{"id":61141,"date":"2025-12-16T21:58:14","date_gmt":"2025-12-17T01:58:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelaker.ca\/?p=61141"},"modified":"2025-12-16T21:58:14","modified_gmt":"2025-12-17T01:58:14","slug":"local-players-say-pwhl-halifax-games-could-ignite-next-wave-of-womens-hockey-in-nova-scotia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/?p=61141","title":{"rendered":"Local players say PWHL Halifax games could ignite next wave of women\u2019s hockey in Nova Scotia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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HALIFAX:<\/strong> From college rinks to major girls hockey and NCAA programs, female players with strong local ties say the PWHL\u2019s arrival in Halifax is more than just a pair of showcase games, it\u2019s a glimpse of what the future of women\u2019s hockey in Nova Scotia could look like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The PWHL Takeover Tour makes its first Halifax stop on Wednesday, Dec. 17, when the Montreal Victoire and Toronto Sceptres face off at Scotiabank Centre, followed by a second game on Jan. 11, featuring the Ottawa Charge and Boston Fleet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Adyson MacGillivray, a Fall River native and current member of the Holland College Hurricanes women\u2019s hockey team, seeing the league come to Halifax carries personal meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs a female hockey player myself, the only role models I had growing up were Team Canada,\u201d MacGillivray said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI really think that the league coming here shows young players the opportunities beyond minor hockey and gives them someone to look up to and aspire to be like.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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MacGillivray believes the games will help elevate recognition of women\u2019s hockey locally and inspire the next generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think that the PWHL coming to Halifax is huge for the development of the game in Nova Scotia,\u201d she said. \u201cHaving a favourite team or player to follow will motivate more girls of all ages to start playing hockey and bring more support to future games.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also sees the two Halifax dates as a possible test run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think the two games here may be test games to see what the support might be like in Halifax, hopefully leading to a team forming in the near future,\u201d MacGillivray said. \u201cI would very much be in support of a permanent PWHL team here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While she doesn\u2019t have a favourite PWHL team yet, MacGillivray said she\u2019s proud to cheer on Nova Scotia talent across the league, including Blayre Turnbull, Jill Saulnier, and Mae Batherson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lantz\u2019s Ellie Isenor, who suits up with the first-place Lindsay Surge in the Maritime Major Girls Hockey League, echoed those sentiments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s great they\u2019re coming to Halifax,\u201d Isenor said. \u201cThere are lots of girls in Nova Scotia who look up to these players, and to finally have a chance to see them play live would be a dream come true for many female hockey players.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Isenor believes Nova Scotia has the fan base and talent to support a permanent team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s so much talent here that should be noticed,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think there are plenty of fans to have a team based out of Halifax. It would be great to see.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A fan of the Montreal Victoire, Isenor said she was able to catch several games last season while living in Montreal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re a very talented team with great coaching,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Becca LeBlanc, a Beaver Bank native and goaltender with the Surge, said having PWHL games in Halifax will allow young players to see what\u2019s possible at the highest level of the women\u2019s game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s great that the PWHL is coming here for two games, so young female hockey players can see the level of hockey that is achievable and experience the energy of a PWHL game locally,\u201d LeBlanc said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She added the events highlight the strength of female hockey programs across the province.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis means Nova Scotia has very strong female hockey programs from learn-to-skate all the way up to college hockey,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt showcases the talent here and gives players endless opportunities for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LeBlanc said she believes Halifax could support a full-time PWHL franchise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think this could 100 per cent lead to a team here,\u201d she said. \u201cWe could find a proper facility and show what Nova Scotia has to offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA local team would attract fans and give female hockey players idols to look up to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LeBlanc said her favourite PWHL team is the Toronto Sceptres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Former Fall River resident Lucy Phillips, now living in Upper Tantallon and currently a goalie with the NCAA Division 1 RMU Colonials, said the timing of the Halifax games, over the holidays, makes them even more impactful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s awesome that the PWHL is coming to Halifax,\u201d Phillips said. \u201cWe\u2019re such a passionate hockey community, and Nova Scotia produces so much talent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is an incredible opportunity for younger players to see not only amazing hockey, but local players like Blayre Turnbull and Allie Munroe at this level.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phillips said exposure to the professional women\u2019s game can spark long-term dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSeeing these teams play will ignite a fire in little girls who can now dream of being professional hockey players,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She added Halifax feels ready for a women\u2019s pro franchise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith the Mooseheads, Thunderbirds, and Tides, I think we\u2019re due for a professional women\u2019s hockey team in the future,\u201d Phillips said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Montreal Victoire, coached by New Glasgow native Kori Cheverie, and the Toronto Sceptres, featuring Nova Scotians Turnbull and Allie Munroe, will drop the puck at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the first Halifax Takeover Tour game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both teams held open practices Tuesday, with players signing autographs and meeting young fans at Scotiabank Centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second Halifax game takes place in January, when the Ottawa Charge hosts the Boston Fleet in a 1 p.m. matinee at the Scotiabank Centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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HALIFAX: From college rinks to major girls hockey and NCAA programs, female players with strong local ties say the PWHL\u2019s arrival in Halifax is more than just a pair of showcase games, it\u2019s a glimpse of what the future of women\u2019s hockey in Nova Scotia could look like. The PWHL Takeover Tour makes its first […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":61142,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[3245,7749,4426,50,9940,8008,813,9941,6775,9942,9943,3007],"class_list":["post-61141","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-adyson-macgillivray","tag-becca-leblanc","tag-ellie-isenor","tag-halifax","tag-kori-cheverie","tag-lindsay-surge","tag-lucy-phillips","tag-montreal-victoire","tag-pwhl","tag-pwhl-takeover-tour","tag-toronto-sceptres","tag-womens-hockey"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61141","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=61141"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61141\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/61142"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=61141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=61141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=61141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}