When the puck dropped on the Minnesota Frost's deciding game four win against the Toronto Sceptres, there was an odd quiet in the building. The game lacked the typical playoff atmosphere with only 3,107 fans on hand for the game.
It marked a more than 50% reduction in attendance from Minnesota's 6,524 regular season average at the Xcel Energy Center.
It wasn't an isolated incident either.
The first two games of the series at Toronto's Coca-Cola Coliseum drew 6,868 and 7,659 respectively. Their final two home games of the season drew 8,532 and 8,593 and the team averaged over 9,000 fans, a number slightly bolstered by a home game at Scotiabank Arena.
Heading to Montreal, Place Bell saw diminished crowds of 6,570 and 7,114 for their opening two games despite averaging 9,013 in the regular season.
All in a season that across the board saw significant average attendance increases and records set for attendance during the regular season.
What to make of the attendance dips?
Typically playoff tickets are the hardest to get in professional sport and sell outs are the expected result. This is the second straight season however, that the PWHL has witnessed reduced numbers in the opening round of playoffs. Last year Boston drew a paltry 2,781 for their first home playoff game against Montreal.
While there's no magic ball that will give the exact reasoning, there are certainly a few points to consider.
First is the direct competition the league finds itself in with other expensive playoff tickets. Toronto's first two home games were played simultaneously with the Toronto Maple Leafs home playoff games at Scotiabank Arena.
In Minnesota, their lowly attended game four win was played on the same night as a deciding playoff game for the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves who were at home at the Target Center.
The head to head match ups for tickets and viewers certainly haven't helped the league, but it can't be completely to blame for the lower attendance figures.
Scheduling remains a consistent issue in the PWHL. The 2024-25 PWHL regular season schedule was highly criticized for long breaks, gaps in the schedule, or teams playing only one home game in a month or more hindering any momentum growth among fan bases.
Minnesota's game four started at 6pm, a time making it difficult for many to get from work to the game. The games are also often on non-typical game nights for the league, and the league has struggled to give sufficient advance notice to fans for game dates and times, which for many can be a restricting factor with other commitments.
While it's an expected hike, playoff ticket prices could also be prohibitive to a league's fan base that was built on a more accessible and affordable product for fans.
What can the PWHL do?
Starting games slightly later, with a 7:30 or 8pm start time on weeknights could play a factor, as could the league intentionally targeting nights away from NHL and NBA playoff games in markets sharing those teams.
With struggles to confirm start times and dates in the league, perhaps a few added days following the end of the PWHL season and start of playoffs could be a bonus. Depending on when or if the World Championships are moved, the pressure would be off to related to a three week break immediately prior to playoffs. Instead, giving teams 4-5 days to practice and recoup before playoffs begin could allow for injuries to heal, fans to book tickets, and the league to choose more suitable playoff dates and times.
With how much parity exists in the league, and the final playoff spots not being secured until the last day of the season, time is of the essence, and finding a way to give fans a chance to plan, the league a chance to market, and venues to be appropriately secured could help ease the PWHL's playoff attendance issues in the future.
Otherwise, offering a more minimal hike in prices, particularly for season ticket holders who have already financially invested in the league could be another tactic the league investigates. After all, full buildings are the goal.
While the Walter Cup finals will certainly see a climb in attendance, the downward trend from regular season to playoffs in year one and two of the PWHL is something the league will certainly look to rectify in the future.