Women’s professional sports leagues continue to grow in popularity in the United States, with soccer and basketball leading the way. Now, women’s hockey is looking to forge its path.
In its third season, the Professional Women’s Hockey League organized a “Takeover Tour,” playing 16 regular season games on neutral sites during the 2025-26 season. One of those games will take place at D.C.’s Capital One Arena as the New York Sirens take on Montreal Victoire.
The game is set to take place on Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased on Ticketmaster, with prices starting at $30.
However, the game will not be an exhibition. As of Friday, both teams sat in the upper half of the eight-team standings, with Montreal in second place with a 7-4 record and New York in fourth place, 6-5.
It’s the third season the PWHL has played games outside of its teams’ cities. The second tour drew over 123,000 fans across nine games.
Montreal forward Laura Stacey said the league’s quick growth in three years before a Winter Olympics puts it into perspective of how far the sport has come.
“We never dreamed about being where we are right now,” Stacey said. “The fact that we’re here, we’re now going to Washington to play in Capital One Arena. I think slowly, every single year, we’re getting these moments of ‘Where are we? How are we doing this?’ And I think it really blows our mind every time.”
For Hayley Scamurra, Sunday’s game is a mini homecoming.
While she was raised in New York, the Montreal forward is the daughter of former Washington Capitals defender Peter Scamurra, and her mother is from Maryland. Hayley also spent time in the D.C. area as a former coach for the Capitals Youth Development Program and ALL CAPS ALL HER initiative to bring hockey to women and girls.
Scamurra said she’s watched the D.C. region’s love for hockey grow, despite the region not having a notable women’s college hockey program. She added that, after speaking to people within the Capitals organization, the team and D.C.-area hockey fans will welcome the PWHL with open arms.
“Growing up, as a kid, no one knew what hockey was,” Scamurra said. “So now, to see so many girls playing hockey there, there’s like dedicated girls teams at the Caps organization and things like that. The growth has been immense.”
Before the game, both teams will host an open practice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, Virginia, where fans can meet players and received signed autographs. On Saturday night, Montreal’s Marie-Philip Poulin and Sirens player Kayla Vespa will participate in a ceremonial puck drop before the Capitals take on the Florida Panthers.
Vespa, a lifelong Capitals fan, said it is a “full circle moment” to be playing in D.C.
“I’ve only watched them play on TV, so to be able to be there, at an NHL venue, just shows how much the game has grown,” she said. “To be a lifelong fan, it means a lot, and to be able to bring both teams here … is very exciting, and it’s the next step for us.
