For a brief moment, the top three PWHL teams were tied for first place with 10 games left in the regular season.
Montreal Victoire tied with Boston Fleet and Minnesota Frost after defeating Seattle Torrent in regulation on Thursday. Boston and Minnesota advanced with regulation wins over the weekend, but the race for the No. 1 seed is as tight as can be.
The battle for the final playoff spot in the league is equally interesting. As the New York Sirens’ post-Olympic losing streak continues, the Toronto Raptors sit fourth in the PWHL standings – though the Ottawa Charge aren’t far behind.
This all resulted in quite a shakeup in our power rankings, including a brand new team in the No. 1 spot.
1. Minnesota Frost (42 points, 11-3-3-4, +25 GD)
Previous ranking: 3 (+2)
The gap between Minnesota, Boston and Montreal is as narrow as possible, but Frost is ranked No. 1. Minnesota extended its winning streak to five games (4-1-0-0) and its fourth straight with a 3-1 win over the Vancouver GoldenEyes on Saturday.
Frost scored at least three goals in each win and outscored opponents 19–6 during the streak. Their 67 goals are 15 more than the next best team, Montreal (52).
Kelly Pannek, Taylor Heise and Britta Curl-Salem are locked in a three-way tie for the league lead with 22 points. Pannek scored in back-to-back games, including a two-goal effort against Ottawa on Wednesday. He recorded points in 10 of his last 11 games.
But while Minnesota’s offense grabs the headlines, don’t overlook the sharp play of goalkeepers Maddie Rooney and Nicole Hensley. Both have goals-against averages under 2.00 in near-identical splits. Rooney has not allowed more than two goals since January 4 and is third in the PWHL with a 1.90 GAA. Despite some uneven performances in March, Hensley is fourth with 1.98.
Frost ranks third league-wide in goals against per game (2.00) and save percentage (.927). It will be tough to match Boston or Minnesota in net, but the Rooney-Hensley tandem can hold its own.
Both offense and scoring ability will be tested this week, as Minnesota hosts Victoire on Wednesday and Fleet at Grand Casino Arena on Sunday. First place in the standings – and these are power rankings – is on the line.
2. Boston Fleet (42 points, 10-5-2-4, +15 GD)
Previous ranking: 2 (-)
A highly anticipated matchup between Fleet and Victoire on March 15 lived up to the billing. Boston erased a 3–0 deficit in the final 13:59 of regulation, and Ella Huber provided the game-winner 1:33 into overtime. This was not without controversy. Lauren Gabel’s goal, which opened the scoring for Boston at 6:01 of the third minute, was initially ruled out for goaltender interference. Despite a significant collision between Fleet captain Megan Keller and Victoire goalkeeper Anne-Reneé Desbiens, officials overturned the decision after video review and credited Gabel with the goal.
For now, that win keeps them two points ahead of Montreal with nine games left to play. Toronto beat the Fleet 2-0 on Tuesday, but Boston responded with a 3-0 win over Seattle Torrent on Saturday behind Erin Frankel’s league-leading fifth shutout.
Fleet general manager Daniel Marmor added another scoring threat on Monday, acquiring winger Jessie Aldridge from Seattle Torrent in exchange for Theresa Scheftezahl. Boston thrived in low-scoring games thanks to Frankel and a strong defensive system, but the offensive-minded Aldridge helps address its biggest weakness.
Aldridge was scoreless in his first two games, but having him in the top six makes Boston much more dangerous.
3. Montreal Victoire (40 points, 10-4-2-5, +21 GD)
Previous ranking: 1 (-2)
Despite two losses last week, Montreal extended its point streak to nine games (7-0-2-0). Overtime losses to Boston and Ottawa led to a 4-1 win over Seattle on Thursday.
The Victoire have a clear path to the league’s top seed, sitting just two points out of first with matchups remaining against Boston and Minnesota. The biggest concern is the condition of Captain Marie-Philippe Poulin, who was placed on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) on Tuesday.
Poulin ejected during the first period of Montreal’s March 15 matchup against Boston after taking a hit on the boards from Fleet forward Shay Maloney. Palin appears to have injured his right foot – the same injury that ruled him out for two games during the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics. The 34-year-old missed Thursday and Sunday’s games with a lower-body injury.
Palin is eligible to return on April 5. Montreal’s bottom-six production has made big strides since the New Year, but any prolonged absence for its top goal-scorer will be difficult to absorb.
4. Toronto Sceptres (31 points, 8-1-5-8, -12 GD)
Previous ranking: 6 (+2)
Scepters seem to be heating up at just the right time. Toronto earned a point in all six games since the Olympic break (4-0-2-0) and moved into a playoff spot after a snowy first half.
Sceptres made it four consecutive 2-0 wins last week, highlighted by a win against the Fleet in a statement on Tuesday. Regan Kirk recorded the first two shutouts of her career, stopping all 58 shots over the two games. Toronto’s No. 1 starter now ranks fourth league-wide in save percentage (.929) and fifth in GAA (2.05).
Toronto has turned in an inspiring stretch after floundering in December and January, although its attack may be difficult to sustain. Sceptres scored two or fewer goals in four of the six games following the Olympics. Daryl Watts and Blair Turnbull have shined, but they will need more overall production to stay above the cutline.
5. Ottawa Charge (30 points, 5-7-1-9, -8 GD)
Previous ranking: 5 (-)
If the Charge reach the playoffs in 2025–26, they can thank their 7–1 overtime record. Rebecca Leslie scored 12 seconds into overtime on Sunday to lead Montreal to a 2-1 win. Ottawa has two more overtime wins than any other team in the PWHL.
Since New Years, there’s been nothing strange in Ottawa. The Charge have not won or lost any consecutive games since January 11. This has helped them keep within striking distance of a playoff spot, but it has also made it difficult to separate from the pack.
This can work in their favor, especially when battling for position with the highly volatile Sceptres Squad and Falling Sirens.
6. Vancouver GoldenEyes (24 points, 6-1-4-10, -10 GD)
Previous ranking: 8 (+2)
Vancouver has earned points in three of its last four (1-0-2-1), although only one game ended in a GoldenEyes victory. That win – a 5-2 blowout against New York – was Vancouver’s first since January 25.
The GoldenEyes still have a long way to go to get back into the playoff mix, but a strong performance against the Sirens has given them a boost in our power rankings. Vancouver’s struggling power play led to a goal Wednesday, and the GoldenEyes got exciting contributions from their bottom six.
Vancouver is seven points behind Toronto with nine matches left. There’s no doubt the GoldenEyes can make some noise going forward, but they haven’t proven they can win with any consistency.
7. New York Sirens (27 points, 8-0-3-10, -8 GD)
Previous ranking: 4 (-3)
The siren chose the wrong time to hit the skid. New York has lost four of five games (1-0-0-4) after the Olympics and seven of eight games (1-0-2-5) through January 16. They are now four points outside the playoff places with nine games left to play.
New York’s effort isn’t in question – especially in the third period – but a slow start and poor penalty discipline is proving costly. Sarah Fillear has scored three goals in her last three games after a slow start in that department, but it coincided with a five-game points drought for rookie star Kristina Kaltunkova.
It didn’t help that New York’s second-leading scorer, Taylor Girard, suffered a season-ending injury on March 15 against Minnesota, while rookie center Casey O’Brien missed their last two games due to an upper-body injury. If O’Brien is sidelined in April, the Sirens will struggle to climb the standings.
8. Seattle Torrents (19 points, 5-1-2-13, -23 GD)
Previous ranking: 7(-1)
Any hopes were short-lived after Seattle’s 3–2 win over Boston on March 13. Torrent dropped to 13-2 with four consecutive losses.
Seattle’s offense slowed down. The Tornadoes were defeated by Boston and Toronto, and scored only one goal each against Minnesota and Montreal. General manager Meghan Turner added Gabrielle David after a strong campaign in the SDHL, but with Aldridge’s departure via trade, there is no reason to expect a change in the final nine games.
The upside is that Torrent is in a good position to gain a draft order point and land University of Wisconsin star Caroline Harvey in the 2026 PWHL Draft.
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