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Another fun week in women’s hockey! We saw the rest of the PWHL teams play in their home openers (with the trend continuing that a number of home teams lost their home opener), saw a number of players score their first goals in the PWHL, and saw some struggles by the 2 expansion franchises (Seattle Torrent & Vancouver Goldeneyes). I still think the Torrent & Goldeneyes will turn out to be 2 of the 4 playoff teams by season’s end, but they’re understandably both still struggling to find chemistry and possibly still looking for their best combinations for forward lines and defense pairs. While every team saw huge changes in their rosters this offseason, the original six teams all retained the majority of their lineups from last season, while the expansion teams are all playing with almost all new teammates, under different coaching staffs, and likely different systems than what they played in last season. It will take them some time, but I still think they will figure it out and be the strong teams everyone expects them to be. Let’s get into the action from this week!

Carla MacLeod Announces Cancer Diagnosis

On Sunday, Ottawa Charge head coach Carla MacLeod announced that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer. She intends to be behind the bench for the Charge as much as she can during her treatment, and she also intends to be in Milan to coach the Czech women’s hockey team at the Olympics. She will miss this Tuesday’s game vs. the Frost as she begins treatment. Sending prayers and a quick return to full health to Carla throughout this process.

PWHL Games

New York Sirens @ Montréal Victoire

• Final score: Victoire 4, Sirens 0
• Attendance: 8,392
• Thoughts: A lot happened in this game! We saw 2 overturned goals, one for each team, both for scoring with a kicking motion. We saw Marie-Philip Poulin become the first player in the PWHL to reach 50 career points and 30 career goals. We saw Abby Roque’s first goal as a Victoire, which was a ridiculous between the legs shot. Plus, the first career goal for Natálie Mlýnková and the first goal as a Victoire for Maggie Flaherty. As I said, a lot happened! The Victoire looked strong, and the Sirens were stymied by Ann-Renée Desbiens.

Vancouver Goldeneyes @ Ottawa Charge

• Final score: Charge 5, Goldeneyes 1
• Attendance: 5,507
• Thoughts: This was another game where we saw a 5-minute major and game misconduct called early in the game, this time against Emma Greco for the Goldeneyes. They were also playing without Sarah Nurse, who is out day to day with an injury, and those missing players understandably seemed to impact Vancouver’s play in this game. Missing any player is tough, but especially a top line player and one of your best skilled players in Sarah Nurse is impossible to replace, plus then playing most of the game without one of your defenders in Greco after her penalty. That doesn’t take anything away from the Charge’s game; they looked much stronger, more confident, and had a much better showing overall than their first game of the season. Brianne Jenner in particular had a great night, with 4 points (2 G, 2 A), and the Charge looked strong overall.

Minnesota Frost @ Seattle Torrent

• Final score: Frost 3, Torrent 0
• Attendance: 16,014
• Thoughts: The record breaking crowd for the Torrent’s home opener didn’t get to see the strongest performance by their hometown team, but they showed wonderful support to their new team in its first home game. Seattle is still needing to find some consistency and chemistry on their forward lines, but that will come; these expansion teams will need some time to fully find their identity and best play. The Frost had a better game and were able to find the back of the net, and they will look to build some momentum off that showing.

Vancouver Goldeneyes @ New York Sirens

• Final score: Sirens 5, Goldeneyes 1
• Attendance: 3,517
• Thoughts: The Sirens had five different goal scorers in this game, with rookies Nicole Vallario and 2025 first overall draft pick Kristýna Kaltounková both getting their first goals in the PWHL, book-ending the scoring for the Sirens today. This Sirens team looks fast and exciting so far this season. They are quite young, so there will likely be some growing pains at points this season, but they have enough skill and energy to be an exciting team if they can find enough consistency in their play. They also got off to a strong start last season before falling off, so it remains to be seen if this hot start is sustainable, but they have looked strong so far. Vancouver still needs to find its groove, and playing yet again without Sarah Nurse definitely doesn’t help them in that regard either.

Boston Fleet @ Toronto Sceptres

• Final score: Fleet 3, Sceptres 1
• Attendance: 8,277
• Thoughts: Boston only had 12 shots on goal in this game, but they made the most of those shots, scoring 3 goals (though the last one was an empty netter). Aerin Frankel continues to be one of the best goalies in the world, and Boston played strong in front of her as well.

NCAA Top 10 Games

#1 Wisconsin vs. Mercyhurst & Stonehill

#2 Ohio State vs. #10 Clarkson & Colgate

#4 Penn State vs. #7 Northeastern

#5 Cornell vs. Vermont

#8 UConn vs. #9 Quinnipiac & Yale

#9 Quinnipiac vs. #8 UConn & Sacred Heart

#10 Clarkson vs. #2 Ohio State & #14 St. Cloud State

(#3 Minnesota & #6 MN Duluth were off this weekend)

We saw a lot of holiday tournaments this weekend, which is why so many of the teams faced multiple opponents. #1 Wisconsin and #2 Ohio State took care of business in their games. Penn State and Northeastern split their series against one another, and Cornell also earned a split against Vermont. We saw a lot of matchups between ranked teams, and those games for the most part were close affairs. We will be back to normal schedules next weekend for the NCAA teams, but are quickly approaching the end of semester/end of year break, so we will enjoy the college hockey we get before they have a few weeks off in the near future!

Wisconsin’s defender Caroline Harvey became the all-time leading scorer among defenders in WCHA conference history. She has been impressive, and will likely continue breaking records this season before being an early pick in next year’s PWHL draft.

It was another fun week! What stood out to you the most during this busy week of women’s hockey?

On this holiday that recognizes gratitude, I wanted to express my gratitude for the hockey community and everyone who is supporting me as I do my best to celebrate and showcase this sport that I love so much. 

From the trailblazers who carved paths for women’s hockey, to the fans who cheer every stride, this Thanksgiving I’d like to pause and celebrate the people who make this sport more than a game. 

This holiday, I’m thankful for the stories we share, the history we preserve, and the community we continue to build—on the ice and beyond. 

Wishing you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving, and thinking of everyone who can’t celebrate this day with the people they most want to be with. 

What a fun week of women’s hockey! Friday was the start of the third season for the PWHL, which featured the Minnesota Frost raising their banner for last season’s Walter Cup championship before their first game, and then we saw our two new expansion franchises, the Seattle Torrent and Vancouver Goldeneyes, face off for the first time. 

PWHL Games

Toronto Sceptres @ Minnesota Frost

• Final Score: Sceptres 2, Frost 1
• Attendance: 9,138
• Thoughts: The Sceptres spoiled the Frost’s home opener and banner raising night. Raygan Kirk was solid in net for the Sceptres, as the Frost outshot the Sceptres 31-19, but after scoring 4 minutes into the game, the Frost couldn’t find the back of the net again, even with a penalty shot opportunity.

Seattle Torrent @ Vancouver Goldeneyes 

• Final Score: Goldeneyes 4, Torrent 3 (OT)
• Attendance: 14,958 (the most fans to attend a PWHL game at a team’s primary home venue in history)
• Thoughts: As the first game for both of the two expansion franchises, you knew this game would be in front of a big and excited crowd, and that was indeed the case; it sounded loud in Vancouver and they had great crowd support throughout the game. It was a back and forth game, with Abby Boreen finally winning it for the Goldeneyes in OT.

New York Sirens @ Ottawa Charge 

• Final Score: Sirens 4, Charge 0
• Attendance: 7,371
• Thoughts: There was a lot of action and drama in the first period, with a lot of chippiness and nastiness after the whistles that finally escalated into Charge captain Micah Zandee-Hart being assessed a major penalty in the first period that also got her removed from the game. The Sirens looked like the sharper team, but it’s not time to panic for the Charge after just one game, especially after playing 2+ periods without their captain after her penalty. Taylor Girard scored a hat trick and the New York offense looked solid overall.

Montréal Victoire @ Boston Fleet 

• Final Score: Fleet 2, Victoire 0
• Attendance: 5,166
• Thoughts: I wasn’t able to watch any of this game, but 6 penalties by the Victoire definitely didn’t help their effort in their first game. Shots were fairly even, 28-25 in favor of the Fleet, but the Victoire wasn’t able to find a way to put one past fantastic goalie Aerin Frankel.

NCAA Games

#1 Wisconsin vs. #15 St. Thomas 

#2 Minnesota vs. MN State (home & home) 

#3 Ohio State @ #5 MN Duluth 

#4 Cornell @ Union & RPI 

#6 Penn State @ RIT 

#7 Quinnipiac @ Princeton 

#8 Northeastern @ Maine 

#9 UConn vs. Vermont 

#10 St. Cloud State @ Bemidji State 

There were a few upsets this weekend, but certainly the most notable and surprising outcome from the weekend was unranked MN State sweeping a home and home series against #2 Minnesota. Minnesota’s offense went cold this weekend, kept to just 2 total goals between the 2 games. Props to the Mavericks on one of the strongest weekends they have played in quite awhile.

In other matchups, Ohio State will surely reclaim the #2 ranking after a strong and impressive weekend sweeping #5 MN Duluth. #7 Quinnipiac got swept by Princeton, and both #4 Cornell and #10 St. Cloud State lost one of their two games this weekend in OT (not against each other; Cornell was beaten by Union and St. Cloud State lost to Bemidji State).

Final Thoughts

It feels so good to have the PWHL back in season, and it was a busy and exciting weekend of hockey between the PWHL and NCAA games! There were a lot of strong and impressive performances this weekend; who impressed or surprised you the most?

We made it, PWHL fans! The season officially starts tonight! With the final rosters being due on Wednesday this week, there were a lot of final cuts and signings this week as each team solidified their rosters. Here are the news and notes from the week.

Ottawa Arena Update 

The PWHL made it clear that the Ottawa Charge will not play in the new Lansdowne 2.0 arena; they said that while all other options (including, unfortunately, relocation) are on the table, but that the league would not allow the Charge to take a step back and play in an arena that is too small for their fan base. No other decisions have been made at this time, so there will obviously be much more to come in the next year or so. Charge fans, I feel for you and am pulling for you and your team to find an acceptable resolution to this arena ridiculousness in or near Ottawa. The league made it clear that relocation is not their preference, but seeing as how it hasn’t been taken off the table, I can imagine Charge fans are worried, and I don’t blame them. I just hope this can all be resolved in a way that finds the right arena for the Charge and keeps them near their incredible fanbase. 

Playoff Format 

The league confirmed that there will be no change to the playoff format this season, even with 2 additional teams being added. That means the top 4 teams will make the playoffs, with the other 4 teams vying for the 1^st overall draft pick via the Gold plan. Things will definitely be a lot more interesting with a smaller percentage of the league making the playoffs, which should be a lot of fun to watch as everything unfolds! 

Broadcast info

The PWHL announced the broadcast details for the upcoming season, with a few small changes from how fans were able to watch the games last season. Here are the highlights, but please check the PWHL website for full details: 

• Fans in Canada will continue to enjoy full national coverage through the league’s returning partners TSN and RDS, CBC/Radio-Canada, and Prime Video, with Sportsnet making its return as a broadcast partner this season. 
• In the United States, the PWHL will return with regional sports networks NESN, MSG Networks, and FanDuel Sports Network (FDSN). The league is also expanding its national broadcast footprint through partnerships with major over-the-air (OTA) broadcast groups, including FOX Television Stations, Paramount, Scripps Sports, Gray Media, and TEGNA, reaching approximately 56 million homes nationwide throughout the season.  
• All games will also continue to be available on the PWHL’s YouTube channel and their website for all fans in the U.S. 

Players Signing Extensions 

• The New York Sirens extended Jamie Bourbonnais through the 2026-2027 season, and extended Kayle Osborne through the 2027-2028 season. 
• The Toronto Sceptres extended Ella Shelton through the 2026-227 season. 

Notable Signings, Cuts, & Trades

Wednesday was a busy day, with official rosters due in by that evening. The below isn’t a comprehensive list of every signing or cut, but just the ones that I thought were more notable. Even with expansion, we are still seeing some really good hockey players without a roster spot in the PWHL, and teams being forced to make some tough roster decisions. I feel for all of the players who were cut and didn’t find a new team to play with. It sounds like some players may be signing with European leagues, but there likely aren’t roster places overseas for all of the players either.  

• Vancouver cut 2 of their draft picks: Brianna Brooks and Chanreet Bassi; if they don’t sign with another team, their rights will be retained by Vancouver. 
• The New York Sirens signed first round draft pick Casey O’Brien to a 1-year contract, with 3 other draft picks (Anna Bargman, Maddi Wheeler, and Kaley Doyle) also signing contracts. 
• The Ottawa Charge released Elizabeth Giguére, who was then signed as a reserve player for the Minnesota Frost.
• Loren Gabel for the Boston Fleet will start the season as a reserve after signing a standard contract with them this summer. 
• The Minnesota Frost and Vancouver Goldeneyes already have made a trade, with former Frost forward Denisa Křížová (who was taken by the Goldeneyes in the expansion draft this summer) being traded back to Minnesota, and Frost draft pick Anna Segedi going to Vancouver.

Misc. News & Notes 

• The “Duel at the Top” game is back for another season. This is the faceoff between the Montréal Victoire and the Toronto Sceptres at the Bell Centre, and this year’s game will happen on December 27^th. 

Those are the biggest news and notes from the past week! Now, all that’s left is to drop the puck on the new season! I can’t wait to see all of the new teams and see how everything unfolds in this first season of expansion hockey.

What are you most looking forward to for this season? Let me know in the comments.

If you haven’t read the first part of this story, please find it here:

How I Fell in Love with Women’s Hockey

After years of falling deeper in love with women’s hockey, I reached a turning point. The PWHL’s inaugural season was thrilling—Minnesota’s draft picks, the home opener, the playoff rollercoaster, and the Walter Cup win. But the offseason that followed was hard.

The firing of Natalie Darwitz and the fallout that came after shook my trust in the league and the team I had poured so much energy into. John and I canceled our season tickets. I didn’t attend a single game in Season 2. I still watched, still cared—but something had shifted. I wasn’t sure if I should support the Minnesota Frost, or how I felt about the coaches and some of the players. To be honest, I’m still not sure how to best support the Frost and/or the league with my complicated feelings towards some of the coaches and players that are a part of the Frost.

Almost as soon as the second PWHL season ended, everyone’s attention shifted to the expansion chaos that was coming soon after.

With the expansion process looming in the coming weeks, I felt my own confusion and knew I couldn’t be the only fan feeling that way. I decided to dig in and learn what was about the happen to the teams and the league. That’s when Her Puck Perspective was born, to try to help other fans understand what was about to happen through the expansion process.

I wanted to create a space where women’s hockey wasn’t just mentioned, it was centered. A place for thoughtful commentary, historical context, and community storytelling. I wanted to build something that could grow with the sport.

So I started on Instagram. It was an easy entry point for me to dip my toe in. I shared thoughts, stats, reactions, and reflections. I focused on Minnesota, because that’s home, but I also covered the league as a whole.

And now, I’m launching this blog.

Her Puck Perspective is my way of contributing to the sport I love. It’s a place for interviews, deep dives, and personal reflections. It’s where I’ll share stories from players, coaches, and fans. It’s where I’ll explore the history of women’s hockey and celebrate the moments that matter.

I’m not a journalist. I’m a fan. But I’m a fan who believes that women’s hockey deserves better coverage, more respect, and a louder voice. This blog is my small step toward that goal.

Whether you’re new to the sport or a lifelong supporter, I hope you’ll find something here that resonates. I hope you’ll feel seen, heard, and connected. And I hope you’ll join me in amplifying the game—one story at a time.

The puck drops this week as the PWHL begins its third full regular season, and its first in the post-expansion era, with the Seattle Torrent and Vancouver Goldeneyes set to play their first ever game this week! Teams are ready to showcase their rosters, rivalries will begin brewing (or renew from past seasons), and history will be made. Here’s the full schedule for opening week, and I want to know which matchup has you most excited. 

What to watch for: the  two expansion teams, the Seattle Torrent and Vancouver Goldeneyes, have their inaugural game on the first day of the season, and their first matchup as well; this could be a fun rivalry as the first two expansion teams and two teams in the West, so this game will be a must-watch to see the excitement in Vancouver, and to see these new teams on the ice for the first time! 

Which game are you circling on your calendar? Are you most excited for new teams, rivalries, rookies, or hometown heroes? Let me know in the comments — I’d love to hear what the HerPuckPerspective community is most looking forward to!

Welcome to my first women’s hockey news roundup! With the first two Rivalry Series games in the rear view mirror and PWHL camps in full swing, we have a few things to get caught up on!

Ottawa Arena Update

Ottawa unfortunately got some very unwelcome news last week, with the Ottawa City Council approving the Lansdowne 2.0 arena project. This won’t impact this coming season, or even the following season, but after that, it means that the city is asking the Charge to play in an arena with 3,000 fewer seats than in TD Place Arena, where they currently play. This is a huge step back for the Charge, will understandably lead to angst among their passionate and incredible fan base as they await the long-term decision by the PWHL regarding a new arena agreement for the Charge to play in. The league has publicly opposed the Lansdowne 2.0 project and says that it will mean the team would lose at least $1M per season with the reduced capacity. Much more to come on this, but it’s definitely an unfortunate outcome and will be a concern for the coming months, and possibly longer, until a resolution is decided on.

Expansion Team Names & Logos!

Last week, the 2 new expansion franchises announced their team names and logos.

We can now officially welcome to the league to the Seattle Torrent and the Vancouver Goldeneyes!

What do you think of the names and logos? I have split opinions on both; I like the name Torrent, but think their logo is very generic and boring (much the same feelings that I have for the Frost’s logo). And for Vancouver, I like the logo quite a bit, but the name is a bit long for my taste, and the reference is a bit of a stretch – the name is after a duck that is native to the Vancouver area, but a lot of people didn’t understand the reference when the name was announced. Goldeneyes also feels like too long of a name to be able to easily cheer during a game, but I’m sure the fans will come up with something clever! It will be interesting to see what the team’s jerseys look like in the next season.

Hockey Hall of Fame Inductions

On Saturday, the Hockey Hall of Fame inducted 3 notable women: players Jennifer Botterill and Brianna Decker, and builder Danièle Sauvageau.

Brianna Decker will be starting her first season as an assistant coach for the Minnesota Frost, and Danièle Sauvageau is the GM for the Montréal Victoire, so there are also strong ties to the PWHL among this year’s inductees. Congrats to all 3 women for the well deserved and long overdue recognition!

Takeover Tour 2025-2026 Dates & Locations Announced

Earlier this week, the PWHL announced the dates, teams, and locations for this season’s Takeover Tour. If you’re not familiar, this is when the PWHL teams play at neutral sites in cities and states without a current PWHL franchise, and the games have gotten great responses in the past. The league also seems to use these games as auditions of sorts for expansion, as both Seattle & Vancouver hosted Takeover Tour games last season before being announced as the new expansion cities. More to come on this sometime later, but these games will be a great opportunity to showcase the PWHL to new markets, allow new fans to watch the games, and so much more.

The Takeover Tour will visit seven new cities, including Calgary, Chicago, Dallas, Halifax, Hamilton, Washington, D.C. and Winnipeg, and will return to Denver, Detroit, Edmonton and Québec City.

Signings & Announcements

• Vancouver signed draft picks Nina Jobst-Smith (2 years), Brianna Brooks (1 year), and Madison Samoskevich (1 year) prior to the start of training camp
• The New York Sirens extended Micah Zandee-Hart through the 2026-2027 season
• The Ottawa Charge have named Jocelyne Laroque as an assistant captain, taking over the role from Jincy Roese who left the Charge this offseason.

PWHL Preseason Scrimmages

Preseason scrimmages start today (11/13), with Minnesota and New York squaring off in the first match up. Scrimmages continue through the 17th. They are not going to be open to the public or streamed online, so we will read about the results and find out the impacts as camp wraps up.

With final rosters due on 11/19 and the first games happening on 11/21, the season is so nearly here! After feeling like the wait was forever long, it’s almost over! I’m looking forward to the start of the season and to see all of these new look teams actually on the ice and competing.

In Closing

Those were the big news items from the past couple of weeks! The Rivalry Series was of course great and full of notable moments and plays, but since I wasn’t able to watch the games, and there are some great sources that already did a great job covering the games, I will leave the coverage of those games to others. Please look for coverage if you want more information on the games.

I’ve been a hockey fan for as long as I can remember. Growing up in Minnesota, I cheered for the Gopher men’s team, especially during the years when Minnesota didn’t have an NHL team. I didn’t play hockey myself; horseback riding was my sport, and while I loved watching hockey, it never occurred to me that girls could play. Women’s hockey wasn’t visible in my world.

That changed in 2012.

My husband John and I saw a promotion for $1 general admission tickets to a Gopher women’s game. We upgraded to reserved seats behind the bench at Ridder Arena, and from the moment the puck dropped, I was hooked. The speed, skill, and intensity of the women’s game blew me away. That team went undefeated and won the national championship, and they became my gateway into women’s hockey.

We went to more games that season, including a thrilling NCAA tournament match against North Dakota that went to overtime. When Ridder hosted the Frozen Four, we were there to see the Gophers close out their perfect season. I cried. I cheered. I fell in love with the game.

From there, my interest expanded beyond the Gophers. I started learning about top players from other programs and followed the Olympics closely. When the Minnesota Whitecaps joined the NWHL, I was thrilled to see professional women’s hockey come to my home state. I attended games, followed the team, and deepened my appreciation for the sport.

When the PWHPA formed and players stepped away from the NWHL to advocate for a sustainable professional league, I chose to support their vision. I stopped attending games, educated myself on their goals, and hoped for change.

Then came the PWHL.

Minnesota was named one of the original six teams, and I was overjoyed. I watched the draft live, celebrated Taylor Heise being picked first overall, and became a season ticket holder. That inaugural season was unforgettable—from the home opener to the Walter Cup win. It felt like a dream come true, and I can’t tell you how many happy tears I shed during every pivotal moment, from that draft to the Cup Finals.

As much as I loved the league and the sport, I found myself wanting more: more coverage, more clarity, more connection. That’s when I realized it was time to do something about it. Next week, I’ll share how Her Puck Perspective came to be—and why I believe women’s hockey deserves a louder voice. Read more here:

Why I Started Her Puck Perspective