PWHL Boston franchise eager and excited to begin its season Wednesday night

LOWELL -- There is a new team in town, as Boston's franchise in the new Professional Women's Hockey League will drop the puck on its inaugural season Wednesday night in Lowell.

One of six teams in the PWHL's first season, Boston will host Minnesota at the Tsongas Center to kick off its 24-game schedule, which runs from January to May. Boston has a roster loaded with talent and is one of the favorites to win it all heading into the season. 

Players cannot wait to get on the ice Wednesday night and show fans -- and the rest of the new league -- what they've got.

"There are some nerves. A lot of excitement," said defender and assistant captain Megan Keller, who had a solid career at Boston College and won Olympic gold with the Women's national team in 2018. "I think all of us are ready to go. We had a long training camp -- six weeks -- so we're excited to put on our jerseys for the first time and represent Boston."

"We're accepting of the pressure that comes with playing in this city," said goaltender Aerin Frankel, who stopped pucks at Northeastern and helped the U.S. team win gold at the 2023 IIHF Women's World Championship. "We're excited for it and we're welcoming it. We're ready to go."

That pressure doesn't just come from the success of the pro teams in town. PWHL Boston is essentially taking over for the Boston Pride of the now-defunct Premier Hockey Federation, a team that won three of the league's seven Isobel Cups. While the Pride no longer exist, several players have made their way to Boston's new team. That group includes Pembroke native Sammy Davis, Gigi Marvin, Kaleigh Fratkin, Loren Gabel, and star Hilary Knight.

The 34-year-old Knight is one of the best players in the league -- if not the best -- with a resume that includes Olympic gold in 2018 and 2023 IIHF Player of the Year honors. She's also the highest-scoring player ever at in the Women's World Championships with 101 career points. 

On Tuesday, Knight was announced as PWHL Boston's first-ever team captain. Boston GM Danielle Marmer had former Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron help out with the announcement, who was on hand to give Knight her a new sweater adorned with the customary "C" before addressing the team.

Bergeron will also be in Lowell on Wednesday night to drop the puck for Boston's new franchise.

Once that puck drops, Knight will look to do her thing for head coach Courtney Kessel, a former UNH Wildcat. Kessel previously coached in the Canadian Women's Hockey League and helped Team Canada's U-18 squad win gold at the 2023 IIFH U18 World Championships.

Knight will be centered by Alina Muller, who was taken third overall by Boston in the NWHL draft. She spent five seasons at Northeastern, where she set a school record with 98 goals and 156 assists for 254 points. Gabel will likely join Knight and Muller on Boston's first line, and will look to build off her 2023 PHF MVP season for the Pride, where she led the league in points (40), goals (20) and assists (20) in just 22 games.

If you want to check out PWHL Boston but can't make it to Lowell, all 24 of Boston's games will air locally on NESN or NESN+, and all PWHL games will be streaming on the league's Youtube channel throughout the season.