Halifax opened the 2025-26 PWHL Takeover Tour in style with a sold out crowd, shootout decision between Montreal and Toronto, and growing confidence that the city could house a PWHL team permanently.
Halifax’s Scotiabank Centre was roaring on Wednesday night as the puck was dropped for the first game of the PWHL’s 2025-26 Takeover Tour.
The Montreal Victoire emerged victorious over the Toronto Sceptres in a tight-knit 2-1 shootout victory in front of a passionate, sold-out crowd.
“We have an incredible community here in Halifax, and they are definitely wrapping their arms around the fact that the PWHL is in town,” says Dawn Delaney, the director of marketing and communications for Events East Group, which oversees the Scotiabank Centre.
“We’re over the moon to be hosting two PWHL games.”
Leading up to Wednesday’s game, the group invited upwards of 350 members of the local business community to attend a breakfast panel conversation, which included a PWHL executive and the owner of the Halifax Tides, a professional women’s soccer club in the Northern Super League.
According to Delaney, the event’s purpose was to profile the business of women in sport and showcase the opportunity for the “further development of franchises” in the province.
She says there would be no challenges or roadblocks for the Scotiabank Centre to host a future PWHL franchise.
Halifax will be hosting two of the league’s 16 Takeover Tour games this season. The Ottawa Charge will be taking the ice versus the Boston Fleet in front of another near capacity crowd on January 11.
Tickets for Wednesday’s takeover tour game at the Scotiabank Centre, which has a capacity of 11,093, sold out within minutes of being made available in November.
Related: Halifax Sells Out First PWHL Game Immediately, Game Two Nearly Sell Out
“Economically, Halifax is a great port for this,” says Leijsa Wilton, the female council chair for Hockey Nova Scotia. “When looking at [the PWHL’s] travel patterns, I think Halifax is the next natural fit.”
Local impact
Fans who attended the Takeover Tour’s inaugural game in the 2025-26 season are hoping to see a PWHL franchise founded in the city.
Throughout the course of the game, multiple fans were shown on the jumbotron with signs advocating for Halifax to have its own PWHL franchise.
“This community means everything to me — it’s where my roots are, it’s where my love for the game was shaped,” said Troy Ryan, Sceptres head coach and Halifax native before Wednesday’s contest.
“I’m excited for the PWHL to see what Halifax is all about.”
Delaney says that it’s an “honour” to bring events such as the takeover tour to the Halifax region.
“This is such a great opportunity for the youth in our community to see what opportunities exist for female athletes,” she says.
According to Wilton, having the PWHL in Halifax will help encourage and inspire young female players in the community.
“They get to see those players, they’re seeing more pathways open up,” she says. “It’s a really good step in the right direction.”