PWHL: Schafzahl Scores Late Game-winner For Boston, Spoils Ottawa’s Comeback

OTTAWA, ON — Theresa Schafzahl broke a 2-2 tie with just 52 seconds remaining in the third period to lift Boston to a 3-2 win in Ottawa at The Arena at TD Place on Wednesday evening.

Schafzahl’s game-winner came off a rebound after teammate Alina Müller intercepted Ottawa’s breakout attempt and directed a shot towards the net, which ricocheted off Gigi Marvin on its way to the goal.

Ottawa battled back from a 2-0 first period deficit to tie the game at twos early in the third, but Schafzahl’s late goal officially ended the home team’s pursuit of a second straight win.

Müller got the game’s first goal, scored on the powerplay, at 8:38 of the first period to give Boston a 1-0 lead. The first-year pro scored from the high slot through a Hannah Brandt screen and past Ottawa goaltender Sandra Abstreiter just 14 seconds into the advantage after taking a feed from teammate Megan Keller.

The goal was the first of the season for Müller, the league’s third overall draft pick, who entered the game with five assists in four games played. Keller’s helper was her first of the season—entering tonight’s contest, she had two goals.

Boston forward Jamie Lee Rattray had a memorable homecoming. The Kanata-born forward scored her first-ever PWHL goal in Ottawa to help her team add to its lead and head into the first intermission up 2-0.

The 31-year-old scored on the rush at 2:23 of the period after slipping by the Ottawa defender to get to the net, where she tapped home a cross-crease pass from Sophie Shirley.

Abstreiter, who was making her first start of the season, left the game after Boston’s second goal with an apparent injury and was replaced by Emerance Maschmeyer.

After trailing 12-7 in shots after the first period, Ottawa bounced back in the second, outshooting Boston 16-8 in the frame.

Kristin Della Rovere finally got the home team on the board at 15:34 of the middle period after Boston goaltender Aerin Frankel made a series of high-quality saves to start the frame. Della Rovere quickly tapped a pass from Natalie Snodgrass into the back of the net, cutting Boston’s lead in half to 2-1.

Della Rovere’s goal was her first of the season—and first as a pro— and Snodgrass picked up her first assist on the marker.

At 3:46 of the third period, Lexie Adzija tied the game at 2-2 by scoring a rebound goal on the powerplay, assisted by captain Brianne Jenner and defender Amanda Boulier, much to the delight of the 5,208 fans in attendance.

The last ten minutes of the third period saw each team produce several dangerous scoring chances. Frankel and Maschmeyer kept the game tied for their respective teams, until Schafzahl’s late winner.

Frankel made 37 saves in the win. Maschmeyer made 18 saves in relief and Abstreiter stopped 10 of 12 shots before leaving the game in the first period.

Up next, Ottawa hits the road for just the second time this season to take on Montréal at Place Bell on January 27. That same afternoon, Boston returns home to the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell to host Minnesota for a second time.