Professional Women's Hockey League hosting game at PPG Paints Arena next month
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - As the Penguins continue to express interest in bringing a Professional Women's Hockey League team to Pittsburgh, the city will get a taste of the action next month.
The PWHL announced on Tuesday that as part of its "PWHL Takeover Weekend" PWHL Montreal and PWHL Toronto will be playing a game at PPG Paints Arena on March 17 at 12:30 p.m. before the Penguins play the Red Wings that evening at 6 p.m.
"We are thrilled to host the PWHL in Pittsburgh to celebrate the continued growth of women's professional hockey," said Kevin Acklin, Penguins President of Business Operations. "The entire Penguins organization is committed to championing the growth of our game, and we are excited to host the Montréal and Toronto women's clubs in March at PPG Paints Arena to showcase their elite talents in front of our Penguins fan base."
The teams from Montreal and Toronto feature several Olympians from both the United States and Canada.
Playing for Toronto, Americans Jesse Compher and Kali Flanagan will be in town, both of whom have played for Team USA at the Olympics, winning silver and gold respectively.
For Montreal, one of the most accomplished women's Olympians will once again play at PPG Paints Arena on March 17. That's Marie-Philip Poulin who has scored two Olympic Gold-winning goals for Team Canada. She has also won three gold medals and one silver medal across four Olympic Games.
In its first season, the PWHL currently has only six franchises: Toronto, Montreal, Boston, Minnesota, New York, and Ottawa.
Last month when the league kicked off its inaugural season, Penguins' President of Business Operations Kevin Acklin told The Athletic they are interested in bringing a team to Pittsburgh.
"We've expressed our interest in hosting a club here in Pittsburgh for the future – that's the ultimate goal," he said.
Tickets for the Montreal-Toronto game will go on sale on Friday at 2 p.m. and will be available for purchase on Ticketmaster.
This isn't the first time that PPG Paints Arena has played host to women's hockey.
Back in 2022, Pittsburgh was host to the Rivalry Rematch game which was organized by the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association and was a rematch of the 2022 Olympics Gold Medal Game between Team USA and Team Canada.
Canada came out with a 3-2 victory over Team USA with Poulin scoring in overtime.