Professional women's hockey is coming to the Pittsburgh area for the second time this season.
The Penguins announced on Friday that they will be hosting a regular-season game in the Premier Hockey Federation (the league formerly known as the National Women's Hockey League) between the Connecticut Whale and Montreal Force on Jan. 14 at 3 p.m. the Lemieux Complex in Cranberry.
Connecticut is one of the league's original four teams that began play in the 2015-16 season. Montreal is an expansion team in its inaugural season.
Tickets are on sale now and available here. The game will also be streamed on ESPN+ in the U.S. and on TSN.ca in Canada.
"The Penguins are honored to host the Connecticut Whale and Montreal Force of the Premier Hockey Federation at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex," Penguins president of business operations Kevin Acklin said of the game. "Showcasing these elite players in Pittsburgh is yet another opportunity for us to inspire our local girls hockey players and grow the sport of ice hockey, not just locally, but across the country."
This is the fourth time that the NWHL/PHF has come to the Pittsburgh area. The Penguins have previously played host to the league's 2017 All-Star Game/skills competition, a 2017-18 regular-season game between the Buffalo Beauts and the Whale, and a 2018-19 regular-season game between the Whale and Metropolitan Riveters. Next month's game will be the Whale's third game in the Pittsburgh area.
"This is another great opportunity to showcase the growth and strength of our league to a new market," Whale general manager Alexis Moed said in a statement.. "The visibility of our sport is paramount to our future success and with the support of the Penguins we are thrilled to reach a new audience. By bringing professional women's hockey to Pittsburgh we hope to excite and inspire the next generation of hockey players and fans."
The Whale will wear special throwback jerseys based on the 1972 Pittsburgh Pennies, the city's first all-women's team that began play in 1972 in the Mid-Atlantic Conference. The Pennies started as a group of five women that grew to a team of nearly 30 players in their first two years:
HEINZ HISTORY CENTER
Pittsburgh Pennies.
In the 1970s, the Pittsburgh Pennies helped blaze a trail for those competing today.
β Connecticut Whale (@CTWhaleHockey) December 16, 2022
We'll honor their uniform with pride in their home city in January. π𧑠pic.twitter.com/VdG5WUel3h
KDKA did this feature last month on the history of the Pennies:
Six members of the original Pennies team will also be in attendance for a ceremonial puck drop.
The game will be the second professional women's hockey event the Penguins have hosted this season after hosting a four-game series for the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association in November.
