League attendance surpasses 200K, Women’s History Month underway
TORONTO, ON (March 4, 2024) – Here’s a look at highlights from the last week of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) season, plus a look ahead to this week’s action.
OTTAWA AND NEW YORK RECORD SEASON-HIGH ATTENDANCES
Saturday’s game at The Arena at TD Place between Ottawa and Toronto had an attendance of 8,447 which is the third – and largest – sold-out game played in Canada’s capital this season. Sunday’s crowd of 4,459 at UBS Arena for the game between New York and Minnesota is also a season-high attendance for a New York home game through five appearances – including two at Bridgeport’s Total Mortgage Arena. The league’s total attendance through 42 games is 219,856 for an average of 5,235 per game.
FEBRUARY SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
Owned content posted on PWHL social media platforms including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X, and YouTube (excluding live coverage) between Feb. 1 to Mar. 1 generated over 48.2 million impressions and 10.7 million video views. Among the highlights, the league’s post about the record-breaking attendance for the Battle on Bay Street generated the most engagement on Instagram, and news about the league’s innovative playoff format and draft order of selection on X has generated the most impressions with over one million. League and team accounts across all social platforms have accumulated a collective 925,000 followers since they were launched on August 29, 2023.
PANNEK AND ROONEY GROW THE GAME
Minnesota’s Kelly Pannek and Maddie Rooney are doing their part to grow the game in the State of Hockey. The pair provides tickets and a special meet-and-greet opportunity at all home games for families of local non-profits. They recently hosted a group from Mosaic Hockey Collective – an organization that focuses on building an inclusive hockey community that empowers players of color. They were also one of the team’s community partners in attendance for Tuesday’s Black History Month celebration at 3M Arena at Mariucci. Check out this Bally Sports North feature that spotlights Pannek and Rooney and the impact they’re making on groups like Mosaic Hockey Collective.
POULIN JOINS NHL NOW
Montréal captain Marie-Philip Poulin was a feature guest on Friday’s edition of NHL Now that aired on NHL Network. The March 1 interview with hosts Jamie Hersch, Kevin Weekes, and Devan Dubnyk, helped introduce Women’s History Month with a spotlight on one of the best women’s hockey players in the world. Poulin spoke about the league’s launch and early highlights of the inaugural season. Watch the full 15-minute segment here.
TORONTO STREAKS TO SEVEN WINS
Toronto’s impressive winning streak has now reached seven games and, following Saturday’s 5-2 victory over Ottawa, includes regulation wins against all five other PWHL teams. The streak also counts a 2-1 shootout win over New York on Feb. 23 and Tuesday’s 4-3 overtime win against Minnesota to give them 19 of a possible 21 points since their last loss on Jan. 23. Toronto’s streak also more than doubles the next best streaks of the season, with Minnesota, Montréal, and New York each recording three-game streaks. Minnesota became the second team to beat all five opponents in regulation this season following a 2-0 win over New York on Sunday. See all results here.
FIVE POINTS SEPARATES TOP FIVE SCORERS
New York’s Alex Carpenter continues to lead the PWHL scoring race with 16 points, including eight goals and eight assists in 14 games. Her season-high six-game point streak came to an end on Sunday. Montréal captain Marie-Philip Poulin (7G 8A) delivered a second straight three-point performance on Saturday to bring her point total to 15, followed by Toronto’s Natalie Spooner who has 13 points – including a league-high 11 goals. Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle (7G 4A) and Boston’s Alina Müller (2G 9A) are tied for fifth with 11 points but are first in scoring among the 2023 NCAA class. Müller’s nine assists lead the PWHL. New York’s Ella Shelton (4G 6A) and Boston’s Megan Keller (3G 7A) are tied for the scoring lead among defenders and are two of the seven skaters in the league with 10 points. See all points leaders here.
SECOND SHUTOUT FOR ROONEY, CHULI STAYS PERFECT
Minnesota’s Maddie Rooney stopped all 29 shots faced in Sunday’s 2-0 victory over New York. The shutout is the second of the season for the 26-year-old from Andover, MN, putting her in a tie with Toronto’s Kristen Campbell for the category lead. Montréal’s Elaine Chuli continued her perfect start to the season with her fifth win in as many games. The 29-year-old from Waterford, ON, made 30 saves in Saturday’s 3-1 victory over Boston to lower her league-leading goals-against-average to 1.19, and raise her league-leading save percentage to .962. Rooney’s GAA of 1.65 ranks second, and New York’s Corinne Schroeder ranks second with a .949 SV%. Campbell backstopped Toronto to both of its wins last week and now has nine wins on the season including eight in a row. See goaltender stats here.
FIRST PWHL GOALS
Seven players scored their first career PWHL goals this past week, bringing the league’s total to 79 different goal scorers. The latest to record milestone markers includes veteran Mélodie Daoust (MTL) who scored in her PWHL debut on Saturday after signing a 10-Day Standard Player Agreement. On Wednesday, Fanni Garát-Gasparics (OTT) became the first player from Hungary to score a PWHL goal and, 38 seconds later, Chloé Aurard (NY) became the first player from France to score a PWHL goal to make it ten different countries represented by PWHL goal scorers this season. Veteran Samantha Cogan (TOR) scored her first goal playing in her hometown of Ottawa. In addition to Aurard (Northeastern), three more first-year pros scored their first goals including Ashton Bell (OTT) who graduated from the University of Minnesota-Duluth, Natalie Buchbinder (MIN) who graduated from the University of Wisconsin, and Sophie Jaques (MIN) who graduated from Ohio State University. The 2023 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award recipient scored her first – and second – PWHL goals on Tuesday.
MONTRÉAL HOLDS FIRST PLACE
Montréal (6-3-3-2) remains alone in first place after winning its only game of the week in regulation over Boston to raise their point total to 27 through 14 games. Minnesota (6-2-3-4) snapped a three-game losing streak and picked up four of a possible six points to continue their hold of second place with 25 points. Toronto (6-3-0-5) gained some ground on the competition by collecting five of a possible six points but remain in third place with 24 points. Boston (4-2-2-5) lost its only contest of the week and remains in fourth place with 18 points but have played the fewest games of any team. On the outside of the playoff picture, Ottawa (4-0-4-6) earned three points with a regulation win over New York to climb into a tie for fifth place with 16 points. New York (2-4-2-6) has lost three straight games and have 16 points. See the full standings here.
THE WEEK AHEAD
Friday, March 8, is International Women’s Day, and the PWHL will celebrate with a matchup between Toronto and Montréal at Mattamy Athletic Centre at 7:00 p.m. ET. Women’s History Month will be the theme in all markets this week, beginning Tuesday night at Xcel Energy Center where Minnesota will host Ottawa. The schedule has two Wednesday games, including Boston at Toronto at Mattamy Athletic Centre, and Montréal at New York to be played at Bridgeport’s Total Mortgage Arena. The week wraps up with a pair of Sunday afternoon games, including New York at Boston at the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell, and Ottawa visiting Montréal at Place Bell.
Tuesday, March 5, 2024
8:00 p.m. ET – Ottawa at Minnesota (Xcel Energy Center)
Linear TV: Bally Sports North, NESN+, TSN5
Streaming: YouTube
Wednesday, March 6, 2024
7:00 p.m. ET – Boston at Toronto (Mattamy Athletic Centre)
Linear TV: TSN4/5, Bally Sports North
Streaming: NESN 360, YouTube
7:00 p.m. ET – Montréal at New York (Total Mortgage Arena)
Linear TV: MSGSNHD/Z1-Z2
Streaming: Women’s Sports Network, TSN+, YouTube
French: ICI TOU.TV
Friday, March 8, 2024
7:00 p.m. ET – Montréal at Toronto (Mattamy Athletic Centre)
Linear TV: Sportsnet Ontario, East, West, Pacific, NESN+
Streaming: Sportsnet+, YouTube
French: ICI TOU.TV
Sunday, March 10, 2024
3:30 p.m. ET – New York at Boston (Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell)
Linear TV: NESN, MSG/MSGHD/MSG2, Bally Sports North
Streaming: CBC Gem, YouTube
4:00 p.m. ET – Ottawa at Montréal (Place Bell)
Linear TV: Sportsnet Ontario, East, Pacific
Streaming: Sportsnet+, YouTube
French: ICI TOU.TV
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