Minnesota’s Peyton Anderson Suspended One Game;
Minnesota’s Britta Curl-Salemme, Montréal’s Maggie Flaherty, Boston’s Loren Gabel Receive Fines
NEW YORK AND TORONTO (March 18, 2026) – The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) today announced supplemental discipline following four different reviews from two different games by the PWHL Player Safety Committee. Minnesota Frost forward Peyton Anderson has been suspended for one game, Frost forward Britta Curl-Salemme has been fined $250, Montréal Victoire defender Maggie Flaherty has been fined $250, and Boston Fleet forward Loren Gabel has been fined $250.
The incident involving Anderson was an unpenalized illegal body check that occurred at 8:38 of the third period in Sunday’s game against the New York Sirens. The Player Safety Committee determined that Anderson took a poor angle of approach with her opponent in a vulnerable position, exhibited no attempt to play the puck, and delivered a hit with significant force that made some contact with the head of her opponent. This was in violation of PWHL Rule 52.1 – Body Checking. This was Anderson’s first incident reviewed by the Player Safety Committee in her 19-game career.
Here is a video of the incident with an explanation from the Player Safety Committee:
Curl-Salemme has been fined as a result of an unpenalized cross-checking incident that occurred at 13:49 of the third period in Sunday’s game against New York. The Player Safety Committee determined that Curl-Salemme raised her stick with both arms and struck her opponent while she was in a vulnerable position with a forceful cross-checking motion. This was in violation of PWHL Rule 60.1 – Cross-checking. This is the fourth time that Curl-Salemme has received supplemental discipline in her PWHL career, having previously been issued two one-game suspensions during the 2024-25 regular season and a one-game suspension in the 2025 playoffs.
Flaherty has been fined as a result of an illegal body check that occurred at 7:35 of the third period in Sunday’s game against Boston that resulted in a major penalty and game misconduct, pursuant to PWHL Rules 52.3 and 52.5, respectively. The Player Safety Committee determined that Flaherty delivered a forceful hit with speed and opposite-directional force while her opponent was in a vulnerable position, instead of making a play on the puck or delivering a hit with parallel positioning. This is the second incident of supplemental discipline in Flaherty’s career, with the first resulting in a two-game suspension last season.
Gabel has been fined as a result of her unpenalized actions following the hit delivered by Flaherty during a gathering that occurred in front of the Boston bench. The Player Safety Committee determined that Gabel, who was standing at her bench off the ice, reached out and pushed an opponent on the ice while the officials were deescalating the altercation. This violates PWHL Rule 57 – Interference and Rule 77 – Unsportsmanlike Conduct. This was Gabel’s first incident reviewed by the Player Safety Committee.
The PWHL Player Safety Committee monitors all games and is responsible for providing independent review and recommendations on supplementary discipline. Chaired by Jayna Hefford, PWHL Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations, the committee also includes Vice Chair Chris Burkett, PWHL Vice President of Labour Relations and Player Safety; Cassie Campbell-Pascall, PWHL Special Advisor; Meghan Duggan, Special Consultant to PWHL Hockey Operations; Mike Murphy, a long-time NHL executive and former VP of Hockey Operations; Matt McMahon, a member of the NHL’s Player Safety department.
