The PWHL is returning to Montreal’s Bell Centre for the second straight season. Last season the league drew a world record attendance of 21,105 for a professional women’s hockey game. This year, the Montreal Victoire will host the Boston Fleet for another instalment at the Bell Centre.
“We can’t wait to play in front of the incredible crowd at Bell Centre,” said Boston Fleet forward Jillian Dempsey who was a member of Montreal last season. “The atmosphere is absolutely electric in that rink and I am thrilled to get on the ice playing for Boston this time. Our team is looking to play a fast and physical game to extend our win streak. We are looking to build on our momentum, get pucks to the net, and focus on doing the little things right. We’re excited to compete against Montréal and we’re looking to feed off the energy that the crowd always brings at Bell Centre.”
Montreal enters as the first place team in the PWHL, while Boston enters in third with the opportunity to leapfrog Toronto into second with a regulation win.
“I love the kind of chemistry that we have in the room in terms of the players who have experienced the (Bell Centre) game last year, and then the amount of games that we played in big buildings so far this year,” said Montreal head coach Kori Cheverie “The messaging is to have fun. Enjoy it. It only happens once a year in this building. Last year we certainly had the fans behind us in terms of giving us that energy. Not many people get to experience this. We’re looking forward to getting back in that building.”
For those returning to the Bell Centre, the remember the incredible atmosphere from last season that included an emotional ovation for Montreal captain Marie-Philip Poulin.
“I will never forget my first shift playing at the Bell Centre. Me, Kristin (O’Neill) and Marie (Poulin) were on the line together and we literally had a 15-second shift, dumped it in, all came back to the bench and said, ‘Oh my gosh!’ Like, we had to just take a deep breath. We couldn’t breathe,” Montreal forward Laura Stacey told The Hockey News.
