Charge, Goldeneyes complete six-player swap
On Sunday night, the Ottawa Charge and Vancouver Goldeneyes made a six-player trade, the largest transaction in PWHL history. Going to Vancouver are forwards Mannon McMahon, Anna Meixner and Anna Shohkina. In exchange, Ottawa receives a trio of veterans: Michela Cava, Brooke McQuigge, and defender Emma Greco.
This is a deal that appears to benefit the Charge for the short-term. Ottawa adds to its roster three players with Walter Cup-winning experience. Each of them was a member of the Minnesota Frost team that defeated the Charge in a four-game final series last spring.
“We know them really well from the Walter Cup final last year and how they played against us, how tough they were and how competitive they were,” Charge general manager Michael Hirshfeld told Postmedia.
From Vancouver’s perspective, general manager Cara Gardner Morey is looking to boost the offense of the last-place Goldeneyes, who have scored the fewest goals of any PWHL team. In particular, the 28-year-old Shohkina – who almost certainly would have been named an Olympian if Russia were participating – notched an impressive 30 goals and 43 assists in 42 games last year with Dynamo-Neva St. Petersburg.
“These players will make an impact at both ends of the ice,” Gardner Morey said in a statement. “We want to compete with grit and speed, and these players embody those qualities and fit the way we want to play. We believe this move will strengthen our group both on and off the ice as we continue our inaugural season.”
Takeover Tour reaches milestone in DC
On Sunday, Capital One Arena in Washington D.C. hosted the Takeaway Tour game in which the New York Sirens edged the Montreal Victoire 2-1. A record crowd of 17,228 was in attendance, setting a new benchmark for U.S. women’s hockey history. The previous mark was 16,014, set at the beginning of the 2025-26 season by the Seattle Torrent, in their home opener at Climate Pledge Arena.
“Whether it’s on the ice or the court, these record-setting crowds are the result of deliberate investment, long-term partnership, and a belief that women’s sports deserve to be celebrated at the highest level,” Ted Leonsis, Founder, Chairman, Managing Partner and CEO of Monumental Sports and Entertainment, said.
Montreal forward Hayley Scamurra represented her ties to the D.C. area while wearing the Capitals sweater worn by her father, who played on the NHL team in the late 70s. Interestingly, one of the elder Scamurra’s Capitals teammates on the 1976-77 roster was Bill Mikkelson, whose daughter Meaghan starred for Calgary in the CWHL and won two Olympic gold medals for Team Canada before retiring to become a broadcaster covering the Flames.
Sceptres, Torrent battle to high-scoring affair
On Tuesday night, the Seattle Torrent outlasted the Toronto Sceptres 6-4. The ten-goal total represents the highest output of any PWHL game so far this season. All goals were scored by different players, and a total of 20 players earned at least one point.
“We have a group of players that are led by two experienced Olympians (Hilary Kinght and Alex Carpenter) who really don’t blink in the face of adversity,” Seattle coach Steve O’Rourke said. “The rest of them just follow along and don’t blink either; they just kept on pushing.”
Despite the loss, Toronto welcomed Allie Munroe back to its lineup. The defender had missed six games since sustaining a lower-body injury on December 23 against Ottawa, in a collision with Brianne Jenner. To make room for Munroe, defender Hanna Baskin was returned to the team’s Reserve Player list.
Girard suspended
New York forward Taylor Girard has been suspended for four games as a result of her actions in Sunday’s game versus Montreal. At the conclusion of the game, Girard left the player’s bench to join an altercation on the ice, which earned an automatic four-game suspension as per rule 72.10 of the PWHL rulebook.
It is the longest suspension in league history. Girard will not be permitted to resume play until March 5, following the Olympic break.
