A full week of PWHL games takes the schedule into the International Break
NEW YORK AND TORONTO – A closer look at highlights on and off the ice from around the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL).
NINE STRAIGHT DAYS OF PWHL GAMES
Saturday launched the busiest stretch of the PWHL season to date with nine games in nine consecutive days heading into February’s International Break. With tonight’s action between New York and Ottawa, the Sirens and Charge will play three games over the next seven days, Montréal and Toronto will each play three games in a span of five days later this week, and Boston and Minnesota have one more home game each before the schedule pauses. Following action on Sunday, Feb. 2, the league will be near the midway mark of the season having completed 43 games of the 90-game schedule. Click here for the full schedule and scores.
SECOND STRAIGHT SELL-OUT FOR BATTLE ON BAY STREET
Toronto defeated New York 4-2 on Saturday afternoon in front of a sold-out crowd of 19,102 at Scotiabank Arena in the second edition of the Battle on Bay Street presented by Scotiabank. Hannah Miller scored twice for the Sceptres, marking two straight seasons where she’s scored at Scotiabank Arena including last year’s 3-0 win over Montréal on Feb. 16, 2024 –– her 28th birthday. The game featured a celebration of women’s sports in Toronto as Teresa Resch, President of the WNBA’s Toronto Tempo, performed the ceremonial puck drop, members of the NSL’s AFC Toronto read the Sceptres starting lineup, local Olympians Katie Vincent and Ellie Black were in attendance, and Team Canada’s Maddie McCullough and Dorothy Copetti were recognized for their gold medal performance at the U18 Worlds. The game had the third-highest attendance in PWHL history following last season’s Battle on Bay Street with a crowd of 19,285 and the record-setting crowd of 21,105 at the Bell Centre on Apr. 20, 2024. Montréal will host Boston at the Bell Centre on Mar. 1 for the second annual Duel at the Top, presented in partnership with Air Canada. Attendance through 36 games this season is 270,530 – an average of 7,515 per game.
PWHL HOSTS INAUGURAL FANTASY CAMP
Fans from all parts of Canada and the United States enjoyed a unique opportunity to step into the life of a PWHL player during the weekend’s inaugural PWHL Fantasy Camp in Toronto. Participants honed their skills in practices at Ford Performance Centre, led by the Sceptres coaching staff and alongside hockey legends Jayna Hefford, Cassie Campbell-Pascall and Courtney Kennedy. The event also featured a scrimmage, exclusive autograph sessions and speaking panels with Sceptres players, tickets to the Battle on Bay Street, and an after-party with a legends panel and Jocks in Jills hosts Tessa Bonhomme and Julia Tocheri. Among the 35 adult participants was Kiki Moore McConnell, from St. John’s, Newfoundland, who celebrated her 71st birthday on Saturday. Reporter Kerry Gillespie wrote about Kiki’s experience and more for the Toronto Star in a story that can be read here. **Media Note – PWHL Fantasy Camp photos available for editorial use here.
PWHLPA APPOINTS MALAIKA UNDERWOOD AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
The Professional Women’s Hockey League Players Association (PWHLPA), the labor union representing the players of the PWHL, has appointed Malaika Underwood as its new Executive Director, effective March 3, 2025. A highly accomplished sports executive, Underwood has developed strategies and operated businesses that help athletes, organizations, and brands unlock commercial value. She succeeds Brian Burke, who has led the union since its inception in 2023. Click here for more.
UPPER DECK RELEASES PWHL: FIRST EDITION
Upper Deck, the worldwide leader in sports and entertainment collectibles, has released the highly anticipated PWHL: First Edition physical trading cards debuting on store shelves last Wednesday. The collection follows the release of the exceptionally popular PWHL digital trading card sets Upper Deck released in 2024, celebrating milestone events including the historical puck-drop on the inaugural season and the post-season awards. Upper Deck also recently announced that Minnesota’s Taylor Heise has joined New York’s Sarah Fillier among its team of elite athletes, solidifying the company’s commitment to elevating women’s sports and recognizing the incredible talent of the PWHL. Click here for more about PWHL: First Edition.
PWHL RECOGNIZED IN THE HOCKEY NEWS TOP 100
The Hockey News has unveiled its annual list of the 100 most powerful and influential people in hockey in 2025. Among them is Jayna Hefford, PWHL Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations (93) and Marie-Philip Poulin, Montréal Victoire captain (98). The magazine issue also features a spotlight on notable contributors to women’s hockey. In addition to Hefford and Poulin, the piece profiles Fillier, Toronto forward Natalie Spooner, Boston captain Hilary Knight, Mark Walter, advisory board members Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss, Sceptres general manager Gina Kingsbury, PWHL Vice President of Hockey Operations Annie Camins, and PWHL Senior Vice President of Business Operations Amy Scheer. Click here for more.
FIRST SHUTOUT FOR PHILIPS
Gwyneth Philips turned aside all 22 shots she faced in Ottawa’s 1-0 victory over Minnesota last Tuesday to become the first rookie goaltender in PWHL history to earn a shutout. It was also her first career victory in her third start since being selected by the Charge in the third round of the draft in June 2024. She is also the youngest netminder to record a shutout at 24 years, 4 months, 4 days, which narrowly edges New York’s Corinne Schroeder who posted her first shutout in the inaugural season-opener at 24 years, 4 months, 15 days. Philips’ milestone came on the same night her alma mater, the Northeastern Huskies, posted a 4-0 shutout victory over Boston University to win the 46th Beanpot title before a crowd of 13,279 fans at TD Garden.
FIRST GOAL FOR KNOLL
Another Northeastern alumna and three-time Beanpot champion enjoyed a milestone moment last week as Frost rookie forward Katy Knoll scored her first career PWHL goal on Sunday against Boston. Earlier in the game, the seventh-round draft pick from Amherst, NY, recorded her first career point–– an assist––with her goal coming on her seventh shot of the season in her 11th game. So far this season there have been 83 different PWHL goal scorers including 18 rookies.
BEANPOT BOOST
Northeastern’s third straight Beanpot championship ignited a number of former Huskies in the PWHL last week. In addition to Philips and Knoll, who won three Beanpot titles together (2020, 2023 and 2024), Boston’s Alina Müller tied her career-high with three points on Wednesday, recording a goal and two assists in the Fleet’s 4-1 win over Toronto. The 2020/23 Beanpot champion earned PWHL First Star of the Week honors and is riding a three-game point streak (1G, 4A). Minnesota’s Kendall Coyne Schofield, who won back-to-back Beanpots in 2012/13, recorded a career-high three points with a goal and two assists in the Frost’s 5-2 win over the Fleet on Sunday. Toronto rookie defender Megan Carter, who won three Beanpot titles alongside Philips and Knoll, was activated from LTIR and made her season debut on Saturday, seven months after being selected by the Sceptres in the second round of the draft.
LEAGUE LEADERS
Coyne Schofield‘s three-point performance lifted the Minnesota captain into sole possession of first in PWHL scoring with 14 points (6G, 8A) in 14 games. Fillier leads all rookies with 12 points (5G, 7A) in 11 games and is tied for second in scoring with Heise who has 12 points (4G, 8A) in 13 games. Sirens forward Alex Carpenter has 11 points (5G, 6A) in 11 games and Frost defender Claire Thompson has 11 points (1G, 10A) in 14 games. Coyne Schofield is tied for the league-lead in goals with Toronto’s Miller with six each, and Thompson leads the way in assists with 10. In goal, Schroeder and Montréal’s Ann-Renée Desbiens lead the league with six wins each, Minnesota’s Maddie Rooney leads with a 1.86 goals-against-average, and Ottawa’s Emerance Maschmeyer leads with a .934 save percentage. With this week’s win, Minnesota (5-3-2-4) moves into a first-place tie in the standings with Montréal (6-2-1-2), both with 23 points, though the Victoire have three games in hand. Click to see standings and stats.
THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE
All six PWHL teams will play at least one home game before the International Break, beginning tonight when Ottawa hosts New York for the first time this season at The Arena at TD Place. On Tuesday, Minnesota hosts Toronto for the first time this season at Xcel Energy Center, then Montréal hosts back-to-back games at Place Bell by welcoming the Charge on Wednesday and the Sceptres on Thursday. Boston will host New York at the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell on Friday night, the Sceptres will host the Charge at Coca-Cola Coliseum on Saturday afternoon, and the Sirens will host the Victoire at Prudential Center on Sunday afternoon.
Monday, January 27, 2025
7 p.m. ET – New York Sirens at Ottawa Charge (The Arena at TD Place)
TSN 3/5, MSG2
Tuesday, January 28, 2025
7 p.m. ET – Toronto Sceptres at Minnesota Frost (Xcel Energy Center)
FanDuel Sports Network North, Prime Video (Canada)
Wednesday, January 29, 2025
7 p.m. ET – Ottawa Charge at Montréal Victoire (Place Bell)
TSN 1/5, RDS
Thursday, January 30, 2025
7 p.m. ET – Toronto Sceptres at Montréal Victoire (Place Bell)
TSN 4, RDS 2
Friday, January 31, 2025
7 p.m. ET – New York Sirens at Boston Fleet (Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell)
NESN, MSG/MSGHD
Saturday, February 1, 2025
2 p.m. ET – Ottawa Charge at Toronto Sceptres (Coca-Cola Coliseum)
CBC
Sunday, February 2, 2025
1 p.m. ET – Montréal Victoire at New York Sirens (Prudential Center)
MSG/MSGHD, TSN 5, RDS
