No Weird Tricks Required: Aerin Frankel and the Power of Goalie Basics
- Elite goaltenders focus on controllables—preparation and process—rather than outcomes, because shutouts can be ended by a single bad bounce.
- Increased success and visibility create new pressure on goaltenders, requiring the same mental discipline that got them to the top level.
- Shutouts are a binary, fickle statistic: Frankel had only one per PWHL season in her first two years despite ranking second and third in league save percentage.
- Aerin Frankel set a PWHL record with 7 shutouts in 22 starts for the Boston Fleet in the 2025-26 season, including three consecutive shutouts.
- Frankel recorded three shutouts in five Olympic games at Milano-Cortina, an Olympic record, giving her 10 shutouts across 27 combined starts.
Sometimes, partly as a joke, I’ll tell my goalies “Hey, remember, just make saves, don’t get scored on.”
Well, in 2025-2026, Aerin Frankel just makes saves and does not get scored on. In 22 starts for the Boston Fleet she’s got 7 shutouts, a PWHL record. That includes PWHL-record three consecutive shutouts (and an overall scoreless streak of 236 minutes, 45 seconds).
While in Milano-Cortina picking up her Olympic Gold medal she threw in an Olympic-record three shutouts in five games for good measure. That’s 10 shutouts in 27 starts.
Shutouts are fickle things, of course. They’re a binary statistic; you get one or you don’t. A single bad bounce or perfectly placed shot can end a shutout bid.
Frankel, for instance, only had one shutout in each of the two PWHL seasons before this despite being second and third in league save percentage in those years.
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