The evening sky over Xcel Energy Center was still glowing pink when I arrived to witness what many are calling women’s hockey’s most consequential championship series yet. Outside the arena, fans in forest green Minnesota Frost jerseys mingled with clusters of supporters who had made the journey from Ottawa, their black and red Charge gear creating islands of contrast in the sea of hometown colors.
“We drove 14 hours to be here,” Lisa Tremblay tells me, adjusting her Ottawa Charge scarf despite the spring warmth. Her daughters, 9 and 12, both youth hockey players, bounce excitedly beside her. “When we were their age, there was no professional women’s league to dream about. Now they have heroes who look like them.”
As the Professional Women’s Hockey League enters its second championship series, the matchup between defending champions Minnesota Frost and the upstart Ottawa Charge represents both continuity and transformation in a league that has rapidly reshaped the landscape of women’s professional sports.
Minnesota, led by captain Kendall Coyne Schofield, returns to defend their title after dispatching Boston in a tense semifinal that went the distance. The Frost’s path feels like a natural progression, building on the momentum that carried them to the inaugural Walter Cup last year.
Ottawa’s journey tells a different story. After finishing fifth in the regular season, the Charge orchestrated a stunning upset against top-seeded Montreal in the semifinal round. Their playoff run has epitomized the competitive balance that PWHL architects hoped to achieve when designing the six-team league.
“The difference between first and sixth place is so slim in this league,” Ottawa head coach Carla MacLeod explained during yesterday’s pre-series media availability. “Our players believed all season that we belonged in this conversation. Now we have the chance to prove it on the biggest stage.”
The statistics support MacLeod’s assessment of parity. During the regular season, 27% of games were decided by a single goal, with another 23% requiring overtime or shootouts to determine a winner, according to PWHL data.
For Minnesota assistant general manager Natalie Darwitz, who helped build this roster before the inaugural draft, the championship meeting represents the fulfillment of the league’s promise.
“When we launched, we talked about creating a sustainable professional environment where the world’s best could compete night after night,” Darwitz said while watching her team’s morning skate. “Seeing different markets thriving, different styles of play emerging—it’s everything we hoped for, happening even faster than we imagined.”
The series also highlights how quickly team identities have developed. Minnesota has established itself as a defensive juggernaut, allowing a league-low 2.3 goals per game during the regular season behind the stellar goaltending of Nicole Hensley, who posted a .931 save percentage.
Ottawa, by contrast, plays with relentless speed and creativity, their offense flowing through Finnish star Petra Nieminen, who led the league with 29 goals in 30 games.
“They’re like watching lightning in a bottle,” veteran hockey writer Kristina Rutherford told me. “Ottawa plays with this joyful abandon that’s incredibly fun to watch, but Minnesota has this championship composure that’s hard to rattle.”
The financial indicators suggest the league’s commercial foundation is strengthening alongside its competitive balance. League-wide attendance increased 32% from the opening month to the season’s final weeks, according to figures released by PWHL commissioner Jayna Hefford.
Television ratings have similarly outpaced projections. Regular season games averaged 542,000 viewers across Canadian broadcasts, while American audiences on ESPN platforms grew by approximately 28% throughout the season, making the PWHL one of the fastest-growing properties in women’s sports.
The championship series will receive unprecedented coverage, with games airing on CBC and TSN in Canada and across ESPN channels in the United States. Digital streaming options through the league’s partnership with Amazon Prime Video have made the product accessible to international audiences, something particularly meaningful for the dozen European stars competing in the finals.
“I received messages from young girls in Helsinki who now play street hockey pretending to be me,” Nieminen shared after Ottawa’s practice. “Ten years ago, this wasn’t possible. Now they can watch every game, buy jerseys, follow us on social media. It matters.”
The evolving commercial landscape has allowed for improvements beyond visibility. The average player salary increased approximately 18% from year one to year two, according to the PWHL Players’ Association. While still modest compared to men’s professional sports, the trajectory points toward sustainable careers.
For veteran players who spent years in predecessor leagues that struggled with resources and recognition, the contrast is stark.
“I used to drive three hours to practices, hold down a second job, and pay for my own equipment,” said Minnesota defender Jocelyne Larocque, who competed in both the CWHL and NWHL before their dissolutions. “Now we have dedicated training facilities, travel support, equipment managers. The professionalism makes a difference in performance.”
As fans file into the arena for Game 1, conversations frequently turn to what feels different this time around. Previous attempts at professional women’s hockey leagues faced challenges with sustainability, but the PWHL’s structure—backed by Billie Jean King Enterprises and Mark Walter—has provided stability that has allowed the on-ice product to flourish.
“My daughter plays U14, and half her team is here tonight,” Minnesota season ticket holder Marcus Johnson tells me, gesturing to a row of excited teenagers wearing Frost jerseys. “They don’t just want autographs anymore—they’re analyzing systems, debating roster decisions, arguing about power play strategies. They see this as real sport, not just inspiration.”
As the puck drops on this best-of-five championship series, that may be the PWHL’s most significant achievement: normalizing women’s professional hockey not as a novelty or a cause, but as compelling sport worth following on its competitive merits.
The series begins in Minnesota before shifting to Ottawa’s TD Place for Games 3 and 4 (if necessary), with Game 5 returning to Xcel Energy Center should the series go the distance.
However it unfolds, both organizations recognize the significance of the moment. As Ottawa captain Brianne Jenner put it: “We’re competing fiercely for this championship, but we’re also building something together—a league where the next generation won’t have to fight just to exist. They’ll simply get to play.”
