LOWELL, Mass. (Interstat) — Alina Müller scored one goal and added one assist, Aerin Frankel stopped 17 shots, and the Boston Fleet opened their Professional Women’s Hockey League playoff series with a 2-1 victory over the Ottawa Charge on April 30 at Tsongas Center. Boston leads the series 1-0. The Fleet improved to 22-9, while Ottawa fell to 17-14.

Ottawa struck first late in the opening period. Jocelyne Larocque scored at 18:06, with assists from Rory Guilday and Rebecca Leslie, giving the Charge a lead despite Boston’s early pressure. The period was choppy and physical, with several penalties on both sides. Boston’s Rylind MacKinnon received a five-minute major for a check to the head at 15:32, and Ottawa capitalized shortly after when Larocque found the net. Ottawa also took late penalties in the first when Brianne Jenner was called for roughing at 19:07 and Gwyneth Philips was whistled for tripping at 19:38.

Boston responded in the second period. Müller tied the game at 17:56, converting with an assist from Jessie Eldridge. Just 91 seconds later, Jamie Lee Rattray put Boston ahead at 19:27, with Eldridge and Müller earning assists. Rattray’s goal stood as the winner. Müller finished with seven shots on goal and one hit, while Eldridge contributed two assists, five shots on goal, four penalty minutes and one hit. Frankel made 17 saves on 18 shots in the win.

The Fleet controlled enough of the middle frame to flip the game. Ottawa’s Larocque had opened the scoring with her lone shot of the night. Rebecca Leslie recorded one assist, two shots on goal and two hits for the Charge. Brianne Jenner had two shots on goal and two penalty minutes. For Boston, Susanna Tapani had one shot and one hit, Haley Winn had two shots, two penalty minutes and two hits, and Megan Keller added two shots and two hits. Boston’s penalty kill and goaltending protected the one-goal edge through a scoreless third period.

Penalties shaped the night. Boston’s Jessie Eldridge was called for boarding at 1:01 of the third and for roughing at 10:15 of the first. Riley Brengman received a holding minor at 6:02 of the first, and Haley Winn was sent off for boarding at 10:54 of the second. Ottawa’s Fanuza Kadirova was penalized for delay of game at 7:00 of the second, Sarah Wozniewicz for interference at 7:05 of the third, Emily Clark for illegal body checking at 8:43 of the first, Jenner for roughing at 19:07 of the first and Philips for tripping at 19:38 of the first. MacKinnon’s major gave Ottawa an extended power play, and the Charge scored during it.

The result gave Boston a 1-0 lead in the series and avenged a recent regular-season loss. Ottawa had won 2-1 in overtime at Boston on April 22, part of a stretch in which the Charge had won three of four meetings between the teams. Boston closed the regular season with a 4-0 win over New York on April 25, while Ottawa beat Toronto 3-0 on April 25. The Charge had won four of their previous seven games entering the playoff opener, but they could not solve Frankel after taking the early lead.

Ottawa will look to even the series when the teams meet again May 2 at Boston. The series then shifts to Ottawa for Game 3 on May 8 and Game 4 on May 10. Boston’s win continued a strong late-season run that included a 4-0 shutout of New York and a 3-2 home win over Minnesota on April 15.

Interstat’s ELO system had projected Boston with a 59.5 percent probability to win. That projection proved accurate as the Fleet used Müller’s two-point effort, Rattray’s winner and Frankel’s 17 saves to take the series opener.