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PWHL Boston’s season debut offers hope for pro players, next generation of women’s hockey talent
"If you can watch it, you can dream it and you can be it."
LOWELL — The end result was not what Hilary Knight and the rest of her teammates were hoping for
As the final seconds ticked off the clock at Tsongas Center, PWHL Boston was unable to usher in a new era of pro hockey within the Commonwealth with a victory — as PWHL Minnesota withstood a late-game surge by the home squad en route to a 3-2 win.
But as Knight and her teammates took in the sights beyond the glass, the temporary sting of landing on the wrong side of the scoreboard subsided.
For Knight and several other star players on PWHL Boston’s roster, a night like Wednesday was once thought of as a pipe dream.
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Years spent fighting for livable wages, benefits and pro-level resources fractured women’s pro hockey into several leagues. Several of the top talents within the sport resorted to barnstorming tours across North America during the extended stretches between international competition.
But as PWHL Boston made its way off the ice amid a cacophony of cheers, the aspirations and hopes flickering within Knight and the rest of a steadfast hockey coalition finally became rooted in reality.
For the first time ever, a unified, sustainable pro women’s hockey league has arrived. And the fruits of these labors will be realized well beyond the current crop of players leading the charge during the PWHL’s debut season.
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“It feels magical, surreal at the same time,” Knight, PWHL Boston’s captain, said of the environment during Wednesday’s game, adding: “It makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck. Gives you chills. It’s really a surreal moment to actually have the hometown fans … to be a part of the Boston legacy and build something substantial here is just an incredible opportunity that none of us take lightly.”
After a frantic four-month ramp-up from the official announcement of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), more than 4,000 fans took in PWHL Boston’s first-ever game on Wednesday.
It’s never easy for any pro league to immediately weave itself into the fabric of a sports community. Granted, few markets also boast the same hockey-starved clientele found in the Greater Boston Arena.
Any concerns about an initial bout of diffidence between PWHL Boston and its fanbase were assuaged as soon as the doors opened at Tsongas Center.
As the players took to the ice in warmups, hand-crafted signs adorned the glass.
“PLAY LIKE A GIRL,” one read.
Another poster validated the long-term goal of this league.
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“FUTURE PWHL STAR,” one young fan broadcasted above her head.
“If you can watch it, you can dream it and you can be it,” PWHL head coach Courtney Kessel said. “And I think it’s just incredible to see these young girls that want to grow up and be a PWHL star one day.
“I think we’ve longed for this for our entire lives and it’s just really exciting to see those signs. It doesn’t kind of doesn’t matter what moment it is in the game. When I see those signs, it just really puts a smile on my face.”
Former Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron injected more cheers into an already rowdy barn by dropping the ceremonial puck drop.
And even though a two-goal flurry by Minnesota in the opening frame sapped some of the buzz out of the air in Lowell, Boston forward Theresa Schafzahl provided the necessary spark in the second period.
After gloving a puck in the slot, the University of Vermont product fired the biscuit into twine at 7:59 in the middle frame for the franchise’s first-ever tally.
“Honestly, I kind of blacked out a little bit so I don’t remember it that well,” Schafzahl admitted postgame of her goal. “I think (Jamie Lee Rattray) just shot it and the puck went up in the air so I was just looking for anything. I gloved it down and was trying to get my stick on it as soon as possible.”
PWHL Boston defenseman Megan Keller once again made it a one-goal game with a blast from the point with 2:40 left in regulation. But despite outshooting Minnesota, 35-16, Boston could not secure the equalizer against opposing goalie Nicole Hensley, who turned aside 33 of those attempts.
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“She’s one of the best goalies in the world,” Knight said of Hensley. “You knew it was going to be tough because she’s so good between the pipes and really good in the paint. She’s one of the best for a reason and made our job a lot harder.”
Kessel and her players won’t have much time to dwell on Wednesday’s result, or necessarily soak in the emotions from their debut performance.
They’ll be back at practice on Thursday, with regular on-ice work scheduled throughout the weekend before their next game on Monday night against PWHL Ottawa.
Such is the grind in the PWHL, as is the case with every pro league spanning all sports.
It’s a welcome development for over 100 players who have been longing for such a system in women’s hockey. And for the next wave of aspiring young talent, it’s the new standard to look toward — and an proven avenue to channel one’s dreams.
“There’s something here for you now,” Jayna Hefford, PWHL Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations, said of the impact of the PWHL. “There’s a future for you in hockey. It might be as a player, it might be as a coach, it might be as an executive, it might be as an athletic trainer or in media.
“But there’s opportunities, and I think for a long time women and girls didn’t know if there was an opportunity for them in the gam. Now they do. And that’s a pretty cool thing to be a part of.”
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