN, PWHL Youtube Channel, thepwhl.com)

Pixar Scene: Factory Door Ride (Monsters Inc., 2001)

Ride starts at 1:35. Apologies for the grainy video, the better quality ones wouldn't embed.

Ever since I can remember, I thought this scene would make an incredible rollercoaster (and it’s finally happening!). The Fleet’s season has certainly been a rollercoaster so far, albeit not nearly as fun as this one looks. Still, if they can keep turning things around, it might have a good ending, just like Sulley, Mike and Boo ultimately do.

I know, I know, having the Fleet at number three is a hot take. I’m not even very happy with it, but I didn’t want to keep the Sirens here and the Sceptres haven’t done enough to hop two spots, so here we are. The Fleet are still searching for more consistent results, but they have been undeniably better recently, minus that lovely loss to the Frost. Their biggest problem remains their inconsistent offense. It’s been enough to earn them points, but their three regulation wins are the fewest in the league. On the flip side, their five regulation losses are tied with the Sirens for the fewest of the bottom four teams, so that's something. Still, they simply must find a way to get three points more often, or the better vibes they’re currently rolling with will be short-lived.

#4. New York Sirens (4-3-2-5, 20 points)

Shelton looks down as she makes a play on the puck (which is out of frame). She is wearing a white away uniform.
Ella Shelton plays the puck during a game against the Fleet. Photo courtesy of the PWHL.

Last Week’s Ranking: 3 (-1)

This Week’s Results:

  • Fri, Jan 31 @ BOS- 3-2 SOL
  • Sun, Feb 2 vs MTL- 2-1 L

Upcoming Schedule:

  • Wed, Feb 12 vs BOS- 7 p.m. ET, Prudential Center, Newark, NJ (MSGSN2, NESN, TSN, PWHL Youtube Channel, thepwhl.com)

Pixar Quote: From Inside Out (2015)

Joy: “Isn’t this fun?”

Sadness: “No.”

Joy: “Attagirl.”

Quote begins at 1:20 of this clip. Apologies for the poor quality, it was shockingly hard to find a clip.

I wouldn’t exactly call the Sirens’ recent play fun, but their rally against Boston was impressive, and I can see why they weren't too mad about it. Plus, they've been missing several players, including Alex Carpenter for the past two games, and still keeping games close, so I feel like they deserve an “attagirl" and some optimism. That said, they need to emerge from this little circle of sadness soon.

The Sirens’ play has slipped recently, but they’re still in a playoff position. Corinne Schroeder remains a brick wall, and Ella Shelton looks like a Defender of the Year candidate since returning from injury. They still need to find more consistent depth scoring, but overall, there’s no major reason to believe they won’t rebound from this slide. Boston visits them for the first time this week, and if their two meetings in Lowell are any indication, it’s a game you won’t want to miss.

#5. Toronto Sceptres (5-0-4-6, 19 points)

Three Sceptres players celebrate with a group hug near the blue line. They are wearing blue home uniforms.
Toronto Sceptres players celebrate a goal against Ottawa. Photo courtesy of the PWHL.

Last Week’s Ranking: 5 (-)

This Week’s Results:

  • Sat, Feb 1 vs OTT- 4-2 W

Upcoming Schedule:

  • Tue, Feb 11 vs MIN- 7 p.m. ET, Coca-Cola Coliseum, Toronto, ON (Amazon Prime, FanDuel Sports Network North, PWHL Youtube Channel, thepwhl.com)

Pixar Scene: Dug wants the ball (Up, 2009)

Scene is from 0:25-0:38.

Oh boy, oh boy, another regulation win! Toronto does ever so want more of them. Now, it remains to be seen if they can fetch enough to bring the PWHL playoffs back to Toronto.

The Sceptres have been playing better hockey lately, and they’re starting to get some points. However, in their past four games, nine of their 13 goals have been on the power play, and another was an empty netter. It’s great to have the power play clicking so well, but the 5v5 scoring struggles are a glaring issue. Natalie Spooner will likely be back soon after this break (she’s been traveling and practicing with the team), and if she comes back anything like she was last season, that will help. However, they can’t rest all their playoff hopes on one player. The rest of the team must figure it out soon, or this recent uptick will be meaningless.

#6. Ottawa Charge (5-0-2-8, 17 points)

Maschmeyer is on her knees, sliding across the crease. Her right leg is just going past the post. She is wearing a white away uniform.
Emerance Maschmeyer slides across her crease during a game against Toronto. Photo courtesy of the PWHL.

Last Week’s Ranking: 6 (-)

This Week’s Results:

  • Sat, Feb 1 @ TOR- 4-2 L

Upcoming Schedule: 

  • Thu, Feb 13 vs MIN- 7 p.m. ET, TD Place, Ottawa, ON (TSN, FanDuel Sports Network North, PWHL Youtube Channel, thepwhl.com)

Pixar Quote: “The word I’m searching for I can’t say because there are preschool toys present.” - Woody, Toy Story (1995)

Quote starts at 0:06.

What Woody said, except it's unprintable.

How do you fix a team that has scored just five goals in the past five games and is near-fully reliant on Emerance Maschmeyer to steal any points they get? They’ve lost three straight in regulation, and have just four points in their past seven games. Their three-game regulation win streak is a distant memory. Barring another roster shakeup and subsequent turnaround, it’s looking like another season without PWHL playoff hockey in Ottawa.

Read next

Comments ()