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2024-25 PWHL Power Rankings: Week 12 (02/14-02/20)

Oh. My. God. It's the Friends PWHL power rankings!

2024-25 PWHL Power Rankings: Week 12 (02/14-02/20)
Mikyla Grant-Mentis celebrates with Claire Dalton. 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.

Well, that was an eventful week around the PWHL! Eight games took place, with the Boston Fleet seeing the most action (four games). A few good and bad streaks continued while others began as the playoff race heated up. After ten straight days of action, the league takes a breather tonight before picking right back up on Saturday. 

For my second sitcom-themed power rankings, do you know what I thought would be perfection? Some Friends quotes. Could this theme BE any better?

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#1. Montréal Victoire (9-3-1-3, 34 points)

Three Montréal players are about to skate down the celebratory handshake line at the bench. They are wearing maroon home uniforms.
Montréal players celebrate a goal against the New York Sirens. Photo courtesy of the PWHL.

Last Week’s Ranking: 1 (-)

This Week’s Results:

  • Sat, Feb 15 vs NYS- 6-2 W
  • Tue, Feb 18 vs MIN- 4-0 L

Upcoming Schedule:

  • Sat, Feb 22 @ OTT- 2 p.m. ET, TD Place, Ottawa, ON (CBC, Radio-Canada, PWHL Youtube Channel, thepwhl.com)
  • Tue, Feb 25 vs TOR- 7 p.m. ET, Place Bell, Laval, QC (Amazon Prime, PWHL Youtube Channel, thepwhl.com)

Friends Quote: “I KNOW!!”- Monica Geller, repeatedly.

Who’s the best team in the PWHL? I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW!!!

All good things must come to an end, including the Victoire’s six-game win streak. However, there’s still zero reason for concern with this team. Even the best teams have an off night, and the Victoire sit at least five points ahead of everyone else with 2-3 games in hand. They also lost to the Frost right before beginning their win streak and they’ve yet to lose consecutive games this season, so look for them to have a big response against the Ottawa Charge tomorrow night.

#2. Boston Fleet (6-4-2-6, 28 points)

With her back to the goal, Tapani (left in green) points her stick toward the net to follow through on her shot. Rooney (right in white) is on her knees attempting to make the save, but the puck has sailed past her.
Susanna Tapani scores on Maddie Rooney. Photo by Michelle Jay.

Last Week’s Ranking: 3 (+1)

This Week’s Results:

Upcoming Schedule:

  • Sun, Feb 23 @ NYS- 4 p.m. ET, Keybank Centre, Buffalo, NY (NESN, MSGSN2, TSN, PWHL Youtube Channel, thepwhl.com)

Friends Quote: “How you doin’?”- Joey Tribbiani, repeatedly (first instance: S4, E13).

The Fleet are not playing perfect hockey, but currently, it’s highly effective and they’re rightfully feeling confident. The same is true of Joey and his iconic catchphrase.

The Fleet had a busy week, with four games across four cities in six days. They dropped the first one up in Toronto but surged back to win three straight. They’ve collected 11 out of 15 points since the international break and now find themselves sitting fourth in the PWHL by raw points, but second by points percentage. They have a light week ahead with just one game against the Sirens on Sunday, but that’s shaping up to be a trickier game than it may appear at first glance. It’ll be the Sirens' first Takeover Tour game of the season, which should give them a little extra juice. They’re also likely to be desperate after losing six straight. So, just because the Fleet have beaten them in all four meetings this season doesn’t mean it’ll be an easy win. However, if Boston can play up to the standard they’ve shown recently, they’ll put themselves in a good position to bank some more points.

#3 (tie). Minnesota Frost (6-4-3-6, 29 points)

Jaques looks toward the net as she raises her stick to follow through on a shot. Her weight is primarily on her left leg as she stands near the blueline. She is wearing a white away uniform.
Sophie Jaques takes a shot against the Montréal Victoire. Photo courtesy of the PWHL.

Last Week’s Ranking: Naughty List (N/A)

This Week’s Results:

  • Sun, Feb 16 @ BOS- 4-2 L
  • Tue, Feb 18 @ MTL- 4-0 W

Upcoming Schedule:

  • Sun, Feb 23 vs TOR- 12:30 p.m. CT, Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN (FanDuel Sports Network North, TSN, PWHL Youtube Channel, thepwhl.com)

Friends Quote: “We were on a break!”- Ross Geller (repeatedly, but Rachel Green is actually the first to say it in S3 E15) 

Apparently, the Frost thought they were still on a break until Tuesday. They got back on track with a big win over Montréal, but it’s too soon to say if it’ll stick or if they’ll be on another break soon.

The Frost whimpered out of the international break, losing three straight (including an 8-3 blowout to the then-last place Charge). However, they pulled off a big statement win over the streaking Victoire earlier this week, so there’s hope that that was just a temporary skid. It’s been a bit of an odd season for the Frost, who were somehow at their most successful when battling a host of key injuries and now they haven’t quite put it all together again with their full lineup. They still sit tied for second in the league in raw points (tied for third by points percentage), but they’re starting to run out of wiggle room. They need to use Tuesday’s win to build momentum and go on a bit of a run to keep themselves in a good spot.

#3 (tie). Toronto Sceptres (7-2-4-6, 29 points)

Miller skates toward the camera after fist-bumping Kristen Campbell. She is looking to her right and wearing a white away uniform.
Hannah Miller celebrates during a game against the Sirens. Photo courtesy of the PWHL.

Last Week’s Ranking: 4 (+1)

This Week’s Results:

  • Fri, Feb 14 vs BOS- 3-1 W
  • Sun, Feb 16 @ OTT- 3-2 OTW
  • Wed, Feb 19 @ NYS- 4-1 W

Upcoming Schedule:

  • Sun, Feb 23 @ MIN- 1:30 p.m. ET, Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN (TSN, FanDuel Sports Network North, PWHL Youtube Channel, thepwhl.com)
  • Tue, Feb 25 @ MTL- 7 p.m. ET, Place Bell, Laval, QC (Amazon Prime, PWHL Youtube Channel, thepwhl.com)

Friends Quote: “If he doesn’t like you this is all just a moo point…yeah, it’s like a cow’s opinion. It just doesn’t matter. It’s moo.”- Joey Tribbiani (S7 E8).

The Sceptres are doing great right now, and there’s reason to be excited like Rachel was about dating her assistant Tag (setting aside the ethics of that for a moment). However, if they can’t figure out how to score at 5v5 before their power play returns to Earth, this hot streak might just be a moo point.

The Sceptres continued their winning ways this week, picking up eight of nine points. They’ve won five straight and have points in eight straight. During that streak, their power play has been sizzling, going 15/29 (51.7%). Oh, and Hannah Miller is on another planet right now, tying the single-game PWHL record with four points against the Sirens. She now leads the league with 22 points while sitting second in goals (10), trailing only Montréal's Marie-Philip Poulin (11). All of this said, in less-fun stats, they’ve only scored ten even-strength goals during their point streak, so they need to figure that out before the power play inevitably regresses. However, for now, they’re scoring, the defense is better, and the goaltending is stabilizing. They’ve pulled themself out of the basement and currently sit tied for second in raw points (tied for third in points percentage) so overall, it’s a good time to be a Sceptre.

#5. Ottawa Charge (6-0-4-8, 22 points)

Vanišová looks down at the puck as she skates along the boards. She is wearing a red home uniform.
Tereza Vanišová carries the puck against Boston. Photo courtesy of the PWHL.

Last Week’s Ranking: Tied for 5th (-)

This Week’s Results:

  • Sun, Feb 16 vs TOR- 3-2 OTL
  • Thu, Feb 20 vs BOS- 3-2 OTL

Upcoming Schedule:

  • Sat, Feb 22 vs MTL- 2 p.m. ET, TD Place, Ottawa, ON (CBC, Radio-Canada, PWHL Youtube Channel, thepwhl.com)
  • Wed, Feb 26 vs NYS- 7 p.m. ET, TD Place, Ottawa, ON (TSN, MSG2, PWHL Youtube Channel, thepwhl.com)

Friends Quote: "Pivot! Pivot! Pivot!”- Ross Geller (S5 E16) 

Quote begins around 1:28.

The Charge must pivot and find a way to start banking wins. Otherwise, they’ll stay stuck outside the playoff picture, just like the couch in the stairway.

It’s nice to see the Charge finding ways to force overtime. However, that’s not enough, especially with the Fleet and Sceptres on extended hot streaks. Ottawa has shown potential at times this season (hello, 8-3 win over the Frost), but just like last season, they’re struggling with consistency and scoring. I don’t know what will make the team put it all together at this point, but they might want to find the answer soon.

#6. New York Sirens (4-3-2-9, 20 points)

A waist-up shot of Carpenter as she stands at the faceoff dot. She is wearing a teal home uniform.
Alex Carpenter prepares for a faceoff against Toronto. Photo courtesy of the PWHL.

Last Week’s Ranking: Tied for 5th (-1)

This Week’s Results:

  • Sat, Feb 15 @ MTL- 6-2 L
  • Mon, Feb 17 vs BOS- 4-1 L
  • Wed, Feb 19 vs TOR- 4-1 L

Upcoming Schedule:

  • Sun, Feb 23 vs BOS- 4 p.m. ET, Keybank Centre, Buffalo, NY (MSGSN2, NESN, TSN, PWHL Youtube Channel, thepwhl.com)
  • Wed, Feb 26 @ OTT- 7 p.m. ET, TD Place, Ottawa, ON (MSG2, TSN, PWHL Youtube Channel, thepwhl.com)

Friends Quote: “My eyes! My eyes!”- Phoebe Buffay (S5 E14)

Sirens hockey is quite the eyesore right now. Somebody draw the curtains, please.

The Sirens have lost six straight. They have just one point in that span, which came in the first of those six games. They’ve plummeted from somewhat securely in third place to sixth, eight points outside the playoffs. To make matters worse, they have just seven goals during the losing streak. Alex Carpenter returned last game after missing four games with an upper-body injury, but all their hopes cannot rest on one player. Right now, it certainly looks like wheels have fallen off the bus and they’ll have to look outside the team to fix it. Yet, a midseason shakeup still might not be enough, and a second straight season without playoffs might be inevitable.

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