Boston defeated Montreal 4-3 in overtime in the PWHL

Kaleigh Fratkin scored with 80 seconds left, and Boston advanced to the postseason with a 4-3 win over Montreal in the Women's Professional Hockey League regular-season finale at the Tsongas Center after blowing a three-goal third-period lead. Saturday.

Fratkin's game-winner, her second of the season, came off assists by Jessica Digirolamo and Suzanne Tapani and put Boston ahead just 1:49 after Montreal's Marie-Philippe Poulin tied the game.

Boston (8-4-3-9) needed a win in regulation to clinch a playoff spot and avoid Minnesota by one spot. Minnesota ended the season on a five-game losing streak, but needed one point to qualify for the postseason in the league's inaugural campaign.

Boston took a 1-0 lead with 4:41 left in the first period when Hilary Knight scored for the sixth time this season. Hannah Brandt and Kelly Babstock had assists. It was Babstock's first assist of the season.

Boston took a two-goal lead with 1:18 left after Alina Muller used assists from Teresa Shafzal (her third) and Tapani for her fifth goal of the campaign.

Knight and Brandt assisted on Megan Keller's fourth goal of the season to give Boston a 3-0 lead with 6:23 left in the second period. It was the fifth assist for both players.

Montreal (10-3-5-6) got on the scoreboard with Mikyla Grant-Mentis' power play goal with 3:43 left in the period. The score came after Babstock received a two-minute penalty for fouling. Amanda Boullier and Melody Dauss had assists as Grant-Mentis found the back of the net for the first time this season.

Montreal scored another power play goal by Mariah Keopple with 8:30 left to make it 3-2. Keopple also used Beaulieu's eighth assist and Daoust's third assist to score for the first time this season. Fratkin's roughing penalty gave Montreal a two-minute lead.

Poulin pulled Montreal even with 3:09 left in the third. Erin Ambrose had her 14th assist and Laura Stacey scored her eighth goal for Poulin's 10th of the season. Stacey finished the regular season with at least one point in five games and scored three goals. Poulin scored 23 points, tying him for second place with New York's Alex Carpenter. Toronto's Natalie Spooner won the scoring title with 25 points and one game to go.

Aerin Frankel stopped two Poulin shots in the final 31 seconds to finish with 26 saves for Boston. He made 16 of 16 saves in the first two periods. Frankel entered the game with a 1.94 goals-against average, second in the league behind Montreal's Elaine Chuly of 1.61.

Anne-Rene Desbiens saved 31 shots for Montreal, which has already clinched the No. 2 seed.

Tapani's two assists gave him nine on the season. Digirolamo made the third assist for the winner.

Boston has collected 13 of a possible 15 points in its last five games to clinch a postseason berth.

Toronto has the No. 1 seed and will have the choice of playing the No. 3 or No. 4 seed in the first round of the playoffs. Montreal will play the remaining seed with home-ice advantage.

Ottawa travels to top-seeded Toronto on Sunday to close out the regular season. Ottawa will clinch the final playoff spot and eliminate Minnesota by defeating the defending regular season champions.

This Associated Press report was first published on May 4, 2024.