NEW YORK AND TORONTO – The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) is on the verge of another major attendance milestone this week, poised to surpass 2 million fans less than 27 months since the first-ever puck drop on Jan. 1, 2024. By week’s end, the league will also exceed 90 regular-season games for the first time in its three-year history as the race for the PWHL Walter Cup Playoffs heats up.
2 MILLION FANS IN SIGHT
The PWHL’s record-setting 2025-26 season has seen attendance climb to 760,003 through 85 games for an average of 8,941 fans per game. Total attendance in 85 games during the inaugural season, including playoffs, peaked at 483,530, followed by 737,455 fans in 102 total games played in 2024-25. This brings all-time PWHL attendance to 1,980,988 — 19,012 shy of 2 million, a milestone that will be reached in the coming days. Last week’s attendance highlights included two sold-out games at both of Boston’s primary home venues, including regular-season records set at Agganis Arena (6,095) and the Tsongas Center (6,164). The week wrapped up with a sold-out game in the league’s first-ever visit to Winnipeg on Sunday when 15,225 fans packed Canada Life Centre.
WINNIPEG WELCOMES HOME LAROCQUE AND TABIN
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Sunday’s DoorDash PWHL Takeover Tour™ game in Winnipeg was a special homecoming for two of the league’s six Manitoba players with Ottawa’s Jocelyne Larocque (Ste. Anne) and Montréal’s Kati Tabin (Winnipeg) playing in front of hometown family and friends for the first time in their professional careers. Their teammates also took the opportunity to shine a spotlight on the locals, each wearing custom Larocque and Tabin t-shirts for walk-ins. Larocque had a group of 280 in attendance, including nephews Nolan and Rylan, and niece Gracie, who read the team’s starting lineup pre-game. Both alternate captains participated in the ceremonial puck drop with Winnipeg Olympian Skylar Park, before a thrilling 2-1 overtime victory for the Charge, their third win beyond regulation in three Takeover Tour games this season. On Saturday, both teams held open practices and signed autographs for fans, with Tabin returning to the rink where she had played high school hockey. The sold-out crowd of 15,225 is the eighth highest of the PWHL season and fourth highest through the first 12 games of the Tour. Click here to see all PWHL results.
TAKEOVER TOUR RETURNING TO CHICAGO AND DETROIT
Two more games on the PWHL Takeover Tour™ are coming up this week in Chicago and Detroit, two of the five markets hosting multiple stops on this season’s 16-game Tour. On Wednesday night, New York will take on Seattle at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL, then on Saturday afternoon the Sirens will face off against the Victoire at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena. Saturday’s game will be the league’s first-ever on national linear television in the United States through ION, with the PWHL teaming up with presenting partner Ally Financial and Scripps Sports for the historic broadcast. The Sirens defeated the Torrent 4-3 in Dallas back on Dec. 28 in the first Takeover Tour game of the season for both teams. New York also has a previous win in Detroit, skating to a 4-1 victory over Minnesota last season in the Motor City. Fans can check out open practices in both markets the day before the game, with autograph sessions available for the first 50 fans in attendance. See the full Takeover Tour™ schedule and all public events here.
ONE WEEK TO TRADE DEADLINE
The deadline for PWHL teams to complete trades is Monday, Mar. 30 at 5 p.m. ET, followed by a roster freeze on Tuesday, Mar. 31 at 5 p.m. ET. Only trades involving players currently on PWHL rosters or on teams’ protected lists are permissible prior to the deadline. Players not currently on active or reserve rosters may be signed prior to the roster freeze if they have previously been declared eligible for the PWHL. Since last week, one new player has joined the league with Seattle adding Gabrielle David, signing the forward to a Standard Player Agreement.
PANNEK FIRST TO 12 GOALS THIS SEASON
Frost alternate captain Kelly Pannek led all players with three goals and four points in two games and has been named PWHL Player of the Week presented by SharkNinja. The 30-year-old from Plymouth, MN, recorded consecutive multi-point performances for the second time this season, first with two goals in a 5-0 win over Ottawa on Wednesday, then with the winning goal and an assist in a 3-1 victory over Vancouver on Saturday. The goal was her league-leading fifth on the power play and made her the first in the PWHL to score 12 times this season. Pannek has points in five straight games (4G, 3A) since winning Olympic gold in Milan and is tied for the PWHL lead with 22 points in 21 games alongside teammates Britta Curl-Salemme (9G, 13A) and Taylor Heise (7G, 15A). She is also the next closest player to joining the PWHL’s half-century club for career points with 49 (19G, 30A) in 75 games. Click here for PWHL leaders.
MINNESOTA AND BOSTON TIED AT THE TOP
Minnesota (11-3-3-4) has tied a team record with five straight wins, set a new team record with 11 regulation victories, and are tied with Boston (10-5-2-4) atop the standings with 42 points. The Fleet’s 10 regulation wins is also a new team record, and both teams are two points away from tying their 2024-25 total with nine games remaining. Montréal (10-4-2-5) is in third place with 40 points and became the first team to record 10 regulation wins in all three PWHL seasons. The Victoire extended their point streak to nine games since Jan. 21, the longest point streak in the PWHL this season and tied for the second longest in league history. Toronto (8-1-5-8) currently holds fourth place with 31 points with a two-game winning streak and a six-game post-Olympic point streak. Ottawa (5-7-1-9) is hot on their heels with 30 points, followed by New York (8-0-3-10) with 27 points. Vancouver (6-1-4-10) and Seattle (5-1-2-13) both remain in playoff contention with 24 and 19 points, in seventh and eighth place, respectively. Toronto and Ottawa have eight games remaining with nine more games for all other teams. Click here to see the full PWHL standings.
LESLIE LEADS OTTAWA TO OVERTIME RECORD
Charge forward Rebecca Leslie became the second player to score 12 goals this season with her league-leading third overtime goal and fourth game-winner of the campaign on Sunday night in Winnipeg. The goal, scored just 12 seconds into the extra frame, was the fastest overtime goal in PWHL history as Ottawa became the first team in league history to win five overtime games in a season. Their seven wins beyond regulation, which includes two shootout victories, are tied for the most in a PWHL season (Montréal, 2024-25) and exceed their five regulation wins to date. No PWHL team has ever finished a season with more OT/SO wins than wins in regulation. Leslie’s heroics were set up in part by Brianne Jenner, the league-leading seventh time the captain has assisted on her linemate’s goal, putting the dynamic duo in a tie for fourth in PWHL scoring with 19 points each. Leslie’s three overtime-winning goals ties Laura Stacey’s single-season mark set last campaign with Montréal, and is two winning goals shy of Marie-Philip Poulin’s single-season record of six, also set last season with the Victoire.
FRANKEL SETS NEW SINGLE-SEASON, CAREER SHUTOUT BENCHMARKS
Boston’s Aerin Frankel became the first goaltender in PWHL history to record five shutouts in a single season, turning aside all 21 shots faced in a 3-0 victory over Seattle on Saturday. She entered the game tied with Montréal’s Ann-Renée Desbiens with four shutouts this season, sharing the previous single-season record of four set by Corinne Schroeder with New York in 2024-25. The U.S. Olympic gold medalist extends her lead in all-time shutouts to seven, two more than the five career shutouts earned by Desbiens, Schroeder and Minnesota’s Maddie Rooney, who picked up her first shutout of the season on Wednesday. Frankel leads the league with 14 wins, while her 1.29 goals-against average and .949 save percentage are just behind Desbiens’ leading marks of 1.27 and .950. Click here to see this season’s goaltending leaders.
KIRK POSTS BACK-TO-BACK BLANKS
Toronto’s Raygan Kirk became just the second goaltender in PWHL history to record shutout victories in consecutive starts after her 26-save performance in the Sceptres’ 2-0 win over the Fleet on Tuesday followed her first career shutout against the Torrent last Sunday. The sophomore goaltender now has six wins this season and an active shutout streak of 120 minutes. Last season, Schroeder posted consecutive shutouts twice with the Sirens. The first instance was in starts on Jan. 4 and Jan. 12, not in back-to-back games for the team, but helped yield a personal shutout streak of 175:18 across a five-game span. She also posted shutouts on Apr. 1 and Apr. 27, which represented back-to-back games before and after Women’s Worlds. So far this season, eight goaltenders have posted a combined 18 shutouts across 85 games, compared to the 2024-25 campaign when seven goaltenders produced 12 shutouts across 90 regular-season games.
FILLIER TAKES OVER SIRENS SCORING LEAD
New York’s Sarah Fillier is the all-time leading scorer in Sirens history with 44 career points (17G, 27A) in 50 games over two seasons. Her goal last Wednesday in New York brought this season’s total to a team-high 15 points following a 2024-25 campaign where she co-led the PWHL in scoring and earned Rookie of the Year honors. New York’s previous mark was held by Seattle’s Alex Carpenter who had 43 points (19G, 24A) in 50 games in the league’s first two seasons. All six of the league’s original teams now have all-time leading scorers currently in uniform, including Montréal’s Poulin (66), Minnesota’s Heise (57), Ottawa’s Jenner (54), Boston’s Alina Müller (50), and Toronto’s Renata Fast and Daryl Watts (43 points each). Click here to see PWHL all-time leaders.
FIRST CAREER GOALS FOR O’DONOHOE AND SEGEDI
Minnesota’s Kaitlyn O’Donohoe scored her first career PWHL goal last Wednesday against Ottawa in her 16th career game and seventh appearance of the season since being activated from reserve. The native of Myrtle Beach, SC, is the first player from her state to score in the PWHL, adding to her resume that includes a Walter Cup title in 2025. Vancouver rookie Anna Segedi found the back of the net for the first time in her 17th career game last Wednesday against New York. The St. Lawrence University product was originally selected by the Frost in the third round of the 2025 draft before being acquired by the Goldeneyes in a pre-season trade. There have been 117 different goal scorers across the PWHL this season, including 25 rookies. Click here to see PWHL rookie leaders.
HARVEY WINS PATTY KAZMAIER MEMORIAL AWARD
Wisconsin’s Caroline Harvey was named the winner of the 2026 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award on Saturday, becoming the third defender and seventh Badger to receive the honor presented annually by The USA Hockey Foundation to the top player in NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey. The 2026 U.S. Olympic gold medalist and tournament MVP from Salem, NH, ranked first in the nation in assists per game (1.40) and second in the country in points per game (1.97) heading into the NCAA Tournament. The last 12 players to win the Patty Kaz are currently competing in the PWHL, including former Badger Casey O’Brien who was selected third overall by New York in the 2025 PWHL Draft, and Vancouver’s Sophie Jaques, the last defender to win the award in 2023 while at Ohio State. Click here for more.
BADGERS CLAIM BACK-TO-BACK NCAA TITLES
Wisconsin earned a second-straight National Collegiate championship on Sunday with a 3-2 victory over Ohio State, the program’s ninth title —and fifth in the past seven seasons — in the fourth-straight meeting between the Badgers and Buckeyes in the Frozen Four final. Claire Enright’s goal at 13:42 of the third period was the difference maker, while goaltender Ava McNaughton stopped 34 of 36 shots and was named Most Outstanding Player. A total of 13 current PWHL players won national titles with Wisconsin before turning pro, including O’Brien and Ottawa’s Sarah Wozniewicz in 2025. Click here for more.
DRAPEAU WINS BRODRICK TROPHY
Concordia captain Jessymaude Drapeau was awarded the Brodrick Trophy on Wednesday as the U SPORTS women’s hockey Player of the Year. The fifth-year forward from Rivière-du-Loup, QC, led the nation in scoring with 39 points, including 22 goals and 17 assists and earned First Team All-Canadian honors. She also surpassed the 100-point milestone for her university career while helping guide the Stingers to a dominant 22–2 regular-season record and a perfect 4–0 run through the RSEQ playoffs to capture the conference championship. The Brodrick Trophy was previously won by Charge goaltender Kendra Woodland (2022-23, UNB) and Victoire forward Jade Downie-Landry (2021-22, McGill). Click here for more.
CARABINS CROWNED CHAMPIONS
The eighth-ranked Montréal Carabins completed a remarkable run on Sunday, scoring four unanswered goals to defeat the second-seeded Concordia Stingers 5-2 and capture the Golden Path Trophy at the U SPORTS Women’s Hockey Championship. Audrey-Anne Veillette, who spent the PWHL’s inaugural season with Ottawa, scored the game’s opening goal just 13 seconds into play, and Tournament MVP Maude Desroches turned aside 40 shots in the victory. This is Montréal’s third national title in program history, following championships in 2013 and 2016, the latter featuring Victoire veterans Catherine Dubois and Alexandra Labelle. Click here for more.
THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE
Eight games are on this week’s PWHL schedule beginning Tuesday with Boston hosting Vancouver at the Tsongas Center at 7 p.m. ET where the first 3,000 fans will receive an Alina Müller Bobblehead, while quantities last. Wednesday sees two games, including Montréal at Minnesota’s Grand Casino Arena at 7 p.m. ET where the first 4,000 fans will receive a Barbie x Frost Belt Bag, while quantities last. Then, at 8 p.m. ET, the puck drops on the 13th stop of the PWHL Takeover Tour™ when New York takes on Seattle at Chicago’s Allstate Arena. Toronto returns to action on Friday night at 7 p.m. ET when they host Boston for Country Night at Coca-Cola Coliseum. The Takeover Tour continues Saturday at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena at 1 p.m. ET between the Sirens and Victoire. The week wraps up with a Sunday tripleheader, including Toronto’s Indigenous Peoples Celebration Unity Game at 1 p.m. ET when the Goldeneyes come to Coca-Cola Coliseum, the Frost and Fleet at Grand Casino Arena at 4 p.m. ET, and Seattle’s Kids and Youth Day at 7 p.m. ET at Climate Pledge Arena against Ottawa. Full broadcast details are below and available online here.
Tuesday, March 24 – 7 PM ET
Vancouver Goldeneyes at Boston Fleet (Tsongas Center)
- Canada: Prime Video
- U.S. (In-Market): NESN+
- U.S. (Out of Market): FanDuel Sports Network (Detroit Extra, Florida, Midwest Extra, North, Ohio Extra, Southeast, Southwest, SoCal, Wisconsin)
Wednesday, March 25 – 7 PM ET
Montréal Victoire at Minnesota Frost (Grand Casino Arena)
- Canada: TSN, RDS
- U.S. (In-Market): FanDuel Sports Network North Extra, FOX 9+
- U.S. (Out of Market): FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin Extra, Scripps Sports
Wednesday, March 25 – 8 PM ET – PWHL Takeover Tour
New York Sirens vs. Seattle Torrent (Allstate Arena – Chicago, IL)
- Canada: TSN+
- U.S. (In-Market): FOX Chicago Plus, MSG, KONG
- U.S. (Out of Market): Great Lakes Sports & Entertainment Network, KCRG-TV 9/Ottumwa–Kirksville CW (Iowa), Last Frontier Sports & Entertainment Network (Alaska), More 27 Dallas, North Star Sports & Entertainment Network, Palmetto Sports & Entertainment Network, Rock Entertainment Sports Network, Scripps Sports, Tennessee Valley Sports Network
Friday, March 27 – 7 PM ET
Boston Fleet at Toronto Sceptres (Coca-Cola Coliseum)
- Canada: Sportsnet Ontario
- U.S. (In-Market): NESN, TV 38
- U.S. (Out of Market): Matrix Midwest (St. Louis), SNP+ (Pittsburgh)
Saturday, March 28 – 1 PM ET – PWHL Takeover Tour
New York Sirens vs. Montréal Victoire (Little Caesars Arena – Detroit, MI)
- Canada: CBC and CBC Gem, Radio-Canada
- U.S.: ION, TV20 Detroit
Sunday, March 29 – 1 PM ET
Vancouver Goldeneyes at Toronto Sceptres (Coca-Cola Coliseum)
- Canada: TSN
- U.S. (Out of Market): Matrix Midwest (St. Louis)
Sunday, March 29 – 4 PM ET
Boston Fleet at Minnesota Frost (Grand Casino Arena)
- Canada: Sportsnet ONE
- U.S. (In-Market): FanDuel Sports Network North, FOX 9+, NESN 360
- U.S. (Out of Market): FOX 10 Xtra Phoenix, Matrix Midwest (St. Louis)
Sunday, March 29 – 7 PM ET
Ottawa Charge at Seattle Torrent (Climate Pledge Arena)
- Canada: Sportsnet East
- U.S. (In-Market): FOX 13+
- U.S. (Out of Market): FOX 11+ Los Angeles, Last Frontier Sports & Entertainment Network (Alaska), Scripps Sports
Fans around the world can continue to follow every game live via the PWHL YouTube channel and thepwhl.com, with the exception of Canada, and in Czechia and Slovakia — where Nova Sport will continue to carry games locally.