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2024-25 PWHL Power Rankings: Week 13 (02/21-02/27)

Queen are the champions of the PWHL power rankings this week!

2024-25 PWHL Power Rankings: Week 13 (02/21-02/27)
Laura Stacey and Ann-Renée Desbiens celebrate during a game against the Toronto Sceptres. 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.

As the PWHL chugs toward the final third of its season, the competition is as fierce as ever. With the trade deadline no longer looming on Sunday, teams have a little more time to figure out the best course of action before the new March 13 at 2 p.m. ET deadline. However, we may still see some movement before then, especially since most teams have a lighter schedule this week. The Ottawa Charge don't have any games on the docket, and only the Montréal Victoire and Boston Fleet play multiple times. Even still, lots of valuable points are on the line as the playoff push intensifies, so get ready for another great week of hockey.

Last season, I dedicated an entire power rankings to “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen. So, it's only right to broaden my horizons and use lyrics from their other songs to describe each PWHL team. Be warned: the results will rock you.

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#1. Montréal Victoire (10-3-1-4, 37 points)

Poulin smiles and points to someone out of the frame. She is wearing a maroon home uniform.
Marie-Philip Poulin celebrates during a game against the Toronto Sceptres. Photo courtesy of the PWHL.

Last Week’s Ranking: 1 (-)

This Week’s Results:

  • Sat, Feb 22 @ OTT- 3-1 L
  • Tue, Feb 25 vs TOR- 3-1 W

Upcoming Schedule:

  • Sat, March 1 vs BOS- 2 p.m. ET, Bell Centre, Montréal, QC (CBC, Radio Canada, NESN, PWHL Youtube Channel, thepwhl.com)
  • Tue, March 4 vs MIN- 7 p.m. ET, Place Bell, Laval, QC (Amazon Prime, FanDuel Sports Network North, PWHL Youtube Channel, thepwhl.com)
  • Thu, March 6 @ TOR- 7 p.m. ET, Coca-Cola Coliseum, Toronto, ON (TSN, RDS, PWHL Youtube Channel, thepwhl.com)

Lyrics: From "Another One Bites the Dust" (1980)

“Another one bites the dust/Another one bites the dust/And another one gone, and another one gone/Another one bites the dust, yeah/Hey, I'm gonna get you too/Another one bites the dust.”

After a brief skid down the street, another one bit the dust at the hands of the Victoire on Tuesday. They'll probably be getting your favorite team too before long.

For the first time this season, the Victoire lost two games in a row. However, they responded with a strong win over the Toronto Sceptres, who were on a six-game win streak. It’s not reasonable to expect you’ll never lose consecutive games over a 30-game season, and that smidge of adversity should help Montréal going forward. This will be a difficult week for them, as they’re finally set to make up some of those games in hand they have, and they’ll have to do it against two hot teams and one struggling one. By the end, their first place lead will either be nice and pretty or other teams will have a legitimate chance to snatch it from them.

#2. Boston Fleet (6-5-2-6, 30 points)

Dempsey hugs Gabel from behind, who is raising her hand in celebration. They are right in front of the Sirens bench and wearing white away uniforms.
Loren Gabel and Jillian Dempsey celebrate a goal against the New York Sirens. Photo courtesy of the PWHL.

Last Week’s Ranking: 2 (-)

This Week’s Results:

Upcoming Schedule:

  • Sat, March 1 @ MON- 2 p.m. ET, Bell Centre, Montréal, QC (NESN, CBC, Radio Canada, PWHL Youtube Channel, thepwhl.com)
  • Wed, March 5 vs NYS- 7 p.m. ET, Tsongas Center, Lowell, MA (NESN, MSGSN2, TSN, PWHL Youtube Channel, thepwhl.com)

Lyrics: From "Don’t Stop Me Now" (1978)

“Don’t stop me now/I’m havin’ such a good time, I’m havin’ a ball/Don’t stop me now.”

The Fleet are having a ball while on their first four-game win streak in franchise history, so don’t try to stop them now.

After a busy few weeks, the Fleet finally got to take a breather this week. They only played one game against a desperate New York Sirens team and eeked out the shootout win. They sit third in raw points and second in points percentage and overall, the team is heading in a good direction. Their offense has been coming through a bit more, but they’re also learning to grit out wins when they don't have their best game. That will serve them well going forward as the strength of their schedule gets tougher.

#3. Toronto Sceptres (8-2-4-7, 32 points)

Five Sceptres players celebrate a goal with a group hug. They are wearing white away uniforms.
Toronto Sceptres players celebrate a goal against the Minnesota Frost. Photo courtesy of the PWHL.

Last Week’s Ranking: Tied for 3rd (-)

This Week’s Results:

  • Sun, Feb 23 @ MIN- 2-1 W
  • Tue, Feb 25 @ MTL- 3-1 L

Upcoming Schedule:

  • Thu, March 6 vs MTL- 7 p.m. ET, Coca-Cola Coliseum, Toronto, ON (TSN, RDS, PWHL Youtube Channel, thepwhl.com)

Song: From "I Want It All" (1989)

“'It ain't much I'm asking,' I heard him say/'Got to find me a future, move out of my way'/I want it all, I want it all/I want it all, and I want it now.”

Some 5v5 scoring shouldn't be much to ask from a group as talented as the Sceptres, but it has been. Now that the power play is returning to Earth, they need to want it and want it now if they hope to have a future this season.

The Sceptres six-game win and nine-game point streak ended this week at the hands of the Victoire, and now it’s time to see how they respond. 5v5 scoring remains a big problem, and their sizzling power play simmered down, going just one for five after converting at a 51.7% clip earlier in the first eight games of the point streak. My colleague Geremy takes a deep dive into the numbers that reveal some areas of concern (and one of hope). However, with a full week between games, the Sceptres have plenty of time to figure things out in practice. How they respond in the next few games will say a lot about what this team truly is this season.

#4. Minnesota Frost (6-4-3-7, 29 points)

Zumwinkle looks to her left, as she skates with her stick in the air. She is wearing a purple home uniform.
Grace Zumwinkle hunts the puck against Toronto. Photo courtesy of the PWHL.

Last Week’s Ranking: Tied for 3rd (-1)

This Week’s Results:

  • Sun, Feb 23 vs TOR- 2-1 L

Upcoming Schedule:

  • Tue, March 4 @ MTL- 6 p.m. CT, Place Bell, Laval, QC (FanDuel Sports Network North, Amazon Prime, PWHL Youtube Channel, thepwhl.com)

Lyrics: From "Under Pressure" (1981)

“Chipping around, kick my brains ‘round the floor/These are the days, it never rains, but it pours/…This is ourselves/Under pressure.”

It’s pouring for the Minnesota Frost these days, who have banked just four points out of 15 possible points since the international break. It's landed them under some serious pressure.

What a fall from grace it’s been for the Frost since the break. Sure, their one win was against the best team in the league in Montréal. But, outside of that, there’s been little to be happy about. They’ve slipped from somewhat securely in second place to fourth, and the Ottawa Charge are nipping at their heels, just two points back. The Frost need to do some soul-searching and figure out what’s wrong ASAP before it’s too late.

#5. Ottawa Charge (7-1-4-8, 27 points)

Ottawa Charge players celebrate a goal. They just finished a group hug and are heading to the handshake line at the bench. They are wearing red home uniforms.
Ottawa Charge players celebrate a goal against Montréal. Photo courtesy of the PWHL.

Last Week’s Ranking: 5 (-)

This Week’s Results:

  • Sat, Feb 22 @ MTL- 3-1 W
  • Wed, Feb 26 vs NYS- 5-4 OTW

Upcoming Schedule:

  • No games this week

Lyrics: From "Radio Ga Ga" (1984)

"You had your time, you had the power/You’ve yet to have your finest hour/Radio (Radio).”

It’s taken them some time, but the Charge are finally starting to find their power. Now the question is: have they had their finest hour, or are they still growing like the radio in 1984?

And just like that, the Charge have life. Two wins this week over league-leading Montréal and desperate New York showed reasons for optimism in Ottawa. Sure, we’ve been here before (hello three regulation win streak coming out of the holiday break), but this time, it might actually be sustainable. They’re generating a lot more shots and relying less on Emerance Maschmeyer. If the Charge continue to build on these recent wins, they might be able to make playoffs after all, especially with the Frost flailing.

#6. New York Sirens (4-3-4-9, 22 points)

Carpenter looks down at the puck as she skates through one of the faceoff circles. She is wearing a white away uniform.
Alex Carpenter carries the puck against Ottawa. Photo courtesy of the PWHL.

Last Week’s Ranking: 6 (-)

This Week’s Results:

  • Sun, Feb 23 vs BOS- 3-2 SOL
  • Wed, Feb 26 @ OTT- 5-4 OTL

Upcoming Schedule:

  • Wed, March 5 @ BOS- 7 p.m. ET, Tsongas Center, Lowell, MA (MSGSN2, NESN, TSN, PWHL Youtube Channel, thepwhl.com)

Lyrics: From "I Want to Break Free" (1984)

“Oh, how I want to be free, baby/Oh, how I want to be free/Oh, how I want to break free.”

There is nothing the Sirens would like better than to break free of their eight-game losing streak.

The Sirens always seem to make the wrong kind of history. Last season, they were the only team to lose seven games in a row, and now they’ve made that record eight. They showed a bit more fight this week and earned points in both games, but it’s still not enough. They have a week between games to try to figure some things out, but next up is their final meeting of the season with the Fleet, who they have yet to beat (although they have come awfully close). Things are getting dire in New York, and it's looking increasingly like the Gold Plan is their destiny again.

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