Last week, the Boston Pride lost a heartbreaker in overtime to the Buffalo Beauts when Megan Bozek blasted the puck past Brittany Ott in the extra frame. It was the fourth loss of the season, and it stung just a little more because it was the first game back for the national team players, who had been at a pre-camp for USA Hockey. Bozek, who scored the game-winner for Buffalo, was there, and so were eight other Pride players.

But even though Boston had to play two games — one regular season, and one against the CWHL’s best, Les Canadiennes — without half of their roster, they came out with a win and a tie. Their secret?

“I mean, I think it’s because we’re great teammates,” said Blake Bolden in a phone interview with Today’s Slapshot. “We want to represent our team and our league well, and we definitely just want to win, so that’s the main goal is to win.”

Despite a shortened bench in their last two contests, the Pride represented themselves incredibly, first in an unexpected and, frankly, improbable win against the then-undefeated Connecticut Whale, and then skated to a tie at the Women’s Outdoor Classic against Les Canadiennes de Montreal of the CWHL thanks to a late goal by Bolden.

Against the Whale, the team needed GM Hayley Moore to suit up and even then only had 12 skaters on the bench. Against Les Canadiennes, they were joined by additional players from Connecticut and New York to help fill out the lineup, but Bolden says the reason they clicked so well was because they didn’t try to complicate things and change their style.

“No, I think we just stick to what (head coach) Bobby tells us. He encourages smart, simple plays,” said Bolden. “We just listened to our coach and try to remain as disciplined as possible with the forecheck and our defensive zone, and I think we did a good job with that.”

For the Whale game especially, the Pride’s victory wasn’t just because of the team’s chemistry, though that was certain a factor, but also because of players stepping in to fill roles the national players left. Bolden said there were a lot of emotions going on during that game, but that overall, they had a great game.

“My playing definitely increased, there were only four defenseman at that game, so all of us, all the D, all the forwards, were just rotating the entire game,” said Bolden. “I remember my calves cramping up because I was just getting so tired…Every single person on that bench at that game just willed themselves to be a better player and be more focused and be more attentive to playing and getting the job done.”

The team’s last couple of games without the national members should be good news for fans of the team. Everyone knows what the Pride can do with players like Hilary Knight, Kacey Bellamy and Brianna Decker on the ice. Even though Boston is second in the league behind the Whale, they’re one of the most intimidating opponents to face in the NWHL. But now that teams have seen what they can do without their star players, especially against a team like Connecticut, it only reinforces the stunning depth that Boston has, though that’s not to say the national team members don’t bring a lot to the Pride.

“They’re potentially the best players in the world so they bring a lot of skill, talent, speed, intensity. At practices, they’re so fast when they’re here, and they make everyone else want to be better, so they bring a lot of different dynamics to our team,” said Bolden. “We’re just really lucky to have them on the Boston Pride because it would stink if we had to play against them all the time.”

They may have dropped their first game back against the Beauts, but Bolden is right, now that the national team members are back and Boston can roll with their regular Boston, teams won’t have an easy time against the Pride during the second half of the season.