<p>In a week that saw an influx of scoring, a few Professional Women’s Hockey League players were especially impressive.</p>



<p>From clutch saves to big offensive performances, these three were good enough to earn DFO’s Player of the Week honors:</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-claire-dalton-f-montreal"><strong>Claire Dalton (F, Montreal)</strong></h2>



<p>Through the first 10 games, Claire Dalton played a solid depth role but never really showed up as an offensive threat. </p>



<p>That changed last week. </p>



<p>It started last Sunday when Dalton scored a power-play goal in Montreal’s 2-1 win over Minnesota, temporarily closing the gap on the first place. It was the 25-year-old’s first goal since the opening game of the season. </p>



<p>Then in a game against Ottawa, Dalton notched a hat trick, including scoring Montreal’s first “jailbreak” goal of the season.</p>



<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Claire Dalton’s goal today (2-1) <a href="https://t.co/5JaOglqDq8">pic.twitter.com/5JaOglqDq8</a></p>— HFTV (@HFTVSports) <a href="https://twitter.com/HFTVSports/status/1761501892985680261?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>



<p>The former Yale captain was credited with the game-winning goal in Montreal’s 6-3 win, pushing the team to the top of the league standings.</p><div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="154"></div>



<p>Dalton is now sixth in the league with five goals.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-megan-keller-d-boston"><strong>Megan Keller (D, Boston)</strong></h2>



<p>While Boston has had its share of struggles recently, Megan Keller has been one of the team’s most consistent blueliners this season. </p>



<p>The U.S. National Team mainstay leads all defenders in points per game at 0.91. In Boston’s split with Ottawa, the Farmington Hills, Michigan native posted two assists in a 4-2 loss last Monday before assisting on Susanna Tapani’s game-winning goal in the second bout.</p>



<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Susanna Tapani tips home a Megan Keller point shot to give Boston the lead early in the 2nd!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PWHL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PWHL</a> <a href="https://t.co/IxSxosTTKf">pic.twitter.com/IxSxosTTKf</a></p>— TSN (@TSN_Sports) <a href="https://twitter.com/TSN_Sports/status/1760470245972509128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>



<p>Keller has been on the top pair since the season began and has played a lot lately with Kaleigh Fratkin. An early candidate for defender of the year, Keller is tied with New York’s Ella Shelton for most points among blueliners with 10.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="139"></div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-aerin-frankel-g-boston"><strong>Aerin Frankel (G, Boston)</strong></h2>



<p>Aerin Frankel was one of the goaltenders who arguably came into the season with the most pressure. With her national team pedigree and having just backstopped the Americans to a World Championship, the expectations were high.</p>



<p>It hasn’t always been easy, but the 24-year-old played well in a 3-1 victory over Ottawa on Wednesday after an equally impressive effort two nights before – albeit, in a loss.</p>



<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Stop that <a href="https://twitter.com/aerinfrankel__?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@aerinfrankel__</a> <a href="https://t.co/XooLQvRK3N">pic.twitter.com/XooLQvRK3N</a></p>— PWHL Boston (@PWHL_Boston) <a href="https://twitter.com/PWHL_Boston/status/1760485161148240112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>



<p>With a 3-2-2 record, Frankel is fourth in the PWHL in goals-against average (1.94) and save percentage (.928) – good to best her Canadian counterpart, Ann-Renée Desbiens.</p>
