Local PWHL stars hope Takeover Tour in Halifax inspires next generation

HALIFAX — When Toronto Sceptres captain Blayre Turnbull grew up playing hockey in Stellarton, N.S., she didn’t look up to any professional women’s players — because they didn’t exist.

She idolized the elite women’s national team players suiting up for Canada at the world championships and Olympics, and male NHL players.

But when she was young, no females made money from playing the game she loved.

“It’s something you could really never dream of,” the 32-year-old Turnbull said Wednesday night after the Sceptres lost 2-1 in a shootout to the Montreal Victoire in the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s first-ever Halifax game.

“When Allie (Munroe) and I were kids, this opportunity wasn’t a possibility,” Turnbull added, referring to her Toronto teammate and fellow Nova Scotian. “For us to be here tonight in our home province, in a sold-out building, with people (holding) thousands of signs and (wearing) PWHL merchandise and Toronto Sceptres jerseys, I think it’s something that when we have time to think about this game and reflect, it’s an incredible moment and one that we’re really proud of.”

A sold-out crowd of 10,438 inside Scotiabank Centre cheered equally for Toronto and Montreal as PWHL arrived in Nova Scotia’s capital city.

The game marked the first of 16 neutral-site matchups this season — and the first of two in Halifax — as part of the league’s Takeover Tour to explore possible expansion markets.

Fans in the city already support Halifax Tides FC of the Northern Super League, a professional women’s soccer team that debuted during the league’s inaugural season this year.

“Everyone in Nova Scotia supports women’s sports incredibly,” said Munroe, a 28-year-old blueliner from Yarmouth, N.S. “It was just a privilege to be a part of this game.”

Sceptres head coach Troy Ryan of Spryfield, N.S., said the impact his team and the Victoire had during the PWHL’s takeover event extended beyond just inspiring young girls who may want to play professionally one day.

“We had a coaching panel where we sat and connected with local coaches and community coaches,” Ryan said, adding the PWHL also had a business breakfast to interact with local leaders and showcase women’s professional sport.

Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin, who scored the shootout winner Wednesday, was rooting for all the Nova Scotians, no matter the team.

Poulin said the standing ovation for Munroe, Turnbull, Ryan and Montreal head coach Kori Cheverie of New Glasgow, N.S., “was very special.”

“Every time you come to a different community, you cheer for them,” Poulin said. “You want to cheer for them, and they show up for us.”

“It was amazing to see the young girls and the boys in the crowd, and having our jerseys on, and wanting our autographs, it’s just extremely special,” Cheverie added. “Now that we’re seeing so many associations and girls’ teams travelling from all over Nova Scotia to be here, and … the other Atlantic provinces, it’s so important for these meaningful moments to happen in hockey and for our sport to continue to grow.”

Cheverie also pointed out that females are coaching on the benches, serving as on-ice officials and working behind the scenes to help grow the women’s game.

“I just think that the sky is the limit and young people can now see that you can make a living doing many different jobs in sport on the women’s side,” she said.

The heated on-ice rivalry that forced the game into overtime and a shootout certainly helped build up excitement inside the packed downtown venue.

“Any time Toronto and Montreal play, it’s always a really high-paced, highly competitive game,” Turnbull said. “I’m really proud of the way we responded tonight. We stuck to our game plan. It would have been nice for us to get the win.”

Despite the Toronto loss, Turnbull said the ultimate goal was to leave each location knowing they’ve made a positive impression on little girls so that they can dream big.

“For young girls now to have the chance to see us play in the PWHL, I think it’s an awesome opportunity for them to chase their dreams — and to try to be professional hockey players when they grow up,” she said.

The league returns to Nova Scotia’s capital city on Jan. 11, when the Ottawa Charge face the Boston Fleet. Both games quickly sold out as fans wait to see whether the league expands to Canada’s East Coast.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 17, 2025.

Kristen Lipscombe, The Canadian Press