A league of their own: Minnesota women's pro hockey season kicks off
MINNEAPOLIS — Hockey fans in Minnesota now have a second pro team to cheer on. The Pro Women's Hockey League, PWHL, started their season on New Year's Day, and Team Minnesota faces off against Boston on Wednesday.
"You can feel the excitement on the ice the last few practices before our game," said Kelly Pannek, a forward on PWHL Minnesota.
Team Minnesota has been prepping for months for their first game as a brand new league.
"You're going to see us having fun, but you're also going to see us competing, body on body contact and doing everything we can to win games," said Taylor Heise, a center on PWHL Minnesota.
MORE: New league, new mom: Kendall Coyne Schofield relishes her return to hockey with PWHL launch
Heise is a Lake City native, former Gopher and Team USA player, but for her, being a part of this team is special.
"It's an honor. I've represented my country, but representing the state that gave me an amazing 20 years so far has been an experience," said Heise.
Heise is one of 14 players representing their home state on this team.
"I think most people knew at least someone coming into the team," said Pannek, who is originally from Plymouth and also played for the Gophers, Team USA and the U.S. Women's National Hockey Team.
RELATED: Taylor Heise, Lee Stecklein anchoring Minnesota's PWHL team as training camp begins
Pannek hopes all the native ties to the community help grow the hype around this team.
"The more we can connect with our community, the more it helps our team, helps our fan base, creating that excitement, that passion. Obviously, the Wild have it, but they're 20 some years ahead of us," said Pannek.
Of all 6 teams, Minnesota is the only one that will play their home games in an NHL rink. They're going to be sharing the Xcel Energy Center with the Wild, and that first home game will be on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
"That's what we've been asking for: the professional treatment, the professional environment. It's all those little things that we just haven't really had," said Pannek.
The team is lead by former NHL player and US Women's national team coach, Ken Klee. He took on this role less than a week ago when the former coach stepped down for personal reasons.
"I've definitely hit the ground running here and I've had some of these players before so it's exciting," said Klee, "I really like the way the team is rounding up. I like our pace, I like our skill, I like our grit. We got all the pieces, and now it's just come game time, put them all together."
Buy tickets for the home game here.
