On Friday I had the pleasure of attending Rivalry Series Game Six between Team USA and Team Canada in Regina at the Brandt Centre, home of the Regina Pats. If you are a Connor Bedard fan (and there is a good chance you are), this was his WHL team before he was drafted Number One by the Chicago Blackhawks. It’s also the arena where my husband bought a ticket at either end of the ice so he could be sure to have a great view if Bedard scored. And of course Connor did. How we eagerly await Bedard’s return to the ice—counting the days!

But I digress.

The tickets for Game Five were a gift from our two office admins. What a gift! The stands and concourse were packed with young women of all ages, many in Team Canada apparel. I would guess the average age in the crowd was twelve, and the atmosphere in the sold-out arena was electric. I haven’t experienced anything like this since . . . Swiftieapolis.

I can imagine how motivating this was for Numbers 26 Emily Clark and 91 Sophie Shirley, who grew up in Saskatchewan. Team Canada was flying high after a 4-2 win in Saskatoon two nights earlier, which made the Series USA 3: Canada 2. Team Canada needed a win on Friday night to stay alive.

The game was tied at no score after forty minutes. Tension was building. Number 38 Emerance Maschmeyer was a rock in net for Canada. Little girls were chanting, “Go Canada Go!”

And then.

Fan favourite Number 24 Natalie Spooner ripped a beautiful power play goal (thanks to a brilliant centering pass from Number 29 Marie-Philippe Poulin) less than a minute into the third period.

Clark scored again halfway through the period when the US turned over the puck, streaking up the left side and batting in her own rebound. The Brandt Centre went wild!

Number 20 Sarah Nurse added an insurance goal with about four minutes left to cement what turned out to be a 3-0 win over the Americans. Though they outshot Canada 27-22, the US went 0 for 5 on their power play.

Maschmeyer was recognized as the top Canadian player in the game, an honour which was well-deserved. After the game, Clark and Shirley skated a circuit of the ice to acknowledge their fans. The gesture brought tears to our eyes.

There’s no doubt that the existence of the PWHL has elevated the play of our national team. However, my daughter has told me, “These women aren’t accustomed to this many games, this much travel, and this many demands on their attention.” Perhaps this accounts for Team Canada’s slow start in the Rivalry Series.

However, they were certainly able to gain stream as the Series unfolded, ultimately overcoming that 0-3 deficit, and winning the final game of the series 6-1 in St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center on Sunday.

The US team won’t be happy about that and will be certain to make adjustments before the 2026 Olympics in Italy.

One wonders if the Rivalry Series will even exist in 2024-2025 if the PWHL continues to expand?

The league has some big events coming up:

• Toronto will host Montreal in the “Battle of Bay Street” at sold-out Scotiabank Arena (Toronto) on February 16^th
• Boston and Ottawa will clash at Little Caesar’s Arena (Detroit) on March 16^th
• Montreal and Toronto will take the ice at PPG Paints Arena (Pittsburgh) on March 17^th

Kevin Acklin, president of business operations for the Pittsburgh Penguins, has indicated that a PWHL franchise is a possibility in the Steel City.

https://theathletic.com/5211810/2024/01/23/pwhl-expansion-pittsburgh-penguins-womens-hockey

Adding two additional teams to the women’s league makes sense for scheduling, but watering down the talent pool in the league may not.

In my last blog, I mentioned the King vs. Kloss 3-on- 3 Showcase, which was held on February 1^st as part of the NHL’s All Star Game weekend. To learn what participating players thoughts were on Team King’s 5-3 win (and Ottawa blueliner Savannah Harmon’s 5-point night!), please check out this article:

https://www.nhl.com/news/pwhl-3-on-3-showcase-nhl-all-star-game

The PWHL continues to gather momentum and defy the doubters’ declarations that “people won’t pay to watch women play.”

Oh yes, they will.

Honestly, I’d love to write on this topic every week. How refreshing to talk about this stuff instead of what or what does not constitute the archaic (or is it merely barbaric) unwritten Code of the players of the NHL and whether or not Morgan Rielly deserves a suspension for his “appropriate” response to Ridley Greigg’s slapshot goal on an empty net. A stick is not a weapon. It’s the equipment used to score a goal. Enough.