NEW YORK AND TORONTO– Season Three of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) is officially underway following Opening Weekend action that saw all eight teams hit the ice for the first time in 2025-26, including the debut of the league’s two new expansion teams the Seattle Torrent and Vancouver Goldeneyes.
RECORD CROWD IN VANCOUVER FOR HISTORIC HOME OPENER
On Friday night, a sold-out crowd of 14,958 packed Vancouver’s Pacific Coliseum as the Goldeneyes faced off against the Seattle Torrent to launch the league’s expansion era and new West Coast Rivalry. The home opener attendance is the eighth largest in PWHL history, including special events and Takeover Tour games, and the largest for any PWHL game at a team’s primary home venue. The four Opening Weekend games featured a total attendance of 36,633 for a per game average of 9,158. PWHL attendance in 166 all-time regular season games now stands at 1,082,307 for an average of 6,520 fans per game.
HISTORIC EXPANSION FIRSTS
Vancouver became the first team in PWHL history to win its inaugural game on home ice, skating to a 4-3 overtime victory. The first goals in team history were scored by Seattle’s Julia Gosling, who also scored the Torrent’s second goal of the game, and Vancouver’s Sarah Nurse. Anna Wilgren became the first player and defender to be credited with a Seattle assist on the opening goal. Abby Boreen picked up Vancouver’s first-ever assist on the team’s second goal and later scored the team’s first-ever overtime winner. Claire Thompson became the first Vancouver defender to record an assist and score a goal, and Emerance Maschmeyer earned Vancouver’s first win with 23 saves between the pipes. All goal pucks from the inaugural game, along with goal-scoring sticks used by Gosling and Nurse, have been donated to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
NEW YORK WINS THIRD STRAIGHT OPENER
Among the league’s six inaugural teams, only New York has opened each of the first three PWHL seasons with a victory and all three have been recorded on the road, including Saturday’s 4-0 win In Ottawa to open 2025-26. Toronto opened the season on the road for the first time in three seasons and spoiled Minnesota’s Walter Cup banner raising ceremony with a 2-1 win on Friday night. Boston capped Opening Weekend with their first win in three all-time season and home opening games, defeating Montréal 2-0. It was the Victoire’s first loss in three season opening games. See full PWHL schedule and scores here.
GIRARD SCORES FIRST HAT TRICK
New York forward Taylor Girard has been named the PWHL Player of the Week presented by SharkNinja after scoring a hat trick in the Sirens’ 4-0 win over Ottawa. The 27-year-old from Macomb, MI, scored all three of her goals in the third period, setting a new league record for most goals scored by a player in a single period. Her three goals came on a career-high seven shots and matches her offensive output from the entire 2024-25 season (1G, 2A) in 23 games. This was the 14th hat trick scored in PWHL history and just the second natural hat trick following Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle on Jan. 6, 2024. Girard becomes the 12th PWHL player to score a hat trick, and second in a New York uniform following Jade Downie-Landry in the inaugural season. Her performance was one of eight multi-point efforts to launch the season. See PWHL points leaders here.
OSBORNE AND FRANKEL POST FIRST SHUTOUTS
Two of the league’s first four games were shutouts backstopped by New York’s Kayle Osborne and Boston’s Aerin Frankel. Osborne’s 28-save performance against the Charge counts as her second career shutout and third career win, with all three coming in Ottawa — a short drive from her hometown of Westport, ON. Frankel is tied for third with three career shutouts following her 25-save performance against the Victoire, recording one in each of the league’s first two seasons. Last season there were 12 shutouts recorded across 90 regular season games. See PWHL goaltending stats here.
RECORD-SETTING WELCOME FOR WHEELER
New York rookie forward Maddi Wheeler will never forget her first PWHL game, setting the league record for most points in a debut with three assists. The 23-year-old from Erinsville, ON was selected in the fourth round of the 2025 PWHL Draft with the pick acquired by the Sirens as part of a trade with Toronto in exchange for defender Ella Shelton. Coincidentally, Wheeler tied Shelton for most assists in a game by a New York player when she set up all three of Girard’s goals, including two primary helpers. She joins the league following a graduate season at Ohio State after previously winning two NCAA National Championships at Wisconsin.
FIRST CAREER GOAL FOR ZANON
Toronto rookie forward Kiara Zanon scored her first career PWHL goal in style, breaking a 1-1 tie with a bar-down shot on a partial breakaway in the third period to secure the Sceptres first win of the season over the Frost. It was just the second time a PWHL rookie scored a game-winner in their first career game following Minnesota’s Zumwinkle in the inaugural season. The 23-year-old from Fairport, NY, who also scored in both Sceptres preseason scrimmages, was selected by Toronto at the end of the second round of June’s draft, with the pick acquired in a trade with Vancouver. She joins the league following two seasons at Ohio State, including a 2024 National Championship, and three previous campaigns at Penn State.
DRAFT CLASS DEBUTS
A total of 30 players made their PWHL debut across Opening Weekend including 27 members of the 2025 PWHL Draft class. All eight first round selections hit the ice, including first overall pick Kristýna Kaltounková who finished second on the Sirens with five shots on goal and second overall pick Haley Winn who led all Fleet players in time on ice and with six shots. Also on the blue line, fourth overall pick Nicole Gosling notably led all Montréal players in ice time, fifth overall pick Rory Guilday was second on the Charge in ice time and tied for first with four hits, and sixth overall pick Kendall Cooper was second on the Frost in ice time and tied for first with three shots on goal.
SHELTON MAKES IMMEDIATE IMPACT ON SCEPTRES
Toronto defender Ella Shelton scored in her first game as a member of the Sceptres on Friday night. The draft day trade acquisition and all-time leading scorer among defenders has a knack for scoring big first goals, dating back to the first goal in league history she scored as a member of New York in the historic opener on Jan. 1, 2024. Excluding the expansion teams, Shelton was the only player among the 17 veterans who debuted with new teams to pick up a point on Opening Weekend.
FIRST JAILBREAK AND NO ESCAPE RULE GOALS
Two of the league’s innovative rules on special teams came into effect during Opening Weekend action. On Saturday, New York’s Maja Nylén Persson scored the season’s first shorthanded goal into the empty net, subsequently ending Ottawa’s power play per ‘Jailbreak’ rules. On Sunday, Boston’s Megan Keller scored the first power play goal of the season 18 seconds into the player advantage. As a result of the No Escape Rule, Montréal was unable to make a line change to begin the penalty kill. Last season, teams scored 12 shorthanded goals and 100 power play goals with an 18 percent power play success rate.
NEW HEAD COACHES
Opening Weekend saw three new PWHL Head Coaches make their debuts behind the bench, with Vancouver’s Brian Idalski and Boston’s Kris Sparre earning wins in their first games. Steve O’Rourke also debuted for Seattle. Around the league, Minnesota’s Ken Klee, Montréal’s Kori Cheverie, Ottawa’s Carla MacLeod and Toronto’s Troy Ryan have all returned for their third PWHL seasons, and New York’s Greg Fargo is back for his second season as Head Coach.
THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE
Five games are on tap across the PWHL this week, beginning Tuesday night with Montréal’s home opener against New York at Place Bell at 7 p.m. ET. Vancouver will play its first road game in team history on Wednesday night at Ottawa’s TD Place at 7 p.m. ET, then Seattle hosts its inaugural home opener on Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. ET against Minnesota at Climate Pledge Arena. Two games are on Saturday’s schedule, including New York’s home opener against Vancouver at 12 p.m. ET at Prudential Center, followed by Toronto’s home opener against Boston at 2 p.m. ET at Coca-Cola Coliseum. Full broadcast details are below and available online here.
Tuesday, November 25 – 7 PM ET
New York Sirens at Montréal Victoire (Place Bell)
• Canada: Prime Video (English and French)
• U.S. (In-Market): MSG
• U.S. (Out of Market): FDSN (Detroit, Florida, Midwest, North, Ohio Extra, South, Southwest, West, Wisconsin)
Wednesday, November 26 – 7 PM ET
Vancouver Goldeneyes at Ottawa Charge (TD Place)
• Canada: TSN
• U.S. (Out of Market): Great Lakes Sports & Entertainment Network, KCRG-TV 9/Ottumwa–Kirksville CW (Iowa), Last Frontier Sports & Entertainment Network (Alaska), NESN+ (Boston), North Star Sports & Entertainment Network, Rock Entertainment Sports Network, SNP+ (Pittsburgh), South Texas Sports, Tennessee Valley Sports Network
Friday, November 28 – 4 PM ET
Minnesota Frost at Seattle Torrent (Climate Pledge Arena)
• Canada: Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet+
• U.S. (In-Market): FDSN North Extra and FOX9+ (Minnesota), FOX13+ (Seattle)
• U.S. (Out of Market): FDSN Wisconsin Extra, NESN+, SNP+, Last Frontier Sports Network
Saturday, November 29 – 12 PM ET
Vancouver Goldeneyes at New York Sirens (Prudential Center)
• Canada: Sportsnet, Sportsnet+
• U.S. (In-Market): MSG SN, WWOR MY9
• U.S. (Out of Market): FDSN (Detroit, Midwest, Ohio, North, South, Southwest, Sun Sports, West, Wisconsin)
Saturday, November 29 – 2 PM ET
Boston Fleet at Toronto Sceptres (Coca-Cola Coliseum)
• Canada: CBC and CBC Gem
• U.S. (In-Market): NESN, WSBK (TV38)
• U.S. (Out of Market): SNP+, FOX 10 Xtra (Phoenix), FOX 11 Plus (Los Angeles)
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