For a league that was behind schedule, didn’t begin games until January, and doesn’t have any team names or logos, you would think that it would be a disaster waiting to happen. However, the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) defied all odds in their inaugural season. To start things off, the 6 teams (Minnesota, Boston, New York, Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto) were revealed on August 29, 2023. Before the inaugural draft, each team could protect 3 players. Notable names included Sarah Nurse for Toronto, and Marie-Philip Poulin for Montreal. For the entry draft, Minnesota was awarded the first overall selection, which they used to draft Minnesota Golden Gopher Taylor Heise.

The season saw Toronto finish first by a margin of six points, led by star Natalie Spooner. Close behind them with 41 points was Montreal, and then Boston and Minnesota with 35 respectively. The league introduced a playoff format similar to the SPHL (Southern Professional Hockey League), where the highest seeded team gets to select their opponent for the first round. Playing by the numbers, Toronto chose Minnesota, creating a Montreal – Boston rivalry series. #3 seeded Boston took quick care of Montreal in a surprise 3-0 sweep, whereas the Toronto – Minnesota series was completely different. Toronto would go up 2-0 in the first round, but Minnesota would win three straight games, including two shutouts from goaltender Maddie Rooney.

This set up the final series to be a #3 vs #4 matchup up of Boston and Minnesota, who were neck and neck in the final league standings. Boston narrowly edged out Minnesota in game one with a 4-3 victory, but Minnesota won their next two in a row to push Boston to the brink of elimination. Game four can only be described as a goaltender’s game. There were a total of 66 shots on goal in this double-OT game. With only a few minutes left in the 2^nd overtime, Taylor Heise broke into the zone for a 2 on 1, where she appeared to slip into Boston goalie Aerin Frankel. The puck broke loose and Boston’s Sophie Jaques found the back of the net. Minnesota had won… or so they thought. Watching in horror with their helmets off and stick on the ice, they learned the goal was called back. No more than a few minutes later, Alina Muller sniped one to keep Boston’s hopes alive.

Game five sold out within 10 minutes of game 4 finishing, which makes sense for the most important women’s hockey game of all time up until this moment. The first period was quite even, but in the second Minnesota stepped on the gas, outshooting Boston 16-7, including the eventual game winner from Liz Schepers, her first career goal. Halfway through the third, Michela Cava would net her fourth of the playoffs for the insurance marker followed by captain Kendall Coyne Schofield’s empty netter.

This season was monumental for showcasing the importance of women’s sports, and how they can be equally and even more entertaining than their male counterparts. With the recent surge of popularity in the WNBA, and new announcement of the Northern Super League (NSL), women’s sports are bound to explode in popularity. It is expected that in August the team names, logos, and jerseys will be revealed.