PWHPA announces Philadelphia Dream Gap Tour stop
68 players will hit the ice for the first showcase in a new region
After teasing the Philadelphia stop a few weeks ago, the PWHPA released details for the fifth Dream Gap Tour location. The Philadelphia Women’s Hockey Showcase will take place Feb. 28 through March 1 at the Virtua Flyers Skate Zone at Voorhees, NJ.
According to the release, the showcase is “benefiting the PWHPA, Flyers Charities and the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation.” Virtua Flyers Skate Zone is the Flyers’ practice arena.
Sixty eight players make up four teams that will play over the weekend. On Saturday, Team Turnbull will take on Team Nurse at 4 p.m. while Team Keller will play Team Decker at 7 p.m. This sets up a USA v Canada in Sunday’s consolation and championship game at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. respectively.
Rosters
| Team Turnbull | Team Nurse | Team Keller | Team Decker |
|---|---|---|---|
| Genevieve Lacasse | Emerance Maschmeyer | Katie Burt | Alex Rigsby Cavallini |
| Kassidy Sauve | Erica Howe | Nicole Hensley | Katie Fitzgerald |
| Brigette Lacquette | Meaghan Mikkelson | Blake Bolden | Kacey Bellamy |
| Renata Fast | Erin Ambrose | Savannah Harmon | Emily Matheson |
| Jocelyne Larocque | Halli Krzyzaniak | Reagan Rust | Lee Stecklein |
| Lauriane Rougeau | Melissa Channell | Kali Flanagan | Alyssa Gagliardi |
| Lauren Williams | Laura Fortino | Megan Keller | Melissa Samoskevich |
| Catherine Daoust | Hayleigh Cudmore | Rachael Ade | Kelsey Koelzer |
| Iya Gavrilova | Victoria Bach | Hayley Scamurra | Brianna Decker |
| Blayre Turnbull | Brittany Howard | Hannah Brandt | Kendall Coyne Schofield |
| Loren Gabel | Sarah Nurse | Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson | Annika Zalewski |
| Brianne Jenner | Natalie Spooner | Haley Skarupa | Hilary Knight |
| Jamie Lee Rattray | Emily Clark | Amanda Pelkey | Kelly Pannek |
| Ann-Sophie Bettez | Marie-Philip Poulin | Paige Voight | Meghan Grieves |
| Melodie Daoust | Jess Jones | Amanda Kessel | Nicole Anderson |
| Laura Stacey | Jillian Saulnier | Monique Lamoureux-Morando | Reagan Haley |
| Jessie Vella | Rebecca Johnston | Alexa Gruschow | Kelly Babstock |
Four players are making their Dream Gap Tour roster debuts in Philadelphia — Hayleigh Cudmore, Iya Gavrilova, Jessie Vella, and Kelly Babstock.
Meanwhile, 10 players from the Montreal region are playing in their fifth spot; however, they’ll be largely split up. Hilary Knight is playing with her fellow Americans on Team Decker, only the second Dream Gap Tour stop she’s not played with her former Les Canadiennes teammates. Erin Ambrose, Jill Saulnier, and Marie-Philip Poulin are on Team Nurse while Ann-Sophie Bettez, Catherine Daoust, Geneviève Lacasse, Laura Stacey, Lauriane Rougeau, and Mélodie Daoust are on Team Turnbull.
No streaming details were released.
Philadelphia is the first stop where the PWHPA doesn’t have a large grouping of players located. It is also the first location that doesn’t have an established post-colliegate women’s hockey presence. It will be a good test for the organization’s marketing abilities and how women’s hockey can do in a new market.
This is the second announced stop in the second leg of the Dream Gap Tour. On Jan. 11 and 12, the PWHPA heads back to Toronto for their biggest showcase yet. The Secret Women’s Hockey Showcase will feature 120 players in six games. The organization also teased a third stop on social media a month ago; however, no details about the stop have been released.
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