Halifax makes big impression in pair of PWHL games

Nova Scotia has high hopes for a PWHL team in Halifax. 

“We certainly hope to bring the PWHL back to town again,” said Dawn Delany, the director of marketing and communications at Events East Group, which runs the Halifax Convention Centre and Scotiabank Centre and would be responsible for submitting an expansion bid.  

Halifax hosted two Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) games as part of the league’s Takeover Tour on Dec. 17 and Jan. 11. Both games sold out quickly. 

Grace Beer attended the first game. She’s also the Dalhousie Tigers starting goalie and the 2024 Atlantic Sport University (AUS) MVP for women’s hockey. She attended the game with the under-15 women’s hockey team she coaches.

“It was really inspiring and emotional to see all the young girls watching these professional women athletes.” 

Beer said a Halifax team could have a huge impact on her life. 

“If I had the opportunity to stay here and live out my dream of playing professional hockey, that would be amazing,” she said. “I know the city, and I love it.” 

The PWHL, North America’s professional women’s hockey league, is now in its third season. It was launched on Jan. 1, 2024, and has eight teams: the Boston Fleet, Minnesota Frost, New York Sirens, Montréal Victorie, Seattle Torrent, Ottawa Charge, Toronto Sceptres and Vancouver Goldeneyes. 

Nine Takeover Tour games, where league games are played in non-league cities, were scheduled last year. Sixteen will be played during the season this year, taking them to Calgary, Chicago, Dallas, Halifax, Hamilton, Washington, D.C. and Winnipeg. Returning cities include Denver, Detroit, Edmonton and Quebec City. Last year, two cities that hosted games for the takeover tour got PWHL teams: Seattle and Vancouver.

Dave Ritcey, Nova Scotia’s Minister of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage, said the league was impressed by the two sellout games.

“I don’t know if you want to call it a green light, but it’s a box checked.”  

In an interview with The Signal, Ritcey talked about Nova Scotians’ love for women’s hockey and how the province has a “healthy” group of players and coaches in the league already. That group includes Kori Cheverie, the reigning coach of the year, Blayre Turnbull, the Toronto Sceptres captain, and Mae Batherson, a key part of Minnesota’s championship-winning squad.  

Ultimately, Ritcey said the decision is in the hands of the league, but that Nova Scotia’s sway in terms of demand is big, and it shows with the sellout Takeover Tour games.  

Delaney said that they have a great relationship with the PWHL and will explore opportunities for the future.

In the 2024-25 season, total attendance reached 737,455 fans across 102 games, a 52.5 per cent increase from the league’s first year. Average attendance rose from 5,689 to 7,230 per game during that period.

Combined attendance for the two games played in Halifax was 20,890, a couple of thousand more people than the average PWHL game.