Five PWHL Games You Won't Want to Miss this Season
You'll want to mark these on your calendar!
The PWHL announced the 2024-25 season schedule on October 15. The season will feature 90 games, with each team playing 30 games. This is a step up from last season, where each team played 24.
Now that we've got the schedule (or most of it, with a few locations still unnamed), it's time to start thinking about what games you'll want to circle on your calendar.
November 30: Boston Fleet vs Toronto Sceptres
The puck will drop for the first game of the 2024-25 season on November 30 in Toronto. The Sceptres will welcome the Boston Fleet to the Coca-Cola Coliseum. The game is nearly sold out, with standing-room-only tickets available at the time of writing. Not only is it game one of the season, but it's also the first home game for Toronto at their new arena, which seats 8,000 fans, more than double what Mattamy Arena can hold.
We'll also see Daryl Watts for the first time in a Sceptres uniform (and well, it's the first time we'll see anyone in the new Sceptres and Fleet branding).
Based on how these two teams finished last season, this one could be a potential playoff preview!
December 4: Minnesota Frost vs Boston Fleet
Speaking of the playoffs, December 4 will be the Walter Cup rematch between the Boston Fleet and the Minnesota Frost. The Frost took the final series in five games to win the first Walter Cup Championship.
They'll meet for the first time this season in Boston and this game will also mark Boston's home opener.
With how close the teams were last season, this could easily be setting up the next Walter Cup Final.
December 18: Toronto Sceptres vs New York Sirens
One of the most exciting things to come out of the off-season was the announcement that the Sirens will play all of their home games at Prudential Center in New Jersey. Sure, this leads to a lot of talk about New York vs New Jersey, and the team continuing to call themselves 'New York' while playing in New Jersey, but it's still great because this is an NHL venue.
The Sirens had a lot of trouble getting fans out to their games last season, so a permanent and somewhat accessible location will help with that. The rink also seats over 16,000 fans!
December 18 will be the first time the Sirens play at Prudential Center this season. They'll welcome the Toronto Sceptres to town, setting up a matchup between the teams who finished first and last last season.
January 19: Ottawa vs Montréal in Quebec City
Amy Sheer, VP of Business for the PWHL, recently confirmed that there will be nine neutral site games this season. Most of these are still up in the air, although there are rumors that one will be at the Bell Centre in March, but we do have one confirmation.
On January 19, Ottawa and Montréal will travel to Quebec City to play at Videotron Centre.
This will be the first time the PWHL faces off in Quebec City and, at the time of writing this article, the lower bowl is entirely sold out. The Videotron Centre seats 18,000 people so it should be a great turnout for a game between these two teams.
April 26: Post-break first game
Like last season, there will be a late-season break for the Rivalry Series and European competition. These games will take place between April 2 and April 26. The Minnesota Fleet will actually end up with a one-month break, with their last game before the break occurring on March 26.
All six teams will be in action on April 26 and if last year is any example, these post-break games could have a huge impact on how the season ends and the playoffs are set.
Last season, Minnesota struggled after the break and it nearly cost them a chance at the playoffs.
Will we see any teams fall off or go on a run after the international break? We'll have to tune in to find out.
May 2 & 3: Final games
The final games of the 2024-25 season will take place on May 2 and May 3. Montréal and New York will face off on Friday, May 2 in New Jersey. Minnesota and Boston will play their last game at Tsongas Centre on the 3rd, while Toronto and Ottawa wrap up the season in Toronto.
Last season, the final games of the season didn't determine much, with all of the spots, including the first overall pick, locked up.
However, these games could be very impactful depending on how the season shakes out. It's possible we won't have the last playoff spots solidified by the last games, or that the Gold plan will mean that a team must win their final game to guarantee their first overall pick.
No matter what, these last few games should be pretty exciting as the teams get ready for the playoffs.
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