This weekend the PWHL Takeover Tour comes to Washington, DC as the Montreal Victoire and the New York Sirens will faceoff at Capital One Arena on Sunday, January 18th at 2p Eastern Time.
The weekend will also feature a series of special activations between the Washington Capitals and the PWHL. Among those activations will be open practices and girls’ youth hockey clinics at MedStar Capitals Iceplex as the weekend will serve as a celebration of continued efforts to champion and grow women’s hockey.
“Bringing the PWHL Takeover Tour(TM) to Capital One Arena is both a celebration and a statement about the future of women’s sports,” said Ted Leonsis, Founder, Chairman, Managing Partner and CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment. “From hosting the first-ever PWHL game in the District to engaging young girls through clinics and community programming, this event reflects our long-standing commitment to expanding access, elevating opportunity and inspiring the next generation.”
In today’s virtual media availability session, Victoire forwards Hayley Scamurra and Laura Stacey, and Sirens forward Kayla Vespa spoke about the upcoming game and the growth that women’s hockey has seen over the last several years.
Also, on “The Sheet with Jeff Marek,” Victoire defender Erin Ambrose joined the show. “I’m super excited for Washington,” Ambrose said when asked about the upcoming game in DC. “I’ve got my cousins, aunts, uncles are coming. I got 18 tickets. I know that myself, my teammate Scams [Hayley Scamurra] are going to have a lot of people there. I’ve never actually played a hockey game in Washington.”
“I’m beyond excited, we fly out Friday so we get there early, we’ve got an open practice on Saturday,” Ambrose continued. “I love the Takeover Tour games, it’s a lot of fun to be able to play in and something that I’m really looking forward to in Washington and then getting to see their [Washington Capitals] organization and how they do some things.”
On Saturday, January 17th, both the Victoire and the Sirens will be holding open practices for the public at MedStar Capitals Iceplex. The Victoire will have their practice from 11a to 1p, and the Sirens will hold theirs from 330p to 5p. Both practices will feature face painters, sign making, photos and more. There will also be autograph sessions at both practices, with the first 50 fans receiving wristbands to gain access to those sessions.
Also on Saturday, the Capitals will host two youth hockey clinics for girls ages 6-17 years old at MedStar Capitals Iceplex. Led by ALL CAPS ALL HER (ACAH) program instructors and ambassadors, the clinics will focus on skill development and competitive games, with special appearances from PWHL players.
The ACAH platform aims to provide access to hockey and elevate the game for women and girls in the Washington, D.C., area, while recognizing players, coaches, parents, advocates and leaders in the community. Since the platform’s launch in 2021, ACAH programs and events have engaged over 5,000 women and girls with the sport of hockey. Click here for more information on the platform.
Lastly for Saturday, the Washington Capitals will be taking on the Florida Panthers at Capital One Arena, and Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin and Sirens player Kayla Vespa will participate in a ceremonial puck drop.
The weekend will then be capped off with the Victoire versus the Sirens at Capital One Arena on Sunday, January 18th at 2p. The game will mark the first-ever professional women’s hockey game to take place in Washington DC.
Michael Lindenbaum of TXHT Hockey will be in attendance covering the game.
*Pictures and Featured Graphic Courtesy of the PWHL.