Sceptres clinch 2nd straight PWHL playoff spot after Sirens defeat Frost

Toronto Sceptres are playoff-bound for a second consecutive season by virtue of New York Sirens' 2-0 win over hometown Minnesota Frost in PWHL action on Sunday.

Sceptres, who host the Sirens on Tuesday, needed a point in Saturday's 3-0 loss to Boston Fleet to secure a playoff spot or a Minnesota loss on Sunday.

A year ago, Toronto finished atop the league in the regular season but fell to the Frost in the semifinals after blowing a 2-0 series lead.

New York has already been eliminated from playoff contention.

On Saturday, Lexie Adzija and Hannah Brandt scored first-period goals and Klara Peslarova finished with 29 saves in her first career start to lead Boston to victory. 3-0 victory as the Professional Women's Hockey League returned to action in Lowell, Mass. after a nearly month-long international break.

It took just 2:35 for Boston to grab the lead when Adzija used an assist from Jamie Lee Rattray to score her second goal of the season. Rattray's assist was her fourth.

WATCH | Sceptres miss another chance to secure playoff spot:

Sceptres miss another chance to secure playoff spot with shutout loss to Fleet

17 days ago

Duration 0:58

Toronto falls to Boston 3-0 but still has two more games remaining to secure a position in the post-season. The Fleet sits two points behind the second-place Sceptres in the PWHL standings.

The Fleet (9-6-4-9) took a two-goal lead at 11:47 on Brandt's second goal with assists from Megan Keller, her eighth, and Hannah Bilka, her fourth. Peslarova had nine saves to keep Toronto off the scoreboard in the first period.

Boston took advantage of a power-play opportunity after Renata Fast was sent off for two minutes for an illegal check at 18:12 in the second period, scoring on a goal by Theresa Schafzahl with six seconds left in the period for a 3-0 lead. Schafzahl's third netter of the campaign came with assists from Rattray and Loren Gabel, her first.

WATCH | Peslarova earns shutout in 1st-ever PWHL start:

Boston Fleet's Klara Peslarova earns shutout in 1st-ever PWHL start

17 days ago

Duration 0:48

Fleet goalie Klara Peslarova makes 29 saves to record a shutout in her first-career PWHL start and leads Boston to a 3-0 win over Toronto.

Peslarova made one other appearance this season on Feb. 16 and also earned a victory when she played the final 40 minutes and stopped all 15 shots on goal as the Fleet rallied to beat Minnesota 4-2 after trailing 2-0 before Peslarova entered.

Kristen Campbell finished with 12 saves for Toronto. She needs 13 more to become the third goalie to top 1,000 through the league's first two seasons.