PWHL Debut, no problem for Boston Fleet Rookie Amanda Thiele

March 29, 2026 —St Paul, MN — Grand Casino Arena

On Saturday March 28, Amanda got the word from the Fleet coaching staff that her time was now to suit up for the first game of her professional hockey career. She had put the work in all season long in practice with the squad and after making the decision to give #1 goalie Aerin Frankel who had just set a PWHL record for the most consecutive regular season shutout streak (3 straight games) the day off at the defending back-to-back champion Minnesota Frost, the team decided to reward her. Amanda did not miss her chance to impress in this opportunity.

While it would be no easy tasking playing the Frost whose forwards included the top 3 scorers in the League (Kelly Pannek, Taylor Heise and Britta Curl Salemme), the game would also see the return of Minnesota Team Captain, Kendall Coyne Schofield providing an added bump to the home team.

With all of this being said and not having played a full real game since the 2025 NCAA National Championship for The Ohio State University, Amanda calmly navigated the first period with the lead and won her first game with 21 saves in a 4-2 victory in front of 9,925 fans in the State of Hockey.

The game was a meaningful one for the Boston Fleet as it allowed them to become the 1st team to clinch a 2025-26 Walter Cup Playoff spot for the first time since they faced Minnesota in the inaugural Walter Cup Final in 2024. Minnesota eliminated Boston from playoff contention in the final game of the regular season in the 2024-25 campaign.

With the win, Boston became the first team this season to earn wins from three different goaltenders, and just the fourth team to do so all-time (also Boston and Toronto in 2024-25, New York in 2024). She became the fifth netminder to make their PWHL debut this season and third rookie in PWHL history to win their first game, following Seattle’s Hannah Murphy on Dec. 3, 2025, and Boston’s Emma Söderberg back on Jan. 17, 2024.