Team Alaska 14U celebrates a big goal against the Colorado Thunderbirds on Nov. 11, 2025. (Photo by Team Alaska)
Traditionally, youth hockey players ages 14 to 18 have been permitted to participate in games and practices for both their local high school and Team Alaska, the state’s lone AAA tier competitive league program.
After receiving feedback from a majority of players’ parents, Team Alaska program director and 18U head coach Matt Thompson and fellow coaches at other age levels decided that their players wouldn’t be permitted to play both this year.
“When you’re reviewing things, you’re trying to look at what is the bigger voice and what do people want: How did our teams do? Did we have success? Were there issues here? And then we ask all the coaches,” Thompson said.
The high school and comp teams share the goal of developing young Alaska hockey players, but the decision has put a strain on their relationship. Many high school coaches disagree with the either/or approach. Generally, high school teams acquiesce to regular absences by some of their top players during the regular seasonto allow them to compete at both levels.
“You’re taking kids away from the game they love and they’ll never get these years back,” West High head coach Rob Larkey said.
Every year, the coaches of each youth program from 14U to 18U are allowed to decide whether to allow players to take part in both the high school and competitive league seasons.
Last year only the 14U team, which consists of mostly high school freshmen and middle schoolers, and 18U, which includes high school juniors and seniors, permitted their players to do both.
At the end of every season, Thompson sends surveys to parents and legal guardians of players so they can provide feedback on how the program can improve and voice concerns anonymously.
Thompson said after last season, they sent out 60 surveys, and only a few voiced appreciation for dual participation. Many more came back expressing frustrations about a lack of commitment from the team as a whole.
By late summer, the Team Alaska coaches had decided to stop allowing dual participation.
“This isn’t just a decision on me, it’s a decision by the program collectively,” Thompson said. “I backed those coaches, and they asked me to send an email out at the end of August just to reaffirm that we were doing that because there were a lot of people asking questions to those coaches.”
After sending the email, he said he didn’t receive any correspondence from concerned parents or coaches about the decision aside from Kevin Fitzgerald, an assistant coach at West High School.
Thompson and 18U coach William Wrenn met with the coaches from West in June, but the meeting turned sour on the topic of dual participation, which led to some friction between the two parties.
In early October, Fitzgerald, himself a former comp coach, sent a lengthy letter to hockey families outlining his criticisms of the decision. It included a number of responses to issues raised in the meeting as well as reasons players should consider high school hockey as opposed to club hockey.
“That was the only school that we heard from,” Thompson said. “One school that had an opinion on something. A school that I went to and played for sent out a letter that stirred up the pot a little bit.”
Forcing a decision
There was a point earlier in the year when it was unclear whether there would even be a 2025-26 high school hockey season. It was one of three high school sports on the chopping block during the Anchorage School District’s budget discussions in the face of a large budget deficit.
During the summer, when the season was still up in the air, Larkey said Team Alaska asked West players who play for both teams about their plans for the upcoming winter. The players couldn’t give a concrete answer because nothing had been finalized at the time.
Since the sport was ultimately spared from cuts, Larkey believes it’s unfair to make players and their families choose between the two.
“You’re forcing the kids that love the game and want to play the game to make a choice on that,” Larkey said.
In doing so, he thinks that Team Alaska has put more pressure on itself to perform better if they’re going to have players who play only for them year-round.
“Where are you going to measure yourself?” Larkey asked. “You should be getting out of regions and going to nationals. If not, then where are you at and how many of your players are going on (to play at the next level)?”
South goalie Jaeger Huelskoetter tries to make a stop during a scrum in front of the net during a game between the Wolverines and Chugiak on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025 at the Harry J. McDonald Memorial Center in Eagle River. (Chris Bieri / ADN)
Chugiak head coach Rodney Wild believes kids are being forced to make a choice between the two, and in most cases, it’s not theirs to make.
“I don’t buy the reasoning as to why,” he said. “They’re doing it because they believe it’s in the kids’ best interest, I truly believe that. They’re not doing it to hurt the kids or put the kids at a disadvantage. They truly believe that what they’re doing is best for their players. I just don’t agree with it.”
Often, it’s the parents who are making the final decisions on behalf of their student-athletes. In many cases, players want to play for their high school teams as well.
South High lost between 10 and 15 players to the decision, but that hasn’t stopped them from opening the season on a high note as the lone undefeated team in the Cook Inlet Conference.
“South gets hammered the most with those Team Alaska guys but it’s OK,” Wolverines head coach Daniel Ramsey said. “We’ve had some JV kids come up, we’re in our fourth season now so our seniors are big on this team. That’s who our first line is, all seniors.”
High school hockey benefits
The high school coaches at West, Chugiak and South referenced the type of overwhelming support that comes with playing at that level. There are often big crowds featuring friends, family, faculty, alumni and the community at large. In travel hockey, teams typically play in front of scarce audiences predominantly made up of parents.
“I coached comp hockey too, and all you do is go to the arenas and moms and dads are the only ones in the arenas,” Larkey said. “There’s no cheerleaders in the crowd leading chants or a band being played. It’s a different excitement.”
The rivalry games between Chugiak and neighboring Eagle River average around 1,000 fans filling the stands and lining the rink at the Harry J. McDonald Memorial Center, providing an atmosphere that is “absolutely raucous,” said Wild.
Maggie Price, 11, center on the red carpet, dropped the puck before the Partner’s Club Superhero Hockey Game between West High and Chugiak High at the Harry J. McDonald Memorial Center in Eagle River on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. West High senior defenseman Chase Thompson, left, and Chugiak High senior forward Blake Yawit, right, faced-off during the ceremonial puck drop. (Bill Roth / ADN) Fans celebrats a West High goal during the Eagles’ 6-1 victory over the West Valley Wolfpack in the opening round of the Alaska Division I Boys hockey tournament at the Menard Center in Wasilla on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024. (Bill Roth / ADN)
“I feel like the kids are being forced to sacrifice an experience that they will not be able to replicate after they’re done playing (youth) hockey,” Wild said. “They’re robbing these kids of an opportunity, and they’ll tell you that there’s nothing like playing high school hockey.”
Many youth hockey players won’t get a chance to play in front of a packed arena outside of high school unless they play for a good junior hockey team in a passionate community.
“I think it’s really cool being able to play for your high school because you get to represent your school and represent the hockey team,” South sophomore forward David Berg said. “You really get to put out for your school and your fans.”
West wasn’t hit as hard as some of the other teams when it came to the volume of players they lost to Team Alaska’s decision. Larkey said five players are forgoing the high school season to commit to Team Alaska.
“We don’t want kids to throw their Team Alaska away either,” he said. “We don’t want to interrupt them as well.”
Possible resolutions
Youth hockey is the rare sport in the state in which the high school season overlaps with the competitive league season.
According to Thompson, the Team Alaska program director, the conflicting schedules are the most detrimental to Team Alaska at the time when the team needs to be at its best and sharpest, around the time of the high school regional tournament.
Thompson said he’s spent the past four years trying to work with the Alaska School Activities Association on a possible resolution.
“Before I was event program director, I was meeting with them to see how we can make this work because I get that high school hockey more than anything is the experience,” Thompson said. “The way that the schedules are built up for high school and our comp, it doesn’t set either of us up for success.”
Team Alaska 18U goalie Keagon O’Bryan celebrates a 3-2 shootout victory over the Wasatch Renegades on Oct. 18, 2025. (Photo provided by Team Alaska)
His proposals to ASAA over the years when there has been dual participation included moving up the dates of the high school postseason or changing the start of the regular season to earlier in October.
“That would give us more wiggle room for our teams to prepare for the regional tournament and hopefully punch a ticket to nationals,” Thompson said. “Unfortunately, ASAA doesn’t want to separate the big schools from the small schools, and the difficulty there is that the smaller programs practice outside, so their season is surrounded by the temperatures to have outdoor ice.”
To develop a possible resolution for future dual participation, Thompson wants to work with ASAA to ensure a pathway that is beneficial for all parties.
“It wasn’t an easy decision. It is not one that is set in stone that no matter what moving forward, that’s what we’re doing,” he said. “It all comes down to that I think there’s a way for this to work for both, and I think that adjusting the (high school) season even by a couple weeks would change a lot of things.”
Finding success
All six Alaskans currently on the Anchorage Wolverines junior hockey team have come through the Team Alaska pipeline, which Thompson believes is a direct reflection of how the program sets its athletes up for success.
“These kids who are aspiring to play for the Wolverines one day or for any of our other junior programs in the state or any program that is outside the country, they’re (on a) stepping stone by playing at (our) level,” he said.
Thompson regrets that his players won’t get to have the same types of experiences as those who opt to play at the high school level, but knows that the sacrifices they make now have the potential to pay major dividends later.
“A lot of these players are asking for more of a challenge and unfortunately, in high-level athletics in high school, college or junior hockey, there is sacrifice,” he said. “Anybody that’s gone through it understands that. Unfortunately, you can’t have everything.”
Team Alaska 18U players get instructions at the board during a practice on Oct. 26, 2025 (Photo provided by Team Alaska)
Thompson and Team Alaska compiled a list of youth hockey players with birth years of 1975 until present day who have left the state to pursue higher levels of competition, and the number of those who leave each year has grown.
In 1992, there were only a handful, and that number stayed low through 2005. But there have been double-digit departures in 19 of the last 20 years. The most in a year during that span was 43 in 2019, and departures remained in the double digits during the COVID-19 pandemic with 11 in 2020.
“Our goal is to keep these kids at home,” Thompson said. “When you’re sitting there and thinking that Team Alaska hasn’t won anything, our goal is to keep some of these best kids here.”
Larkey, the West High coach, pointed to a large number of players who have participated in high school and have gone on to bigger things in hockey as well. Among them is Boston Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman, who played at South High and the AAA Alaska Junior Aces before moving up in competition.
Thompson said the fact that Team Alaska has been able to consistently contend for region titles despite not having the top local talent is tangible proof of their growth as a program. They’re seeing sustained success and better results this year on their travel teams with no dual participation, he said.
“We’re clearly doing something that people appreciate because they want to be a part of it and they’re staying in it,” Thompson said. “That is probably more rewarding than anything. Seeing kids staying in Alaska and staying in the program to represent Alaska.”
FARGO — A move to take a youth initiative out of the purview of the city of Fargo is expected to expand student civic engagement, the city said.
The City Commission voted Monday, Dec. 22, to give Fargo Public Schools oversight of the Fargo Youth Initiative, an advisory body made up of local high school students.
Commissioners have been discussing over recent weeks whether certain boards are effective or viable. The city’s Planning Department previously coordinated Fargo Youth Initiative events.
“It really did take a village to find a new home for this, but I think it’s the next iteration of greatness,” Commissioner Denise Kolpack said at the meeting.
Isabella Meyer, chair of FYI and a senior at Fargo North High School, told commissioners many decisions are made for youth without involving them.
“The Fargo Youth Initiative has been a great way for us to be able to share our voice and our opinions on what actually works and what we actually need,” Meyer said.
The youth advisory group will now be housed within Fargo Public Schools and will include liaison representatives from the Fargo City Commission, the FPS Board of Education and the Fargo Park Board, with potential for expansion.
The group will meet at and receive administrative support from the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Red River Valley.
Fargo School Board vice president Robin Nelson speaks during a meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025.
Chris Flynn / The Forum
Robin Nelson, Boys & Girls Clubs CEO and Fargo School Board vice president, became involved in the Fargo Youth Initiative as it was created in 2013.
She said connecting the high school students with School Board, Park Board and city representatives will provide for even better opportunities.
“Now that they’ve got some more direction, it’s really ignited their excitement,” Nelson said.
Liaisons are expected to be Kolpack from the City Commission, Kristin Nelson from the Fargo School Board and Zoë Absey from the Park Board.
Proposed areas of focus for the Fargo Youth Initiative include education relating to North Dakota Century Code, open meeting regulations and local governance and policies.
Advocacy opportunities include raising the profile of youth public health issues and youth homelessness and speaking out on city, parks and school policies and initiatives.
Community impact ideas could include organizing student-led events or service projects, and regularly attending and participating in local government meetings.
“Youth are a big percentage of our population, so the more they can learn about how our city governments work and serve as a conduit and voice for youth so they are heard at those elected levels, is beneficial,” Robin Nelson said.
A goal is to achieve a total of 15 members on the Fargo Youth Initiative, which plans to continue to meet monthly.
Huebner is a 35+ year veteran of broadcast and print journalism in Fargo-Moorhead.
LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) — Young athletes showed they could perform under pressure as they competed in the Elks Hoop Shoot competition.
The Northwest Ohio District brought winners from 10 different Elks lodge Hoop Shoot competitions to Ohio State Lima for the next step in the national contest.
The Elks have hosted the Hoop Shoot program for 52 years. Boys and girls ages 8 through 13 were divided into three age groups to see who could sink the most baskets.
While organizers hope the event is fun for the participants, they also emphasize the importance of developing skills through practice.
“They’re our future, and you don’t know who’s going to be able to benefit from all the practice that they put in, and further their careers in basketball, not only in the high school level, but in college and perhaps the professionals. We want them to increase their skill level and also show the sportsmanship and the camaraderie with the other shooters and enjoy the time that they have with this program,” says Jean Zink, Northwest Ohio District Elks Hoop Shoot Competition.
The top boys and girls from each age group in the Northwest Ohio District will advance to the state competition in February.
Copyright 2025 by Lima Communications Corporation. All rights reserved.
Since the Vegas Golden Knights arrived in 2017, youth hockey participation in Southern Nevada has more than doubled, according to USA Hockey and local youth programs. While that growth has created new opportunities, it has also strained existing facilities.
Usufzy said programs like learn-to-skate and youth leagues are reaching capacity, and without additional infrastructure, families may be forced to look elsewhere for competitive opportunities.
“We’ve seen incredible growth, but without places to support it, that growth can stall,” she said. “We want kids to be able to play and develop right here in Las Vegas.”
To meet that demand, the foundation has launched a capital campaign to build the Las Vegas Community Sports Complex, the first nonprofit community ice rink and multi-sport facility of its kind in Southern Nevada.
The proposed complex would feature two NHL-sized ice rinks and a versatile indoor turf field designed for sports like soccer and lacrosse, . The goal is to create affordable programming and expand scholarship opportunities for families across the valley.
The Jake Kielb Hockey Foundation’s capital campaign is entirely community-driven. Those interested in learning more or supporting the project can find additional information at HelpVegasPlay.com.
Usufzy hopes the project will ultimately give every child — regardless of background a place to play, grow, and belong.
The organization that governs Nordic ski events in New England said it is seeing considerable growth in interest in the sport. The executive director of NENSA, the New England Nordic Ski Association, was a guest on this week’s episode of NBC5 In Depth.”The sport of cross-country skiing is much younger than alpine skiing in America, I think it’s fair to say,” said Heidi Lange of NENSA. “But we are seeing incredible growth and success at all levels.”On the Jan. 4 episode of NBC5 In Depth, Lange said the fame and success of Jessie Diggins, who won three Olympic medals in cross-country skiing and an array of other championships, has helped attract young athletes to the sport.”We see a lot of glitter at our races,” Lange said, referring to how Diggins popularized wearing glitter on her face during competitions. “We see kids embracing that joy and the sportsmanship that she emulates. And it goes deeper than that, of course. Jessie is an incredible mentor and role model in so many ways. She’s so willing to be open and vulnerable and very transparent about her journey, not just celebrating the successes, but sharing what she’s experiencing through challenges and struggles. And I think that has had a very powerful influence on skiers as they’re developing and navigating what are hopefully long journeys in the sport.”Lange told NBC5 In Depth that over the past two Olympic cycles, 50% of U.S. Olympic team members in Nordic skiing had an affiliation with a New England program. She went on to say that a closer examination of the numbers revealed that 30% of that population grew up in NENSA’s youth and junior programming in New England. “We’re incredibly proud of that,” Lange said. “It’s early to say yet for this year, but trends are tracking in a similar fashion.”Lange provided other encouraging signs for the future of the sport in the NBC5 In Depth interview. She also discussed advancements in snowmaking technology for Nordic ski areas, and offered recommendations of what fans of the Olympics should watch for in the Nordic competitions at the upcoming Winter Games.The video atop this article has the full interview with NENSA’s Heidi Lange that aired on the Jan. 4 episode of NBC5 In Depth.Previous coverage: Olympic gold medalist Jessie Diggins discusses climate activism
LYME, N.H. —
The organization that governs Nordic ski events in New England said it is seeing considerable growth in interest in the sport. The executive director of NENSA, the New England Nordic Ski Association, was a guest on this week’s episode of NBC5 In Depth.
“The sport of cross-country skiing is much younger than alpine skiing in America, I think it’s fair to say,” said Heidi Lange of NENSA. “But we are seeing incredible growth and success at all levels.”
On the Jan. 4 episode of NBC5 In Depth, Lange said the fame and success of Jessie Diggins, who won three Olympic medals in cross-country skiing and an array of other championships, has helped attract young athletes to the sport.
“We see a lot of glitter at our races,” Lange said, referring to how Diggins popularized wearing glitter on her face during competitions. “We see kids embracing that joy and the sportsmanship that she emulates. And it goes deeper than that, of course. Jessie is an incredible mentor and role model in so many ways. She’s so willing to be open and vulnerable and very transparent about her journey, not just celebrating the successes, but sharing what she’s experiencing through challenges and struggles. And I think that has had a very powerful influence on skiers as they’re developing and navigating what are hopefully long journeys in the sport.”
Lange told NBC5 In Depth that over the past two Olympic cycles, 50% of U.S. Olympic team members in Nordic skiing had an affiliation with a New England program. She went on to say that a closer examination of the numbers revealed that 30% of that population grew up in NENSA’s youth and junior programming in New England.
“We’re incredibly proud of that,” Lange said. “It’s early to say yet for this year, but trends are tracking in a similar fashion.”
Lange provided other encouraging signs for the future of the sport in the NBC5 In Depth interview. She also discussed advancements in snowmaking technology for Nordic ski areas, and offered recommendations of what fans of the Olympics should watch for in the Nordic competitions at the upcoming Winter Games.
The video atop this article has the full interview with NENSA’s Heidi Lange that aired on the Jan. 4 episode of NBC5 In Depth.
Burbank defeated Upland 73-33 in a nonleague game. (Photo by Rick Assad)
By Rick Assad
Employing a smothering defense and a smoldering shooting display proved a perfect recipe for the Burbank High boys’ basketball team on Saturday night.
Facing a good Upland team that had height and length but was short on shooting played into the hosts’ favor as the Bulldogs routed the Highlanders 73-33 in a nonleague game.
Burbank scored 20 points or more in the second and third periods and nailed 19 of 28 shots for 67.8 percent in those two frames.
Burbank drained 10 three-pointers with six treys coming in the second half.
Three players scored in double figures and were paced by junior shooting guard Avo Papikyan with a game-high 20 points and was followed by senior point guard Cris Ong with 13 points and junior point guard Jon Ong with 12.
Burbank sank 29 of 52 from the field for 55.2 percent during the game while holding Upland to 11 of 61 for 18 percent.
The Bulldogs made 14 of 28 for 50 percent in the first half and led 36-17 and the Highlanders shot 25 percent after converting six of 24.
Burbank dashed in front 16-9 after the first period and then were off to the races.
Steve Eshleman is Burbank’s head coach and believes this was his team’s finest hour to date.
“That might be our best offensive game that we have had all year and we shot the ball really well, but really what spurred us was our defensive strength that we had throughout the game,” he said.
Eshleman also liked another important aspect of the game.
“We rebounded and got the ball out and when we ran, and then created offense to our defense and getting the ball out and going tonight was probably our best 32 minutes that we put together and that’s great for the kids,” he stated.
The Bulldogs (10-4) outrebounded Upland (8-9) 44-33 including 19-13 in the second half.
Imani Smith-Young, a junior small forward, scored all of his seven points in the opening period.
Papikyan tallied 12 points in the second quarter and that included three of his four from three-point range.
Cris Ong, after scoring five points that included a trey in the opening frame, added six points in the second period as the Bulldogs converted eight of 14 for 57.1 percent from the floor.
Ong’s basket with 5:15 remaining in the second period made it 22-9, Papikyan’s three-pointer increased the cushion to 25-9 with 4:52 on the clock and Ong’s bucket saw the Bulldogs pull ahead 29-9 with 3:25 left.
Senior small forward Anthony Jawiche found his range in the third quarter with nine points and also drilled a three-pointer as Burbank dashed ahead 62-29 heading to the fourth period.
Jon Ong dropped eight points in the same quarter, Papikyan added five points and Ong’s hoop with 6:35 left saw the Bulldogs march ahead 43-17.
In the fourth period, Blake Finnigan, a senior wing, scored five of his seven points and added a three-pointer.
Junior wing Jason Campos canned a three-pointer in the fourth quarter and senior small forward Giordan Lewis dropped two points in the second period for the Bulldogs.
Senior wing Collin Heard paced the Highlanders with nine points and they all came on three-pointers and Cooper Omness, a senior wing for Upland scored five points.
Assistant coach Tighe Eshelman is in agreement with his father’s assessment of the team.
“We’ve been lacking a full 32-minute effort so far this year. We’ve had good wins by getting ahead of people and holding on for dear life,” he said. “Tonight, we really executed the game plan throughout four quarters, which is a great step for us leading back into [Pacific] League play.”
WATCH LIVE: Sportsnet East/Ontario/Pacific, FanDuel Sports Network North, FOX 9+, ICI TÉLÉ & ICI TOU.TV, PWHL YouTube & thepwhl.com(U.S. / International), More EN: Daniella Ponticelli (Play-by-Play), Ann-Sophie Bettez (Analyst), Julia Tocheri (Reporter); FR: Michael Roy (Play-by-Play), Isabelle Leclaire (Analyst), Christine Roger (Reporter), Roseline Filion (Studio Host), Stéphanie Poirier (Studio Analyst)
MINNESOTA FROST 4-1-1-3 | 15 PTS | 2ND PLACE (TIED) Top Scorer: Britta Curl-Salemme – 9 GP, 4-7-11 PTS Last Game: 5-2 L at OTT on Jan. 3
MONTRÉALVICTOIRE 3-1-0-4 | 11 PTS | 8TH PLACE Top Scorer: Marie-Philip Poulin & Abby Roque, 3-5-8 PTS Last Game: 4-3 L at NY on Jan. 2
2024-25 SEASON SERIES: MONTRÉAL WON 11-7 IN POINTS (MTL WON 10-5 IN 2024) Dec. 28 at MIN: 3-2 MTL | Jan. 12 at MIN (DENVER): 4-2 MIN | Jan. 17 at MTL: 4-2 MTL | Feb. 18 at MTL: 4-0 MIN | Mar. 4 at MTL: 2-1 MTL (SO) | Mar. 26 at MIN: 4-1 MTL
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Montréal has six regulation wins in its 11 all-time games against Minnesota (one SO win, one SO loss & three regulation losses) including a 4-1 win in the last meeting. That’s the most regulation victories by any PWHL team against the Frost. This is the first time the season series opens in Montréal with split decisions in each of the first two opening games in Minnesota.
Saturday’s 5-2 loss was just the fourth regular-season game in which the Frost have allowed at least five goals – and two of them have been at TD Place in Ottawa (lost 8-3 on Feb. 13, 2025). Minnesota had allowed a combined six goals across its first four non-Takeover Tour road games this season.
Both Mae Batherson and Kendall Cooper assisted on Minnesota’s first goal on Saturday, each skater’s fifth straight game with an assist. That ties them for the longest assist streak in the regular season in PWHL history (done six other times). Cooper’s six assists are tied for the lead among rookies.
Britta Curl-Salemme extended her point streak to five games and her goal streak to two games after scoring on Saturday. The league’s points leader scored in her first two games against Montréal last season and finished with four points against the Victoire (2G, 2A) in six games.
Kelly Pannek leads the PWHL with four multi-point games this season after scoring a goal and an assist on Saturday. The first time she produced two points in her career was against Montréal (2A) in her second game back on Jan. 6, 2024.
This is the third time the Frost are playing games on consecutive days, with both other instances occurring in the league’s inaugural season and both with split results. Minnesota had an OT loss against Boston and an OT win over New York on Jan. 27-28, 2024, and a 2-1 win in Ottawa and a 2-1 loss against Montréal on Feb. 17-18, 2024.
Minnesota wraps up its longest road trip of the season and busiest stretch in the schedule with four games in nine days. They enter Sunday’s action with two wins on the trip, having earned five of a possible nine points.
Montréal fired off 45 shots on goal in its 4-3 loss at New York on Friday. It was the most shots on goal the Victoire have attempted in a non-overtime game in team history (including playoffs), and the most by any PWHL team this season.
The Victoire have lost three straight games in regulation, all by one-goal decisions. The longest losing streak in team history is four games back in March 2024. Their only two-game losing streak at home in Montréal was last season with a pair of one-goal defeats at Place Bell on Mar. 23 and Apr. 1, 2025.
Laura Stacey attempted a game-high eight shots on goal Friday, the most by a Montréal player this season. It was Stacey’s third regular-season game with eight or more SOG while all other players in Montréal history have one such game combined (Marie-Philip Poulin). Stacey currently ranks third with 36 shots and led the league last season with 112.
Poulin is riding the longest point streak of her PWHL career at four games (2G, 3A). Before Friday, the Victoire captain had amassed five different three-game streaks in two seasons. Abby Roque also has a four-game point streak of her own with five points (2G, 3A) since Dec. 20. Both goals have been assisted by Poulin, and two of her three assists have set up goals scored by the captain.
Nicole Gosling, Montréal’s first-round pick in June, registered her first PWHL point with an assist on Friday. All four Victoire draft picks who have appeared in games this season have at least one point. Only defender Tamara Giaquinto, chosen in the sixth-round, has yet to play a game for the team.
Jade Downie-Landry, who hails from St-Jean-sur-Richelieu on the South Shore of Montréal, will get to play on home ice in front of her friends and family for the first time on Sunday. She made her long-awaited season debut on Friday against her former Sirens teammates following activation from LTIR.
Hayley Scamurra was named to Team USA on Friday and will compete in her second Olympics. There are also six members of the Frost on the American squad, most in the PWHL.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
“Excited to finish off our road trip on a good note. We have played some really good games and have also learned from some times where we can be better. This is a huge opportunity to get three big points.” – Frost forward Taylor Heise
“We are looking forward to returning to Place Bell in front of our fans for the first time in the New Year. The team has been creating many opportunities and will continue to do so and hopefully take full advantage of them as we move forward.” – Victoire Head Coach Kori Cheverie
SUNDAY’S GAME: The Victoire return to Place Bell for the first time since Dec. 7 and take on the Frost for the first of four meetings this season. Today’s game is a Black History Celebration, part of the PWHL’s Unity Game series, honouring the legacy, impact, and ongoing contributions of Black leaders, athletes, artists, and community-builders within hockey and across Montréal. Through music, dance, community storytelling, and in-arena recognition, the game creates space for celebration, education, and meaningful connection with local Black communities. Fans in attendance will enjoy an immersive experience throughout the day as Black culture and creativity take center stage, including a performance of the national anthem by Montréal singer Jennifer Lee-Dupuy and music curated by DJ Nelles during intermissions. Jennifer Mathurin of the Mathurin Family Foundation will perform the ceremonial puck drop. Her leadership and community advocacy reflect the Foundation’s commitment to empowering Black youth and families through education, sport, and mentorship. Moments of recognition and community storytelling will also spotlight local Black organizations making a lasting impact in Montréal. Among the community partners honoured during the game are the Mathurin Family Foundation and the Montréal Steppers, whose work supports youth empowerment, inclusion, and cultural expression. The Montréal Steppers will also host an activation on the concourse, inviting fans to connect and experience cultural expression beyond the ice. Jayne-Laure Dumerjean will be recognized as the Warrior of the Game for her leadership and impact within Montreal’s youth sports community. She is the founder of Empowering Her Sports, an initiative dedicated to supporting young athletes on and off the court through mentorship and education. Click here to learn more about this season’s Black History Celebrations around the PWHL.
