Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) Weekly Notebook
NEW YORK AND TORONTO – A closer look at highlights on and off the ice from around the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) heading into the final 30 games of the regular-season.
READY FOR RALEIGH
The PWHL Takeover Tour™ Raleigh Presented by Ally –– the tour’s seventh of nine games ––is set to take place this Friday, Mar. 7 at Raleigh’s Lenovo Center where the Minnesota Frost will take on the Ottawa Charge at 7 p.m. ET. Both teams will hold open practices followed by autograph sessions on Thursday at Invisalign Arena. Attendance through the first six games of the tour totaled 89,953, giving fans in new markets the opportunity to experience the PWHL outside the league’s current complement of cities. Click here for more.
FLEET TO HOST THE FIRST OF TWO GAMES AT AGGANIS ARENA
On Saturday afternoon, the Boston Fleet will play the first of two home games this season at Boston University’s Agganis Arena where the team will welcome the Montréal Victoire for a 2 p.m. ET matchup. The second game is scheduled for Wednesday, Mar. 26 at 7 p.m. ET against Toronto. Located in central Boston, Agganis Arena is the home of the Boston University Terriers Men’s Ice Hockey team. The two dates are part of a league-wide initiative to host games at alternate home venues, making it easier for fans in different areas to attend and experience the PWHL live.
VICTOIRE WIN AT THE BELL CENTRE
Montréal emerged victorious with a 3-2 overtime triumph over Boston on Saturday in the second annual Duel at the Top, presented by Air Canada. The Victoire have now won 16 home games in four different venues across the province of Québec the past two seasons, including the Bell Centre (1), Centre Videotron (1), Verdun Auditorium (4) and Place Bell (10). Saturday’s crowd of 17,324 was the fifth highest for a PWHL game this season and brings the league’s total attendance through 60 games to 441,886 – an average of 7,365 per game. Click here for PWHL schedules and scores.
JAYNA HEFFORD AMONG WOMEN OF INFLUENCE+ CANADA AWARD RECIPIENTS
Today, Women of Influence+, a leading global organization committed to advancing women’s leadership and workplace equity, named Jayna Hefford among the recipients of the 2025 Top 25 Women of Influence+ Canada Awards. The PWHL’s Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations was honored for leading bold reforms that are creating new pathways for women athletes and setting a global standard for professional women’s sports. The 25 women are redefining leadership in Canada, from hockey arenas to research labs, boardrooms to grassroots movements, with influence that spans policy, innovation, cultural advocacy, and economic advancement, shaping industries and communities alike.
PWHL JOINS AMAZON TO CELEBRATE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
On Monday afternoon at Amazon’s Toronto office, Jocks in Jills co-host Julia Tocheri led a panel with Sceptres assistant coach Rachel Flanagan and members of Amazon leadership. The event celebrated the upcoming International Women’s Day by highlighting the achievements and contributions of women in professional hockey and technology, fostering meaningful discussions about leadership, resilience, and opportunity. Stay tuned to aboutamazon.ca for a full recap. Then on Monday night, Sceptres general manager Gina Kingsbury joined the Prime Monday Night Hockey panel at Scotiabank Arena for an interview with hosts Adnan Virk and Shane Hnidy. Click here to watch. This season, the PWHL has expanded its visibility through a partnership with Amazon Prime Video with 16 Tuesday night regular-season games streamed live across Canada.
EXPANDED PWHL COVERAGE AT THESCORE
Fans can now enjoy expanded PWHL coverage at theScore. App users can track live scores and stats, follow the league’s six teams, and subscribe to player and team push notifications – all in addition to comprehensive league-wide reporting.
MURPHY DONATES $10,000 TO BLACK GIRL HOCKEY CLUB
Victoire forward Maureen Murphy has made a $10,000 donation to support Black Girl Hockey Club. As the inaugural recipient of the league’s ‘Hockey For All’ award, presented by Scotiabank, the 25-year-old from Buffalo, NY, was given the opportunity to make the donation to an organization of her choice. Black Girl Hockey Club – a community organization spotlighted throughout the PWHL’s Black History Month celebrations - works to eliminate barriers for Black women, girls, and allies, fostering a hockey community that is welcoming and accessible to all. Murphy got the chance to meet members of Black Girl Hockey Club Canada following the team’s Black History Month Unity Game last Tuesday at Place Bell.
PWHL OPENS 2025 DRAFT DECLARATION PROCESS
The declaration process for the 2025 PWHL Draft commenced on Mar. 1 and is open until May 8, 2025. All prospective players interested in competing in the 2025-26 PWHL season must declare for the draft to be eligible for selection and subsequent free agency. Last season, 167 eligible players declared for the 2024 PWHL Draft with a talent pool largely comprised of collegiate graduates and players with national team experience from 19 different countries.
HUGHES MAKES HISTORY
Gabbie Hughes was the hero at TD Place last Wednesday, scoring Ottawa’s first-ever overtime winner to cap a 6-5 victory over New York. The Charge had previously lost their first four games beyond regulation this season and recorded one shootout victory in seven games beyond regulation during the league’s inaugural campaign. So far this season, 11 games have been decided in overtime with the Charge holding a 1-3 record in four of them. Montréal (2-0) has the best overtime record, followed by New York (2-1), Minnesota (2-2) and Toronto (2-2), and Boston (2-3)
HOUSE SCORES FIRST CAREER GOAL
Also in last Wednesday’s game, Charge forward Taylor House contributed to the team’s victory over the Sirens with her first career PWHL goal. The milestone marker for the Joliet, IL, native came in her ninth game of the season and on just her second shot on goal. So far this season there have been 93 different PWHL goal scorers, including 21 rookies.
LEAGUE LEADERS
Montréal (10-4-1-4) won both of their games last week to expand their first-place lead atop the PWHL standings. The Victoire have 39 points after snapping Toronto’s six-game winning streak and Boston’s four-game streak. The Sceptres (8-2-4-7) and the Fleet (6-5-3-6) sit in second and third place with 32 and 31 points, respectively. Minnesota (6-4-3-7) currently holds the fourth and final playoff spot with 29 points – just two ahead of Ottawa (7-1-4-8) with 27 points following the Charge’s two straight wins. New York (4-3-4-9) has earned a point in two straight games despite an eight-game losing streak and rank sixth with 22 points. Sceptres forward Hannah Miller continues to lead the league with 22 points (10G, 12A), followed by Sirens rookie Sarah Fillier with 21 points–– including a league-high 14 assists. Frost captain Kendall Coyne Schofield (8G, 10A) and Sceptres forward Daryl Watts (6G, 12A) are tied for third with 18 points each. Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin leads the league with 12 goals and is one of four players with 17 points, along with Toronto’s Renata Fast (4G, 13A) who leads all defenders in scoring. In goal, Montréal’s Ann-Renée Desbiens leads the league in wins (11), goals-against-average (1.76) and save percentage (.934). Click to see PWHL standings and stats.
THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE
Three of the week’s six matchups are Women’s Empowerment Month Unity Games, beginning tonight in Montréal where the Victoire host Minnesota at Place Bell, tomorrow night in Boston where the Fleet host New York at the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell, and Sunday afternoon in Toronto where the Sceptres host the Frost at Coca-Cola Coliseum. The Sceptres will also host the Victoire on Thursday night, then it’s the PWHL Takeover Tour™ between Minnesota and Ottawa on Friday night at Raleigh’s Lenovo Center, and the Fleet hosting the Victoire on Saturday afternoon at Agganis Arena.
