Four Storylines To Follow At The Rivalry Series

The final stops on the 2024-25 Rivalry Series are about to be played. Here's four storylines we'll be following into the last leg.

The final leg of the 2024-25 Rivalry Series is set to drop the puck in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, and Halifax, Nova Scotia. With both Canada and USA fielding teams entirely made up of PWHL rosters, there is plenty to watch. Here are the storylines we'll be following.

Canadian and American hockey fans (and basketball fans) have been booing national anthems since Donald Trump took office. The rivalry on ice is what the Rivalry Series itself is built on, but there typically remains an off ice level of respect between players, fans, and nations. That's being challenged given the current issues between the nations, including Trump's continued insinuation that the USA will challenge the sovereignty and freedom of Canadians.

Taking a 2-1 lead into the final two games and needing only a single win to secure the series, Canada's odds are strong. Canada has dominated the February stop in recent years due to the absence of USA's top NCAA players. These players, like Laila Edwards, Abbey Murphy, Tessa Janecke, Haley Winn, Rory Guilday, Casey O'Brien, and Kirsten Simms, will again be missing for USA. Additionally, USA's top professional forward, Alex Carpenter, will miss the event with an injury, as will Hayley Scamurra, Grace Zumwinkle, and Gabby Rosenthal. Canada brings a relatively healthy roster, missing only Natalie Spooner from their core. Moreover, Canada has the added boost of Marie-Philip Poulin entering the event on a hot streak alongside Montreal linemate Jennifer Gardiner. Canada also has three of the top goalies in the sport ready to step into the crease. Canada is the favorite this time around, and it will take an upset for USA to steal the series.

Traditionally, the Rivalry Series has played two important roles for women's hockey. First, it was a preparation and selection event for Canada and USA's senior national teams. It was one of the only chances for players to get elite competition throughout the year. That opportunity is now present every night in the PWHL, which is partially why the Rivalry Series was reduced from seven games to five games this season. The other key role of the Rivalry Series was to grow the game by touring North American cities to showcase the top players from Canada and USA. That role has also been replaced by the PWHL in the form of the league's Takeover Tour. This year's Rivalry Series stops in the USA were poorly attended. San Jose saw just over 3,000 fans. The series attendance suffered mightily in Salt Lake City and Boise. Meanwhile the PWHL's Takeover Tour has drawn sold out crowds in Quebec City, Vancouver, and Edmonton,  and eclipse the 12,000 fan mark in Seattle, and set a new American pro women's hockey record of 14,018 in Denver. The league is expecting strong crowds in Detroit and also has stops in St. Louis, Buffalo, and Raleigh remaining. The PWHL is quickly making the Rivalry Series obsolete. With the success of December's Six Nations tournament featuring top NCAA players from both nations, it's getting harder to make a case for the need for the Rivalry Series, particularly with injuries and fatigue impacting PWHL play.

PWHL teams have started watching these international breaks with bated breath. A key injury at this point in the season could sink the playoff hopes of a team. The Rivalry Series, along the with Women's Euro Hockey Tour and Olympic Qualification tournaments going on this week however, also have the opportunity to jumpstart a struggling player. There are certainly plenty of pros in this week's Rivalry Series who will be looking to find some success including Ottawa's Gabbie Hughes, Emily Clark, Danielle Serdachny, and Brianne Jenner. No team in the PWHL needs an offensive boost more than Ottawa. But they aren't alone as more than a dozen members of USA and Canada's rosters sit outside the Top 40 in PWHL scoring. Players like Savannah Harmon, Jamie Lee Rattray, and Hughes, are all outside the Top 80. Others like Julia Gosling, Emma Maltais, and Kristin O'Neill for Canada just haven't been able to contribute like needed. Who will break out? And who will break? Each PWHL team will be watching closely.