Hockey

PWHL releases neutral-site schedule with games ranging from North Carolina to the Pacific Northwest

By KIRO 7 News Staff and John Wawrow

Hockey FILE - Kendall Coyne-Schofield, a member of the U.S. Women's National hockey team, goes through drills during their practice in Cranberry Township, Butler County, Pa., Nov. 4, 2019. Organizers announced plans Friday, June 30, 2023, to launch a new women’s professional hockey league in January that they hope will provide a stable, economically sustainable home for the sport's top players for years to come. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)

By KIRO 7 News Staff and John Wawrow

(AP) - The PWHL is taking women’s pro hockey to places from Raleigh, North Carolina, to the Pacific Northwest in releasing its nine-date schedule of neutral site games on Monday.

Billed as the “Takeover Tour,” the six-team league selected six U.S. cities — Raleigh, Buffalo, Detroit, St. Louis, Denver and Seattle — and Canadian stops in Vancouver and Quebec City, with one site yet to be announced. The announcement comes as the PWHL prepares to open its second season on Nov. 30, and with the league launching plans to expand by as many as two teams by 2025-26.

“Bringing PWHL games to fans across both countries is a natural next step as we continue building our audience,” said Amy Scheer, PWHL senior vice president of business operations. “The PWHL ‘Takeover Tour’ lets us showcase our game and exceptional athletes across a wider North American footprint — an exciting moment for our players and an important move for our business as we consider expansion.”

The league is also exploring the opportunity to hold neutral site games in Europe after this season.

The PWHL is returning to Detroit, with defending champion Minnesota playing New York on March 16. Last year, Detroit drew a crowd of 13,736 in hosting one of the league’s two neutral-site games — with the other played in Pittsburgh.

Buffalo made the list and will play host to Boston facing New York on Feb. 23.

This marks the return of women’s pro hockey to Buffalo after losing the Beauts, who in 2015 were founding members of the four-team National Women’s Hockey League. The NWHL eventually became the Premier Hockey Federation, which folded after it was bought out in June 2023 in paving the way to establish the PWHL.

With the exception of Quebec City, the other seven announced neutral-site games will be played at the homes of each city’s NHL franchise. Quebec City has an NHL-ready arena, the Videotron Centre, and has already began making a pitch to land a PWHL expansion franchise.

Each of the PWHL’s six teams will play at least two neutral site games as part of the league’s schedule, which expanded from 24 games per team last season to 30 this year.

The neutral site schedule opens with Montreal playing Boston in Seattle on Jan. 5, followed by Montreal playing Toronto in Vancouver three days later.

The schedule is rounded out with Montreal playing Minnesota in Denver on Jan. 12 and Ottawa and Montreal will play in Quebec City on Jan. 19, in a game previously announced. Raleigh will play host to Ottawa facing Minnesota on March 7, and Ottawa will play Boston in St. Louis on March 29.

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AP Women’s Hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey

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