Another day, another slay for the PWHL.
Everyone watched women’s sports. That is the slogan.
The Takeover Tour crowd’s overpowering support for the league has shown how loyal and passionate these die-hard fans have been all season, and will continue to be to do whatever it takes to grow the league in every aspect. Each arena and coliseum from the United States to Canada has resonated and echoed with the chant, “We want a team!” And the decibels increase each week.
On April 3rd, the Montreal Victoire went into Ottawa to face the Charge at the Canadian Tire Center, bringing in another sellout crowd with 17,114 fans, which is the largest home crowd in franchise history. Many fans from Montreal drove all the way to Ottawa to attend this game. Kaitlin Willoughby put on for the crowd, scoring the first two goals of her career, giving Montreal a leg up putting the Victoire in-1st place with a (15-4-2-5) record above the Boston Fleet who have been dominating.
The following day on April 4th, the highly anticipated game between the Seattle Torrent vs New York Sirens captivated even more fans, setting a new US attendance record for professional women’s hockey, shattering the previous record with 18,006 in the house. Madison Square Garden, one of the most prominent world famous sports venues in the world, was on fire when the game went to a shootout. The crowd erupted when Sarah Filler tied up the game with 3:45 minutes left in the 3rd period. Just when the commentators didn’t think the arena could get any louder, (D) Maja Nylen Persson sealed the deal with her shootout game winning goal. Sirens Nation didn’t disappoint and had the place jumping.
It’s been a huge week for several PWHL players and their level of performance. Jessie Eldridge of the Boston Fleet netted two goals last night in Edmonton. Montreal Victoire superstar (FW) Abby Roque has been unstoppable all year and just netted her 50th point of the season, also making Montreal the first team to win 10 games in one venue in a single season. Minnesota Frosts (FW) Kelly Pannek, had a monsterous game against Vancouver logging 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists). New York Sirens (FW) Sarah Filler received “Player of The Week” recording a natural hat trick and an OT winner against Minnesota.
There is no denying the product that the PWHL puts out on a nightly basis will make this league blossom at a pace we’ve never seen before in professional women’s hockey. Popularity is surging, sparking interest among fans who aren’t familiar with the game of hockey, but are in support of women’s sports with high quality entertainment. The Takeover Tour has flourished tremendously, there’s no doubt about that, and the playoffs haven’t even begun. The fans can’t until the regular season is over to watch a cup run, but they also can’t wait for the playoffs to end in hopes to see which cities will be adding a new franchise for the 2026-27 season.
Dante Robinson | Senior PWHL Analyst for The NSR Network
