PWHL Weekly Notebook: March 16, 2026

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PWHL sets single-season attendance record and largest weekly attendance in league history

Boston’s Megan Keller named PWHL Player of the Week presented by SharkNinja.

NEW YORK AND TORONTO (March 16, 2026) – Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) attendance records continue to be broken with a new weekly benchmark of 79,356 fans across seven games through Sunday’s return of the PWHL Takeover Tour™ in Denver. As part of the record-setting week, attendance in the 2025-26 season eclipsed last season’s regular-season total in 15 fewer games. The Takeover Tour continues this week in Winnipeg with another seven-game schedule.

SINGLE SEASON AND WEEKLY ATTENDANCE RECORDS

The PWHL surpassed its 90-game 2024-25 regular-season attendance of 653,415 during the 75th game of the 2025-26 campaign on Saturday at Vancouver’s Pacific Coliseum, where a crowd of 11,120 brought the league total to 662,197 fans. The weekly attendance of 79,356, which included Minnesota’s season-high crowd of 11,120 at Grand Casino Arena on Friday and 15,512 fans at Denver’s Ball Arena on Sunday, averaged 11,337 fans across seven games to exceed the previous weekly record of 72,082 set in nine games played from Dec. 15-21, 2025. The PWHL is on the cusp of surpassing 700,000 fans with attendance through 78 games currently at 696,151 with an average of 8,925 fans per game, up 23% over last season.

MILE HIGH HOMECOMING

The PWHL Takeover Tour™ returned to Denver for the third time in two seasons on Sunday, presented by Woody Creek Distillers, with Minnesota earning a 4-3 victory over New York. It was a homecoming for the league’s only two Colorado natives in Frost rookie Peyton Anderson (Arvada) and goaltender Nicole Hensley (Lakewood), who earned the win with a 23-save performance. On Saturday, the Sirens held an open practice and signed autographs for fans, and members of the Frost participated in a Community Clinic. The community connection extended to Denver’s professional sports scene with the Colorado Avalanche wearing PWHL jerseys for walk-ins earlier in the week and a postgame jersey swap between members of the Sirens and Frost with the Colorado Mammoth and Colorado Rapids. The Ball Arena crowd of 15,512 was the third highest through the first 11 games of the Tour and brought the two-season total attendance in Denver to 41,142 for an average of 13,714 fans per game. Click here to see all PWHL results.

WINNIPEG TO WELCOME PWHL

The province of Manitoba will get its first taste of PWHL action in the DoorDash PWHL Takeover Tour™ on Sunday when Montréal takes on Ottawa at Winnipeg’s Canada Life Centre. It’s another PWHL homecoming for two of the league’s six Manitoba players in Canadian Olympic defenders Jocelyne Larocque (Ste. Anne) of the Charge and Kati Tabin (Winnipeg) of the Victoire. Before the puck drops Sunday night, Charge staff will participate in a career panel on Friday at the University of Manitoba, both teams will host open practices and autograph sessions on Saturday at the Hockey For All Centre, followed by a youth clinic on the outdoor rink at Camp Manitou. See the full Takeover Tour™ schedule and all public events here.

CAPTAIN KELLER LEADS INCREDIBLE COMEBACK

Boston captain Megan Keller scored a goal and two assists for her first career three-point performance Sunday, helping the Fleet erase a 3-0 third-period deficit against the Victoire to emerge victorious by a 4-3 score in overtime in a battle between the league’s top teams. The top-scoring defender and Olympic golden goal scorer has been named PWHL Player of the Week presented by SharkNinja, adding seven shots on goal, a plus-4 rating, and an average time on ice of 28:27 to her three points across three road games. The 29-year-old from Farmington, MI, leads all PWHL defenders with six goals and 15 points in 19 games and is now tied for the all-time lead in scoring among defenders with 43 points (15G, 28A) in 73 career games. Boston’s win was just the third time in PWHL history a team has won after trailing by three goals in the third period, following New York wins over Ottawa on Feb. 4, 2024 (4-3 in OT) and Mar. 25, 2025 (6-3).

FLEET AND TORRENT SWAP VETERAN FORWARDS

The second trade of the regular season was executed on Monday night with Boston acquiring Jessie Eldridge from Seattle in exchange for Theresa Schafzahl. Both players are third-year veteran forwards with contracts through the current 2025-26 campaign. The PWHL trade deadline is March 30, followed by a roster freeze on March 31. Click here for more.

BOSTON ALONE ATOP THE STANDINGS

Boston (9-5-2-3) picked up four of a possible nine points on the road last week and now stands alone in first place in the PWHL standings with 39 points. Minnesota (9-3-3-4) earned all six points in their two games to move into a tie for second with 36 points alongside Montréal (9-4-1-5), who had their six-game winning streak and a perfect seven-win record at Place Bell snapped on Sunday. Ottawa (5-6-1-8) won their league-leading fourth overtime game Saturday to pick up two points for 28 on the season and a share of fourth place with Toronto (7-1-5-8), who won in regulation Sunday and have points in all five of their post-Olympic games. New York (8-0-3-9) was the only team last week not to earn any points with a regulation loss in their only game, dropping down to fifth place with 27 points. Vancouver (5-1-4-9) is up to 21 points in seventh place after a pair of overtime losses, and Seattle (5-1-2-11) is up to 19 points in eighth place after a home win and two road losses. Click here to see the full PWHL standings.

HEISE FIRST TO 20 (PLUS) POINTS

Minnesota’s Taylor Heise became the first player in the PWHL to reach 20 points this season with a goal on Friday, then scored again on Sunday to bring her league-leading point total to 21 (6G, 15A) in 19 games. She is just the third player in PWHL history to record consecutive 20-point seasons, following Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin and Torrent alternate captain Alex Carpenter in the league’s first two seasons. The list is likely to grow as 10 other players reached the 20-point plateau in 2024-25, while both Poulin (9G, 8A) and Carpenter (7G, 6A) have the trifecta within reach. The Frost’s Britta Curl-Salemme (8G, 11A) sits second in league scoring with 19 points, followed by a trio tied for third with 18 points, including co-goal scoring leader Rebecca Leslie (11G, 7A) of Ottawa, Frost alternate captain Kelly Pannek (9G, 9A), and Charge captain Brianne Jenner (9G, 9A). New York’s Kristýna Kaltounková (11G, 1A) is tied for the goal-scoring lead and ranks third in rookie points behind teammate Casey O’Brien (5G, 9A) and Frost defender Kendall Cooper (1G, 12A). Click here for PWHL leaders.

PHILIPS FIRST TO TOP 500 SAVES

Ottawa’s Gwyneth Philips turned aside 34 shots on Saturday to bring her league-leading save total to 532 in 18 games, becoming just the sixth goaltender in PWHL history to surpass 500 saves in a season. Her 576 shots against are 82 more than the next closest goaltender, New York’s Kayle Osborne, while also leading her sophomore counterpart by 81 saves in one fewer game. Philips has the single-season saves record within reach this week, chasing fellow U.S. Olympic netminder Aerin Frankel, who made 591 saves in 23 games in 2024-25. Corinne Schroeder (530 SV in 20 GP) and Ann-Renée Desbiens (518 SV in 21 GP) also exceeded 500 saves in 2024-25, while Emerance Maschmeyer (548 SV in 23 GP) and Kristen Campbell (544 SV in 22 GP) were the only two to do it in the inaugural season. Click here to see this season’s goaltending leaders.

FIRST CAREER SHUTOUT FOR KIRK

Toronto’s Raygan Kirk recorded the first shutout of her career in her 26th all-time appearance on Sunday, stopping all 32 shots faced in a 2-0 triumph over the Torrent. The win was also the 10th of her career and the 12th time this season she’s made more than 25 saves, one fewer than the 13 such games by Philips. Selected by the Sceptres with the final pick of the 2024 PWHL Draft, Kirk was a two-time NCAA National Champion at Ohio State and is among seven goaltenders to produce this season’s 15 shutouts and one of 11 PWHL goaltenders all-time with a clean sheet.

MÜLLER MEETS HALF-CENTURY MARK

The PWHL’s half-century club for career points now has 10 members with the addition of Fleet alternate captain Alina Müller (15G, 35A), who met the mark with a pair of assists on Sunday in her 69th career game. The Swiss Olympic hero, who was the league’s first international player selected in the inaugural PWHL Draft at third overall, is now the first international player to reach the milestone and the only player to score 50 points entirely in a Boston uniform. Fellow Fleet forward Susanna Tapani of Finland is the next highest scoring international player at 43 career points, followed by Vancouver’s Tereza Vanišová of Czechia with 42. Click here to see PWHL all-time leaders.

FIRST CAREER GOAL FOR ANDERSON

It was a week to remember for Anderson as the Frost rookie scored her first career goal on Friday in her 18th career game, then competed before hometown family and friends in Denver on Sunday. The 24-year-old signed with Minnesota after training camp and a five-year collegiate tenure at Northeastern that concluded in 2024. There have been 113 different goal scorers across the PWHL this season, including 25 rookies. Click here to see PWHL rookie leaders.

KNIGHT AND BILKA WALK THE RED CARPET

Seattle captain Hilary Knight and teammate Hannah Bilka made a formal appearance at the Academy Awards on Sunday. The pair of U.S. Olympic gold medalists walked the red carpet in style outside the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Click here for more.

HOCKEY HALL OF FAME UNVEILS OLYMPIC ‘26 EXHIBIT

A new installation featuring artifacts from the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, including the golden goal pucks from both the women’s and men’s overtime games, was unveiled today at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. Carpenter, who won gold with the U.S., and Torrent teammate Aneta Tejralová, who captained Czechia, took part in the official reveal to reflect the international spirit of the Games. Click here for more.

WOMEN’S FROZEN FOUR

The 2026 National Collegiate women’s ice hockey tournament continues with the women’s Frozen Four on Friday, March 2,0 at Pegula Ice Arena in University Park, PA. The semifinals feature top-ranked Ohio State against the tournament’s fifth-seeded Northeastern, and second-ranked Wisconsin against third-ranked Penn State. The winners will face off on Sunday. In regional competition, Ohio State advanced with a 6-1 win over Yale, Northeastern upset Minnesota 4-2, Wisconsin shut out Quinnipiac 6-0, and Penn State shut out Connecticut 3-0. Wisconsin is the defending champion after defeating Ohio State, 4-3, in overtime in 2025, with a Badgers team that included O’Brien and Charge rookie Sarah Wozniewicz. It marked the third-straight year that the Badgers and Buckeyes met in the national championship game. A total of 42 current PWHL players won collegiate national titles before embarking on their pro careers. Click here for the tournament bracket.

PATTY KAZ TOP THREE

Caroline Harvey (University of Wisconsin), Tessa Janecke (Penn State University), and Abbey Murphy (University of Minnesota) have been named the 2026 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Top-Three Finalists, The USA Hockey Foundation announced last Wednesday. The winner will be announced on Saturday as part of a live show on NHL Network at the HUB-Robeson Center on the campus of Penn State University. Each of the last 12 recipients is currently competing in the PWHL, including O’Brien before she was selected third overall by the Sirens. Click here for more.

U SPORTS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

The U SPORTS National Champion will also be crowned on Sunday, with the top eight teams from across Canada beginning tournament play with quarterfinals on Thursday and Friday. UBC (1) takes on Montréal (8), Concordia (2) plays Manitoba (7), Guelph (3) faces host Waterloo (6), and UNB (4) takes on Ottawa (5). In 2025, the Bishop’s Gaiters, coached by current Sirens assistant Valérie Bois, defeated the host Waterloo Warriors in the gold medal game for the program’s first national championship. Click here for more.

THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE

PWHL action continues Tuesday with a St. Patrick’s Day battle between Boston and Toronto in the Fleet’s first home game since the Olympic break at Agganis Arena at 7 p.m. ET. Wednesday features a doubleheader with bobblehead giveaways in both Minnesota and Vancouver. The Frost host the Charge at Grand Casino Arena at 7 p.m. ET, where the first 4,000 fans will receive a Kendall Coyne Schofield Bobblehead presented by Bread Financial, then the Goldeneyes host the Sirens at 10 p.m. ET at Pacific Coliseum, where the first 6,000 fans will receive a Hannah Miller Bobblehead, while quantities last. On Thursday, Seattle visits Montréal for a Sugar Shack Soirée at Place Bell at 7 p.m. ET. Two games on Saturday will see the Goldeneyes welcome the Frost to Pacific Coliseum at 3 p.m. ET, where the first 6,000 fans will receive a Jenn Gardiner Bobblehead, while quantities last, and the Fleet will host the Torrent for Kids and Youth Hockey Day at the Tsongas Center at 4 p.m. ET. The week wraps up with the PWHL Takeover Tour™ at Winnipeg’s Canada Life Center at 7 p.m. ET when the Charge face off against the Victoire. Full broadcast details are below and available online here.

Tuesday, March 17 – 7 PM ET
Toronto Sceptres at Boston Fleet (Agganis Arena)

Canada: Prime Video
U.S. (In-Market): NESN+
U.S. (Out of Market): SNP+ (Pittsburgh)

Wednesday, March 18 – 7 PM ET
Ottawa Charge at Minnesota Frost (Grand Casino Arena)

Canada: TSN
U.S. (In-Market): FanDuel Sports Network North Extra, FOX 9+
U.S. (Out of Market): FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin, Great Lakes Sports & Entertainment Network, KCRG-TV 9/Ottumwa–Kirksville CW (Iowa), Last Frontier Sports & Entertainment Network (Alaska), NESN (Boston), Palmetto Sports & Entertainment Network, Rock Entertainment Sports Network, Scripps Sports, SNP+ (Pittsburgh), Tennessee Valley Sports Network

Wednesday, March 18 – 10 PM ET
New York Sirens at Vancouver Goldeneyes (Pacific Coliseum)

Canada: TSN
U.S. (In-Market): MSGSN
U.S. (Out of Market): NESN (Boston), SNP+ (Pittsburgh)

Thursday, March 19 – 7 PM ET
Seattle Torrent at Montréal Victoire (Place Bell)

Canada: Sportsnet (East, Pacific), RDS
U.S. (In-Market): FOX 13+
U.S. (Out of Market: Matrix Midwest (St. Louis)

Saturday, March 21 – 3 PM ET
Minnesota Frost at Vancouver Goldeneyes (Pacific Coliseum)

Canada: CBC and CBC Gem
U.S. (In-Market): FanDuel Sports Network North Extra, FOX 9+
U.S. (Out of Market): FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin Extra, FOX 10 Xtra Phoenix, FOX 11+ Los Angeles, Matrix Midwest (St. Louis)

Saturday, March 21 – 4 PM ET
Seattle Torrent at Boston Fleet (Tsongas Center)

Canada: Sportsnet 360
U.S. (In-Market): NESN, FOX 13+
U.S. (Out of Market): SNP+ (Pittsburgh)

Sunday, March 22 – 7 PM ET – PWHL Takeover Tour
Montréal Victoire vs. Ottawa Charge (Canada Life Centre – Winnipeg, MB)

Canada: TSN, RDS
U.S. (Out of Market): NESN+ (Boston), SNP+ (Pittsburgh)

Fans around the world can continue to follow every game live via the PWHL YouTube channel and thepwhl.com, with the exception of Canada, and in Czechia and Slovakia, where Nova Sport will continue to carry games locally.