The Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) announced details for the first two stops of its 2022-23 Dream Gap Tour on Friday.
Montreal, Quebec, will host the opening weekend of competition on October 15-16, with each of the four PWHPA teams playing two games at Centre 21.02. The Dream Gap Tour will then travel to the Rath Eastlink Community Centre in Truro, Nova Scotia, from November 4-6, with each team playing three games. A full schedule is below.
The PWHPA formed in May 2019 after more than 200 players announced they would be sitting out the 2019-20 season, essentially boycotting the PHF (then NWHL). While the Dream Gap Tour has served as a stop-gap solution in recent years, most of the organization’s work has been happening behind-the-scenes and away from social media. The PWHPA’s long term goal is a women’s hockey league that pays livable wages, provides full health benefits, and treats players as professionals.
“When I’m up close to it as a player, I wanted it (a new women’s pro league) yesterday. I think we all did,” PWHPA board member Hilary Knight told On Her Turf last month. “Stepping away (and) putting on a business hat, what we’ve accomplished in the last three years is incredible, especially if you take into consideration all the other things that we’re having to juggle.”
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In May, the PWHPA signed a letter of intent with Billie Jean King Enterprises and the Mark Walter Group, with the goal of creating a new women’s professional hockey league.
It was previously reported that the PWHPA-led league (seperate from the Dream Gap Tour) would launch in January 2023, but a source with knowledge of the league’s plans said last month that the timeline had shifted. As a result, this season’s Dream Gap Tour will run through March 2023.
In a change from previous years, the four PWHPA teams this season -- Team adidas, Team Harvey’s, Team Scotiabank and Team Sonnet -- will not be regionally determined. Rosters will be announced in the coming weeks.
Many of the athletes who competed at last week’s IIHF Women’s World Championship are expected to take part; every post-grad member of the U.S. and Canadian rosters has previously been a member of the PWHPA.
Brianne Jenner, a PWHPA board member who scored both goals in Canada’s 2-1 win vs. the United States at Worlds, told On Her Turf that she’s excited for what the fall holds.
“There’s going to be a lot of good hockey. The PWHPA Tour that we’re gonna have, it’s going to be best on best. A lot of players at this tournament, top U.S. players, top Canadian players, I think it’s going to be fantastic to watch.”
PWHPA Dream Gap Tour Schedule - Montreal Stop
- October 15, 1:30 pm: Team Scotiabank vs. Team Sonnet
- October 15, 4:15 pm: Team Harvey’s vs Team adidas
- October 16, 1:30 pm: Team adidas vs. Team Scotiabank
- October 16, 4:15 pm: Team Sonnet vs. Team Harvey’s
Additional details and ticket info for Montreal can be found here.
PWHPA Dream Gap Tour Schedule - Truro Stop
- November 4, 4:30 pm: Team Scotiabank vs. Team Harvey’s
- November 4, 8:00 pm: Team adidas vs Team Sonnet
- November 5, 3:30 pm: Team Sonnet vs. Team Harvey’s
- November 5, 7:00 pm: Team Scotiabank vs. Team adidas
- November 6, 12:00 pm: Team adidas vs. Team Sonnet
- November 6, 3:30 pm: Team Harvey’s vs. Team Scotiabank
Additional details and ticket info for Truro can be found here.
Follow Alex Azzi on Twitter @AlexAzziNBC
