Fleet dominate PWHL awards, with Frankel winning Billie Jean King MVP and goalie of the year honors

DETROIT (AP) — Goalie Aerin Frankel capped a near sweep by the Boston Fleet of the PWHL awards on Tuesday night, ascending the podium to accept the Billie Jean King MVP trophy and saying: “Hello again.”

Frankel and her Boston teammates and coach Kris Sparre were the big winners as the league formally put a close to its third season. And the ceremony also continued a theme during the league's draft festivities in Detroit this week by celebrating U.S. players who won gold at the Milan Cortina Games in February.

The 27-year-old Frankel doubled up in winning the MVP and goalie of the year honors. She set a PWHL record with eight shutouts and finished tied with Montreal’s Ann-Renee Desbiens in setting another league mark with 19 wins.

Frankel did so in 26 games, backstopping Boston to a 62-point finish — representing an 18-point jump from the previous season. The Fleet qualified for the playoffs for the second time in three years before being eliminated by Ottawa in the semifinals.

She wasn’t alone.

Fleet teammate and captain Megan Keller earned defender of the year honors. Kris Sparre was voted coach of the year following his first season in Boston. And Fleet defender Haley Winn, the second pick in the draft last year, was the league’s rookie of the year.

“It’s been amazing. I’m really happy I was able to be here in person, surrounded by other Boston Fleet players and our staff,” said Frankel, who became the first PWHL goalie to win MVP honors. “It was a really special season. And it’s going to be one I remember forever.”

The only major award won by a non-Boston player was Minnesota’s Kelly Pannek, who earned forward of the year honors. Pannek led the league with 33 points and, along with Desbiens, was an MVP finalist.

“They told us to fill in the front rows so I was literally sitting amongst them,” Pannek said of having to mingle with the Fleet players.

And yet Pannek didn’t feel too uncomfortable, given the Boston contingent was mostly made up of her U.S. teammates.

“I think that team in Milan is the best women’s hockey team that’s ever been,” Pannek said, before looking ahead to the PWHL draft on Wednesday. “We’re really lucky as people involved in women’s hockey to get to see this draft class because it’s not going to happen again where you have this level of elite talent."

Frankel, Keller, Winn and Pannek were all gold medalists in Milan. And there’s five more projected to go in the first round of the draft.

Frankel highlighted the evening. From Briarcliff Manor, New York, she finished second behind Desbiens with a 1.17 goals-against average and a .953 save percentage.

And Frankel also beat out Desbiens and Ottawa Charge Gwyneth Philips in the goalie of the year vote.

The awards are determined by a vote of media members, PWHL general managers and coaches and the PWHL Players Association.

-- The 30-year-old Keller led all PWHL defenders with 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists). Keller played a major role on the U.S. Olympic team by scoring the gold medal-clinching goal in a 2-1 overtime victory over Canada.

-- Sparre had no previous experience coaching women. He joined the Fleet after spending three years as an assistant with San Diego of the American Hockey League. He’s now moving on from Boston to take over the PWHL’s expansion franchise in Hamilton, Ontario, to be closer to his home.

-- The 22-year-old Winn is from Rochester, New York, and finished tied for second among PWHL rookies with 19 points (five goals, 14 assists) in 30 games.

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AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey