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The off-season isn’t downtime for goaltender Marlène Boissonnault of the Professional Women’s Hockey League.
The last few months have been a “roller-coaster” for the Minnesota Frost goalie originally from Dundee, a small community on the north shore of New Brunswick.
Boissonnault just re-signed with the Frost for a one-year contract, calling it special to be able to continue on with an organization that sets itself apart from others and also has a winning record.
On top of that, Boissonnault said, the fan base really drives the Minnesota Frost.
“It’s very much so a question of how can we feed off of them, and it’s for any teams in the league, how can we feed off our fans?” she said.
“And the Minnesota Frost makes it so darn easy. They create their own chance, they create their own vibes, they bring the energy day in, day out, every single day.”
In April, Boissonnault experienced the energy from the fans on the ice as a starting goalie. She had her first career start with the PWHL, meaning she played her first game as the starting goaltender since making her league debut.
“It was unbelievable,” Boissonnault recalled. “It’s one of those things where a lot of people say, like, ‘Oh, it must have felt like, you know, it was finally the finish line of what you wanted to achieve.’ But truly, to me, it felt like the first step to so many.”
The Professional Women’s Hockey League had its inaugural season in 2024. Boissonnault played her first season with the Montréal Victoire before moving in her second season to the Frost, which took home the coveted Walter Cup.
This season, the Frost made it to the playoffs but were eliminated in the best-of-five semifinals by the Victoire in Game 5.
Marlène Boissonnault, originally from Dundee, N.B., has re-signed with the Minnesota Frost in the Professional Women’s Hockey League after a season of exciting moments.
And while it was a tough loss for the team that won the cup the previous two seasons, a whirlwind of emotions followed for Boissonnault, who received the Intact Impact Award at the PWHL Awards a month later.
The award recognizes four players who made a meaningful impact on team culture. It’s accompanied by $5,000 for each winner to donate to charity. Boissonault chose the Montreal-based Hockey 4 Youth Foundation, which works to increase social inclusion for newcomer and high-priority youth.
The award came as a shock to Boissonnault.
“We are a pool of people that just want to give back,” she said. “It’s been a league that has been created from the ground up, and there are so many people to be recognized for the work that they have done.”
Boissonnault works with youth “non-stop” and said it’s what occupies most of her time in the summer outside training.
A lot of her work happens in Calgary, where she lives with her fiancé in the summers, but she also travels the country putting on hockey camps, including some in Atlantic Canada and the North.
There are so many Canadian girls who want to play the sport, which means there are a number of players who can benefit from mentorship and motivation, Boissonnault said, pointing to Hockey Canada’s latest statistic on girls’ hockey participation.
According to a news release from Hockey Canada, women’s and girls’ hockey set another national participation record with more than 121,000 women and girls registered across the country — a five per cent increase year over year.
And according to Hockey Canada, 42 per cent of players selected at the 2026 PWHL draft were Canadian, a seven per cent increase from last year’s draft and a 13 per cent increase from the 2024 draft.
For Boissonnault, being able to put Dundee and New Brunswick on the map through her professional endeavours has meant the world to her.
“New Brunswick is so special to me.”
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