5 Takeaways from Week 9 of the PWHL: Nurse is back, and so are the Victoire

Heading into the final few days before the Olympic Break, many are intrigued to see what teams, and what players, carry momentum heading into the pause.

There are plenty of stories on the ice, as well as off. Let’s take a quick look back at some of the biggest stories in the week that was in the PWHL.

Hello, Nurse

When the Vancouver Goldeneyes came into existence, everyone was excited to see what the team could accomplish with a roster filled with stars. However, things haven’t worked out for the expansion franchise, but that could be due to the fact that the team has been without one of its big names.

Sarah Nurse was listed as injured not long after the Goldeneyes’ first-ever game, and didn’t play for almost two months. Yet, when she returned a little over a week ago, the Hamilton native quickly re-established herself as one of the best in the game. In the Battle on Bay Street against her former team, the Toronto Sceptres, Nurse scored the team’s lone goal.

Then, a few days later, with Toronto visiting Vancouver, Nurse powered her team to a 5-0 victory, scoring a couple of more goals to give her four in three appearances thus far.

The Canadian National Team star maintained her point-a-game pace with another assist during Sunday’s Takeover Tour game in Denver (more on that in a minute). With Nurse in the lineup, the Goldeneyes are 3-0-1, though none of those games came in away contests…but we’ll touch on that later on.

Minnesota players speak out on ICE

The cold in the Land of 10,000 Lakes isn’t the only thing residents fear these days.

For those who might not follow American politics, there’s a crisis ongoing in the state of Minnesota. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been a very controversial organization over the past few months for its tactics in pursuing alleged illegal immigrants. Recently, ICE agents have been involved in two civilian shootings in Minneapolis that have resulted in death.

In the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, the Minnesota Frost have held moments of silence before the following home games, including Sunday afternoon’s game in St. Paul.

After the Frost’s 6-2 win over the New York Sirens, Minnesota forward Kelly Pannek, a native of Plymouth, Minn., was asked about the ongoing problems in the Twin Cities, and how the community has protested against ICE and its efforts.

“What I’m most proud to represent is the tens of thousands of people that show up on some of the coldest days of the year to stand and fight for what they believe in,” an emotional Pannek said. “For the people that it might not really truly affect them on a personal level, but it affects their neighbours. It affects their community. It affects our community as a whole.”

Even Taylor Heise, the first-ever draft pick in the PWHL, spoke about how the Frost games have provided an escape for citizens in the area.

We want this to be a safe place, this is a place anyone can come watch our games, be a part of our atmosphere,” said Heise. “It’s the harsh reality we live in. I think Minnesota, we’re coming together and finding ways to support one another…I think as a group we’ve done a great job of making people feel safe, even though you can’t feel safe, I feel like, in this time and place here in Minnesota.”

During Sunday’s game, fans chanted ‘ICE out now,’ which was audibly heard on the broadcast. This came after anti-ICE signs were taken from fans in the first home game following Good’s death earlier this month. The league itself has yet to release any statement on the ongoing unrest in the market that houses the two-time Walter Cup champions.

Victoire racking up victories

The Montreal Victoire have had a bumpy first half to the season. Even with the talent the team has, and how many projected them to finish near the top of the standings in the expanded league. Yet, until last week, the Victoire sat outside of a playoff spot. That changed thanks to a couple of big wins, the team looks like a postseason contender once again.

First, Montreal went into St. Paul, and pulled out a hard-fought overtime win over the Frost. Captain Marie-Philip Poulin capped off the victory with a ridiculous goal in the extra frame.

Then, in front of a packed house in Laval on Saturday, Maureen Murphy’s two goals pushed Montreal to a 3-1 win over the Ottawa Charge, keeping the Victoire undefeated on home ice this season.

With wins in five of their past six games, including four in the province of Quebec, Montreal begins the week third in the PWHL, just four points back of the Boston Fleet for first place.

Players like Poulin, Ann-Renee Desbiens and Laura Stacey are gearing up for what should be an exciting Winter Olympics next month. The way the Victoire are playing heading toward the break should also give them a little bit of momentum has they get set to represent their country in Milan.

Denver keeps the expansion conversation going

Going back to Sunday’s game in the Mile High City, there was a exceptional turnout for the clash between the Torrent and the Goldeneyes. Not only were fans treated to a thrilling game between the league’s two newest teams, but the passion for the PWHL and women’s hockey only extenuated the interest in bringing a team to Denver.

Last season, 14,018 showed up to Ball Arena to see the Frost beat the Victoire. A little over a calendar year later, a slightly smaller group saw Vancouver and Seattle play in the usual home of the Colorado Avalanche. 11,612 was the reported attendance, which ranked fourth among the other Takeover Tour stops so far this season, trailing Washington, D.C., Hamilton and Quebec City.

While the crowd might not have been as big as it was the first time the Takeover Tour came to town, there were a couple of factors that could’ve diminished the ticket sales. The weather, as well as the Denver Broncos hosting the AFC Championship Game just down the road. Even then, the interest and energy in the arena showed that people would like to see the PWHL in town on a more frequent basis.

With Denver being one of five markets to get a pair of Takeover games this season, many believed that put them in the running to a get an expansion team prior to the 2026-27 season. While the league’s brass is very hush-hush about their plans, the sports-crazed city has done an excellent job in showing that they would be welcoming to a women’s hockey franchise in town

Denver will get a chance to further drive interest in expansion less than two months from now, as the Sirens and Frost will meet at Ball Arena in the first Takover game after the Olympic break on March 15.

Why can’t Vancouver win road games?

It’s an ongoing question that no one can seem to solve.

The Goldeneyes are exactly at the halfway mark of the season, and though they are clawing their way back into the playoff conversation, the fact they cannot come out on top in enemy territory is hurting their chances. While the standings list Vancouver as having two road wins thus far, those two victories are its Takeover wins in Detroit and Denver. Excluding those contests, the team is a measly 0-0-1-6, the worst winning percentage in away games in the PWHL.

Whether it be due to the long travel going from one side of the continent to the other, or just the group still getting to know each other, Vancouver simply struggles to win when it wears its cream-colored sweaters. Maybe, with a healthy Nurse and a nice break next month, the team can find a way to turn things around in the second half outside of British Columbia.

Thankfully, the Goldeneyes have a plethora of home games coming out of the pause, as eight of their final 14 contests are at the Pacific Coliseum. The team has points in five of its first six games at the Pacific Coliseum, with a record of 3-1-1-1 thus far.

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