6 Takeaways from Week 15 of the PWHL: New York, New York; expansion coming soon
It was a massive week for the PWHL, in more ways than one.
From a record-breaking turnout in the World’s Most Famous Arena to teams earning berths in the 2026 Walter Cup Playoffs, the attention on the league is reaching a peak as the regular season slowly winds down.
Let’s take a look back at some of the biggest takeaways from the week that was across the PWHL:
Shining on Broadway
The main event was in Manhattan on Saturday night. While on paper, the matchup between the New York Sirens and Seattle Torrent was rather mundane, with both teams outside of the playoff picture. Yet, the setting was the true headline. We knew a month in advance that the game at Madison Square Garden was sold out, with the official attendance coming to 18,006. It marked the fourth time this season that the league has set the attendance record for a women’s hockey game in the United States.
Coincidentally, the Torrent have been involved in three of those memorable games, with the team breaking the record twice at the Climate Pledge Arena.
The atmosphere and energy inside MSG more than lived up to the hype. It truly felt like a playoff game, especially since the Sirens needed a victory of some sort to stay in the hunt. There were plenty of icons in attendance, both from women’s hockey and beyond. Members of the New York Rangers were there, along with other local athletes, and PWHL Advisory Board member Billie Jean King was in attendance, hyping up the crowd after the ceremonial puck drop.
While the team’s crowds at the Prudential Center in New Jersey have steadily risen since the Olympic break, it was a different feeling when the players heard the “Wee-Woo” chants from tens of thousands of patrons. The fairy-tale night ended with the home fans elated, with New York coming away with a 2-1 shootout win.
Who wants a team?
The other newsworthy topic that came out of New York on Saturday was that the countdown to expansion is on. When speaking during a press conference prior to the game, PWHL Advisory Board member Stan Kasten revealed that expansion news will be announced in the coming in the next few weeks, with apparently a number of locations interested in the league.
“Even though it will cost us more money,” Kasten explained. “We’re ready to expand. There is a line of cities eager to have us there.”
That means we’ll finally have clarity on what the league decides to do with its footprint. There have been reports that the PWHL will expand by 2 to 4 teams for the 2026-27 season. Where the league goes seems to be anyone’s guess. There are certainly favorites for franchises, as Denver and Detroit are two American cities that have used the Takeover Tour to bolster their stock as potential expansion sites. If it were based on turnout and energy, Quebec City would be the next Canadian city to get a team, as the league’s two Takeover games in the province’s capital have drawn sellout crowds.
There are other fringe markets on both sides of the border – St. Louis, Chicago, Calgary…even Winnipeg’s crowd made it known that a team could pan out. Nevertheless, the fact that we have a timeline for expansion news generates interest for the end of the season and beyond.
The Charge has a possible new home
Speaking of teams in new arenas (not the best segway, but follow me here), the Ottawa Charge might have laid the groundwork for them to change venues, if they so choose. 24 hours before the massive crowd at MSG, 17,114 came to Canadian Tire Centre in suburban Kanata to see the Charge host the rival Montreal Victoire. While the home fans left unenthused, losing 3-0, many quickly realized that maybe the team in the nation’s capital could move into a bigger building.
With the Ottawa Senators poised to leave the CTC for LeBreton Flats and the PWHL’s displeasure with the Landsdowne 2.0 plans, the Charge might look at moving to Kanata, full-time, in the near future.
Currently, the Charge plays in the crumbling TD Place, which has a capacity of 8,600. The projected capacity for the new arena in Landsdowne is just 5,500, something the PWHL doesn’t want to deal with, with executive vice president of business operations Amy Scheer stating back in November that “every option’s on the table,” including relocation.
If the CTC ever becomes available and the league can strike a deal, Ottawa could step in and fill the vacant venue for years to come.
Fourth is all that’s left
Coming out of the holiday weekend, there is only one playoff spot left in the PWHL. Over a week ago, the Boston Fleet became the fastest team in league history to earn a postseason berth, with the Victoire matching that record this past Wednesday. Then, on Saturday, the Minnesota Frost clinched spot, as the two-time Walter Cup champions continue their title defense.
That begs the question, who’s grabbing spot No. 4?
With less than three weeks remaining in the regular season, there are three (possibly four) teams in the running for the final playoff spot. Currently, the Toronto Sceptres sit in fourth place. However, the Charge is just one point back. Following their big win at MSG, the Sirens are just three points back. The Vancouver Goldeneyes are sort of in the hunt, but with a seven-point gap between them and Toronto, the expansion club is most likely going to have to win out and get some help along the way.
Each team has five games remaining, with a number of important games along the way against each other. The Sceptres and Sirens face off twice between now and the end of the regular season, with New York and Ottawa going at it on April 18. Toronto and the Charge are scheduled to meet twice more, including on the final day of the season on April 25. Vancouver doesn’t have to face any of those three, but they are tasked with facing Boston, Montreal, and Minnesota (all at home), along with a home-and-home against the Torrent.
If I were a betting man, I’d say it’s going to come down to the Charge and Sceptres, meaning that final game three Saturdays from now could be the most exciting game of the year. Then again, if the Sirens can build off that momentous win on Saturday night, maybe they can turn things around and earn the franchise’s first playoff berth.
Officiating needs to be better
I know we all love to harp on the refs, but with the postseason around the corner, the PWHL’s top officials need to step up their game…and fast.
Going back to the Winnipeg Takeover game, when the refs didn’t call any penalties during a late-game melee, there have been a number of instances where fans have been left scratching their heads, and questioning what is a penalty in this league.
There were a couple of plays this past weekend, in front of the biggest crowds, that were particularly frustrating. In Ottawa, the Charge were handed a couple of penalties that led to fans being shown on the broadcast up in arms, especially when rookie defender Rory Guildway was called for diving, though she was given a stick in the midsection and couldn’t keep herself on her feet.
Then, on Saturday at MSG, Emmy Fecteau of the Sirens delivered a hard hit on Torrent forward Mikyla Grant-Mentis. Though it seemed like an obvious penalty, it was uncalled by both referees at the moment. After the play was blown dead thanks to a scrum starting after the check, the PWHL Central Situation Room was able to ignite a video review of the incident, ultimately resulting in a five-minute major penalty for an illegal check to the head on Fecteau.
It’s not that the penalty wasn’t warranted; it’s that it took a video review to correct the officials’ mistake. There have been too many instances this season where refs have either been questionable or blatantly wrong. Hopefully, the crews picked to work the postseason are ready for the task and call a good series of games.
Dear PWHL teams, Abstreiter’s really good
Just a short little piece here at the end, but Montreal Victoire goaltender Sandra Abstreiter needs more love from this league than she has had in her first two-plus years in it. Her first year in the league, she appeared in just three games with Ottawa behind Emerance Maschmeyer. Last year, with the Charge drafting Gwyneth Philips, she signed with the Victoire, but didn’t see any action as a third-stringer behind Ann-Renee Desbiens and Elaine Chuli.
Thankfully, Germany’s starting goaltender has finally received adequate playing time, and though she’s only played four games, she’s been pretty good. The 27-year-old has a 3-1-0 record with a 2.24 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage. This past Friday in Ottawa, she pitched her first shutout in the PWHL, stopping all 39 shots she faced. Mind you, this is also the same person who was named the top goaltender at the 2024 IIHF Women’s World Championship.
I’m hoping, with expansion, she gets an honest look by one of the new teams, because Abstreiter has the ability to be a true No. 1 goaltender in the PWHL.