As the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) enters its second season in existence, the league made a major announcement on Monday as they aim to create even more buzz. The league set a plan to play nine regular season games in nine cities, with eight venues being announced during the press release. One of the selected venues was the Lenovo Center in Raleigh.
The Carolina Hurricanes' home barn will serve as the location for a meeting between the first-ever PWHL champion Minnesota Frost and the Ottawa Charge on March 7th. Other selected venues included Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Ball Arena in Denver, Rogers Arena in Vancouver, and Videotron Centre in Quebec City.
While the Canes' Twitter admin had everyone thrown by the wording of their post, the response in the comments section has been largely positive, with several expressing interest in attending the event. It has also led to some wondering if a team could be in Raleigh's future. While it isn't in the cards quite yet, turnout and overwhelming support could go a long way.
Despite finishing fourth during the regular season, Minnesota defeated top-ranked Toronto in the first round before besting Boston in a five-game thriller to claim the league's first Walter Cup. They feature a trio of stellar Americans with captain Kendall Coyne Schofield, leading scorer Grace Zumwinkle, and former #1 pick Taylor Heise.
Ottawa just missed the playoffs last season, finishing three points behind Minnesota for the fourth and final spot. The Charge earned the second pick in the subsequent PWHL Draft, selecting Colgate and Canadian forward Danielle Serdachny. With leadership from Brianne Jenner and Emily Clark, Ottawa could find their way into the playoffs this season.
As the only Southeastern city chosen for the PWHL Takeover Tour, this is a perfect opportunity for Raleigh to showcase how excellent a market it is. The renovations being done to the arena and the surrounding area in the near future only add to Raleigh's appeal as a potential expansion city. Between that and the energy brought to the Lenovo Center for every home game, I see no reason why Raleigh couldn't be a sustainable home for a PWHL franchise.
I'm not sure if Raleigh is on a short-list for the future, but I think a good showing from the Caniac nation could allow it to materialize down the road. The March 7th date won't interfere with the Canes' schedule, either. The Canes will have played the first game in a four-game homestand the night before. Tickets for the game will be made available to the public on Friday, November 22nd on the PWHL website.