PWHL
“Anytime I put on the jersey, I just feel so lucky to be part of this group.”
Whether it’s donning a Boston Fleet sweater or the stars and stripes, netminder Aerin Frankel continues to be unshakable in net this season.
The Fleet and Team USA goalie sits just one win away from helping the Americans clinch their first gold medal in the Winter Olympics since 2018, with Frankel turning aside all 21 shots that came her way on Monday to help the US beat Sweden, 5-0, in semifinal round of the international tournament.
Along the way, Frankel made Olympic history, becoming the first player in Olympic women’s hockey to post three shutouts in a single Olympic tournament.
“The team is playing so well in front of me, defensively,” Frankel said after the win, per Helene St. James of USA Today. “They’re making my job easy, making the plays in front of me predictable, so I can do my job. I think we’re all just playing together as a group, and that’s our strength.
“This group is so good because of how we play together, so any time I can just focus on my job and let them do theirs, because that’s why we’re finding so much success, and that makes us a pretty hard team to score on.”
In total, Team USA has posted five straight shutout victories during the Olympic tournament. Frankel and fellow netminder Gwyneth Philips have kept the puck out of the net for the last 331:23 of ice time, already surpassing the previous Olympic shutout record by 86 minutes and 23 seconds.
So far during Olympic play, Frankel is sporting a .985 save percentage, giving up just one goal on 68 shots. Team USA has outscored opponents, 36-1, so far during tournament play.
Frankel’s stellar play has carried over to Italy after a dominant start to the PWHL season with the Fleet.
Frankel has been a key conduit in Boston’s 8-2-2-2 start to the season, posting a .946 save percentage through 13 games.
Frankel and Team USA will look to clinch Olympic Gold on Thursday when they take on Canada in an anticipated showdown between the two hockey superpowers.
“I want it so much. I want it more than anything I’ve ever wanted in my life. The whole team feels the same way. This has been our end goal, and we’re one step from that,” Frankel said, per Daily Faceoff’s Ben Steiner. “Anytime I put on the jersey, I just feel so lucky to be part of this group. There is so much talent in our locker room. It’s just so much fun to play with the best players in the world.”
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