{"id":222,"date":"2026-05-13T10:35:22","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T10:35:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=222"},"modified":"2026-05-13T10:35:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T10:35:22","slug":"with-their-pwhl-season-over-fleet-players-ready-to-run-it-back-as-is","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=222","title":{"rendered":"With their PWHL season over, Fleet players ready to run it back, as is"},"content":{"rendered":"
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WELLESLEY \u2014 With their 2025-26 season in the books, the Fleet held their end-of-season media availability Tuesday. Here are five takeaways.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more The decision is in: It\u2019s the PGA Tour over LIV Golf, by knockout<\/a><\/p>\n

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Fleet feel there\u2019s not much they should\u2019ve done differently<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Fleet felt they threw everything at Ottawa in all four games of their semifinal series. Some players likely have a few moments they\u2019d like to do over, such as Alina M\u00fcller\u2019s miss on an open net in overtime of Game 4. But by and large, they felt they dominated the series.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThere\u2019s plays that you want back as a player in order to help your team get over that hump,\u201d captain Megan Keller said. \u201cBut at the end of the day, I think everybody on our team left everything out there. We wanted those pucks to go in so badly, and they just didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

They outshot the Charge in the series, 142-94, but struggled to solve goaltender Gwyneth Philips.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe really believe that we were built to win it all, so anything short of that, it never feels good,\u201d general manager Danielle Marmer said. \u201cFeels like we didn\u2019t accomplish the mission.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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With expansion looming, there\u2019s nerves (even among players under contract) <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

With the exception of Hannah Brandt, who is retiring (more on that later), every player made available to the media Tuesday \u2014 M\u00fcller, Keller, Haley Winn, Jill Saulnier, Jamie Lee Rattray, Aerin Frankel, Shay Maloney, and Liz Schepers \u2014 said they\u2019d want to return to Boston next season if given the opportunity. <\/span><\/p>\n

While coach Kris Sparre said he\u2019d love to have everyone back to build on what they started this season, he knows that the league\u2019s upcoming expansion by as many as four teams means that\u2019s not possible. The Fleet are likely to lose some rising stars \u2014 as well as some more established. <\/span><\/p>\n

Even for the eight players under contract through at least next season, they know their contracts don\u2019t mean a guarantee to return. <\/span><\/p>\n

Keller is the closest thing the Fleet have to a guaranteed returner. Sparre told the Globe there\u2019s \u201ca zero percent chance\u201d the team would leave its captain unprotected.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt means a lot to know that he thinks of me that way,\u201d Keller said. \u201cIt\u2019s mutual respect there. I would love to get the chance to play for him again.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Strength of the locker room was a driver of success<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

With a first-year head coach and a shaken-up roster, the Fleet entered this season with the makings of a rebuilding team. But Sparre set out from the first day to build the team\u2019s foundation on strong relationships \u2014 and the result exceeded his expectations. They got out to the best start in PWHL history and finished tied for first in the standings, which players said were direct results of their love for one another.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Here\u2019s how the Red Sox\u2019 in-season overhaul has affected the staffs of the organization\u2019s minor league affiliates<\/a><\/p>\n

Multiple Fleet players said Tuesday that this was their favorite season playing hockey, at any level. Saulnier, 34, said she felt like a teenager again.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTruly one of the most special groups that I\u2019ve been a part of in the locker room,\u201d Keller said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Players are optimistic that feeling will persist, even after expansion.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhoever we\u2019re able to bring in, the foundation is here for us,\u201d Keller said. \u201cWe\u2019ll be OK.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Brandt\u2019s career comes to an end<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Brandt, who has been with the Fleet since the inaugural season, struggled to hold back tears as she took questions.<\/span><\/p>\n

The forward played her final professional game Sunday and will hang up her skates as she heads into her third year of physician assistant school. <\/span><\/p>\n

Brandt, a two-time Olympian and three-time World Champion with Team USA, was one of the driving forces in the creation of the PWHL. She pointed to the sold-out game at TD Garden this season as one of the most pivotal moments in her storied career.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t know if it was going to happen during our time, but we knew some little girl was going to be able to stand on that blue line and be like, \u2018Oh my God, someone did it,\u2019\u2009\u201d said Saulnier, who was Brandt\u2019s Team Canada adversary before they became teammates and close friends. \u201cWe were the girls that just got to live that out together.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Beyond typical bumps and bruises, Fleet generally healthy <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Saulnier said her shoulder \u201cwasn\u2019t really in place,\u201d but otherwise, players said they were healthy. Sparre said there were a few lingering injuries among the team but declined to give details. <\/span><\/p>\n

Keller has a chipped tooth, which she suffered in the Fleet\u2019s final regular-season game. <\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Charlie McAvoy receives six-game suspension to start next season for Game 6 slash on Sabres\u2019 Zach Benson<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t wear a mouthguard,\u201d she said, \u201cso that\u2019s on me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Multiple Fleet players said Tuesday that this was their favorite season playing hockey, at any level.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":221,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-222","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport"],"yoast_head":"\nWith their PWHL season over, Fleet players ready to run it back, as is - Boston Relocation Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=222\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"With their PWHL season over, Fleet players ready to run it back, as is - Boston Relocation Insider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Multiple Fleet players said Tuesday that this was their favorite season playing hockey, at any level.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=222\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Boston Relocation Insider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-13T10:35:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=222#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=222\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c08a982d5d5e7124cea9158df226037e\"},\"headline\":\"With their PWHL season over, Fleet players ready to run it back, as is\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-13T10:35:22+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=222\"},\"wordCount\":847,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=222#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/33b5b2a5c4f4eb727258b62570b9ef64.avif\",\"articleSection\":[\"Sport\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=222#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=222\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=222\",\"name\":\"With their PWHL season over, Fleet players ready to run it back, as is - 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