The Backcheck

With the puck having dropped Nov. 21 on the historic third season of the PWHL, the Free Press is bringing a weekly roundup of notable action from around the league in The Backcheck.

Another expansion?

The biggest news this week came from PWHL executive vice-president Amy Scheer, who said in an interview with CNBC Sport that the league will be expanding again next year, creating anywhere between two to four new teams. Scheer added, “If I were a betting woman, I’d say it would be four teams. And then I think we’ll hold at 12 (teams) for a bit.”

Highlight(s) of the week

Attempting not to be biased towards Vancouver — who named Deloraine’s Ashton Bell as captain in their inaugural season — Sarah Nurse’s franchise-first goal for the club that came in last Friday’s 4-3 win against the Seattle Torrent seems the right choice.

But Canada’s own “Captain Clutch” Marie-Philip Poulin becoming the first PWHL player to 50 career points on Tuesday makes a case to tie for highlight of the week.

However, Abby Roque’s nasty goal — a between-the-legs deke — in the Montreal Victoire’s home opener Tuesday against her former team makes it a three-horse race for Week 1’s most memorable moment. The highlight-reel play in the third capped off a three-point night for the forward, with the Victoire going on to shut out the New York Sirens 4-0.

Fun fact

For those with fond memories of Nintendo 64’s GoldenEye 007, the Vancouver Goldeneye’s DJ plays the pause music from the video game during pauses in play action.

Game to watch in Week 2

Tuesday’s Walter Cup rematch at TD Place between the Minnesota Frost and the Ottawa Charge should be a dandy. The Frost are coming off their first win of the season — a 3-0 Black Friday trouncing of the Seattle Torrent — while the Charge are looking to get above .500 and slay some demons from their Cup loss. Puck drops at 6 p.m. CT (Prime TV).

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