PWHL Takeover Tour™ continues in Québec City following record-setting attendance
NEW YORK AND TORONTO (January 14, 2025) – A closer look at highlights on and off the ice from around the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL).
PWHL TAKEOVER TOUR ATTENDANCE AT 45,664 HEADING INTO QUÉBEC CITY
The fourth stop of the PWHL Takeover Tour™ is Québec City where the Montréal Victoire will host the Ottawa Charge on Sunday afternoon at Videotron Centre. The first three games of the tour have amassed a total attendance of 45,664 at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena (12,608), a sold-out Rogers Arena in Vancouver (19,038), and a record-setting crowd at Denver’s Ball Arena (14,018). The first three Takeover Tour games have produced the three largest attendances in the PWHL this season, followed by the crowd of 11,065 when Ottawa hosted Montréal at Canadian Tire Centre on Dec. 6, and a sold-out crowd of 10,172 when Montréal hosted Boston at Place Bell on Dec. 30. Attendance through 28 games this season is 198,737 – an average of 7,098 per game. The PWHL Takeover Tour™ is a slate of nine neutral-site regular-season games that will be played outside the League’s current complement of cities. Click here for more.
MILE HIGH MAGIC
Sunday’s crowd of 14,018 at Denver’s Ball Arena set a new U.S. attendance record for a professional women’s hockey game. This surpasses the previous record of 13,736, set last season on Mar. 16, 2024, at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena during a neutral site game between Boston and Ottawa. Minnesota emerged victorious over Montréal in Denver by a 4-2 score in a first-place showdown. Members of the Frost took the mile high theme to new heights by showing up to the game wearing retro inspired ski attire. USA Hockey Executive Director, Pat Kelleher, performed the ceremonial puck drop. Nicole Hensley, a native of Lakewood, CO, represented Minnesota at center ice for the ceremony. Colorado Avalanche star defenseman Cale Makar was among the special guests in attendance. On Saturday, both teams held open practices and signed autographs for fans. Members of the Frost also participated in a ‘Try Hockey For Free’ on-ice session with local youth. Watch the recap here.
VANCOUVER VIBES
Last Wednesday, Montréal picked up a 4-2 win over Toronto in front of a sold-out crowd of 19,038 at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena. Captain Marie-Philip Poulin scored twice, including the game-winner, almost 15 years after her two-goal performance led Canada to gold in a 2-0 victory over the U.S. at the 2010 Olympics in the same building. The local sporting scene was out in full force to support the event, including Shannon Woeller (Vancouver Rise FC) and Piper Logan (Canada’s Rugby 7s) who performed the ceremonial puck drop. Members of Canada’s Rugby 7s also met with each team pre-game. Canucks defender Filip Hronek met fellow Czech Noemi Neubauerová of the Sceptres for a photo, and members of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC presented jerseys to Montréal’s Erin Ambrose and Toronto’s Blayre Turnbull. Members of the NSL’s Vancouver Rise FC, AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks, CFL’s BC Lions, NLL’s Vancouver Warriors, CEBL’s Vancouver Bandits, and the UBC Thunderbirds women’s hockey team – in support of alumna Rylind MacKinnon of the Sceptres – were all in attendance. On Tuesday before the game, members of the Sceptres participated in a skills clinic with local youth.
TAKEOVER TOUR TALK
Carol Schram, Senior Contributor, FORBES: “The nine-city PWHL Takeover Tour that kicked off with three Western games this week looks poised to be a fifth-deck home run…In terms of promoting the PWHL product, this year’s Takeover Tour games couldn’t have gone much better. The hordes of youth hockey teams that have packed the stands to see their idols have been treated to top-tier game presentation that rivals the NHL or any other women’s sports league, on top of an exciting on-ice product that pops thanks to the speed, the players’ high skill levels and the increased level of physicality that is a trademark of the PWHL game…In a landscape that has also seen the WNBA and NWSL take giant leaps forward, the PWHL continues to advance at breakneck speeds. Bringing in 45,000 fans over eight days, most of whom have never seen your product before, is phenomenal exposure for the brand.”
Corey Masisak of the Denver Post: “As the final minute of the Frost victory ticked away, another, louder “we want a team” chant echoed through Ball Arena. Other cities during the PWHL Takeover Tour have made a similar declaration. The league has already announced it will expand from six to eight teams as early as the 2025-26 season, but not which cities will be next. Setting a new American standard for attendance certainly can’t hurt Denver’s case. All of those young girls wearing their own jerseys and PWHL foam fingers Sunday afternoon want to dream about playing pro hockey, and like Hensley, to experience it in their home state.”
CANADA WINS WORLD U18 GOLD
The 2025 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship wrapped up on Sunday in Vantaa, Finland, with Canada earning gold in a 3-0 victory over the United States. Caileigh Tiller, Dorothy Copetti and Stryker Zablocki scored for Canada and Marilou Grenier made 14 saves in the shutout. Team USA goaltender Morgan Stickney made 26 saves. The PWHL had a number of staff represented in the gold medal game. Behind the bench for Canada was head coach Vicky Sunohara, who serves as a coach consultant for Toronto, and assistant coach Stefanie McKeough, who is an assistant coach for Boston. Fleet skills coach Courtney Kennedy was an assistant coach for Team USA. Team Canada’s Physician, Dr. Danielle Kelton, also works with the Sceptres, Strength and Conditioning Coach, Shannon MacAulay, works with Minnesota, and Team USA Head Scout, Haley Skarupa, is a scouting consultant for the Frost. Czechia won the bronze medal with a 2-1 victory over Sweden. Slovakia’s Nela Lopusanova was voted Tournament MVP with 11 points in five games. Directorate award recipients include Anabella Fanale (USA) named Best Forward, Chloe Primerano (CAN) named Best Defender, and Daniela Novakova (CZE) named Best Goaltender. Primerano finished with 26 points (12G, 14A) across two appearances at the U18 Women’s Worlds, tying Marie-Philip Poulin for the most by a Canadian at the tournament. A total of 95 current PWHL players have U18 experience competing in the top division, including 49 players who have compiled a total of 64 U18 gold medals. Most recent U18 gold medal winners in the PWHL were in 2019 with Canada’s Megan Carter (TOR), Jennifer Gardiner (MTL), Julia Gosling (TOR), Raygan Kirk (TOR), Stephanie Markowski (OTT) and Danielle Serdachny (OTT). Click here for more about future PWHL talent starring at the WU18.
TRIO OF OT GAMES
Three of the six games played last week across the PWHL were decided in overtime. Minnesota won 2-1 over Boston last Wednesday, Boston beat Ottawa 2-1 on Saturday, and New York defeated Toronto on Sunday in the league’s first-ever 1-0 regular-season result. Taylor Heise (MIN), Sidney Morin (BOS) and Jessie Eldridge (NY) all tallied the winning goals. Nine of the league’s 28 games this season have been decided in overtime or a shootout which represents 32% of all games. Last season, 20 of the league’s 72 games went to extra time (28%). Click here to see the PWHL schedule and scores.
BACK-TO-BACK SHUTOUTS FOR SCHROEDER
New York’s Corinne Schroeder became the first-ever goaltender to post back-to-back shutouts during the PWHL regular season. The 25-year-old from Elm Creek, MB, is responsible for the league’s only two shutouts so far this season and carries a shutout streak of 156:44. Last season, three goaltenders posted multiple shutouts during the regular season including Kristen Campbell (TOR) with three, and Maddie Rooney (MIN) and Emerance Maschmeyer (OTT) with two each.
FIRST GOAL FOR NYLÉN PERSSON
Sirens rookie defender Maja Nylén Persson scored her first career PWHL goal in her eighth career game last Tuesday. The 24-year-old from Avesta, Sweden, was a second-round draft pick in June. So far this season, there have been 76 different goal scorers across the PWHL, including 17 rookies.
LEAGUE LEADERS
The Minnesota Frost (4-3-1-2) have won two straight games and sit first overall in the PWHL standings with 19 points, followed by the Montréal Victoire (4-2-1-2) in second place with 17 points. There is a three-way tie for first in PWHL scoring between New York’s Alex Carpenter (5G, 5A), rookie Sarah Fillier (4G, 6A) and Minnesota defender Claire Thompson (1G, 9A) who each have 10 points. Eldridge (3G, 6A) and Heise (2G, 7A) are tied for fourth with nine points each. Frost rookie Britta Curl-Salemme is tied with Carpenter for the league-lead with five goals. Toronto defender Renata Fast has eight assists, one behind Thompson for the category lead. Schroeder (1.86) and Rooney (1.98) hold the best goals-against averages in the league and are tied for first with five wins apiece. Schroeder shares the save percentage lead with Maschmeyer (.935). Click to see standings and stats.
THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE
PWHL action resumes tonight with a battle between Ontario rivals as the Ottawa Charge host the Toronto Sceptres for the second time at TD Place at 7 p.m. ET. Tomorrow, it’s the New York Sirens hosting the Minnesota Frost for the second time at Prudential Center at 7 p.m. ET. On Friday night, the Frost make their first trip of the season to Montréal and will take on the Victoire at Place Bell at 7 p.m. ET. All eyes will be on the PWHL Takeover Tour on Sunday afternoon when the Victoire host the Charge at Québec City’s Videotron Centre at 1 p.m. ET.
Tuesday, January 14, 2025
7 p.m. ET – Toronto Sceptres at Ottawa Charge (The Arena at TD Place)
Prime Video (Canada)
Wednesday, January 15, 2025
7 p.m. ET – Minnesota Frost at New York Sirens (Prudential Center)
MSGNHD/MSGSNZ1/MSGSNZ2, FanDuel Sports Network Extra, TSN 5
Friday, January 17, 2025
7 p.m. ET – Minnesota Frost at Montréal Victoire (Place Bell)
TSN 1, FanDuel Sports Network Extra, RDS
Sunday, January 19, 2025
1 p.m. ET – PWHL Takeover Tour – Ottawa Charge at Montréal Victoire (Videotron Centre, Québec City)
TSN 3, RDS
All PWHL games will be streamed on the league’s YouTube Channel and at thepwhl.com, and are available to watch worldwide outside of Canada, and in Czechia and Slovakia where games are available via Nova Sport.