With the 2025 Women’s World Championships ongoing from April 9 to 20 and a significant contingent of PWHL players taking part, the league is just now returning from a three-week stoppage. This week’s PDRD is a quick reminder of the games just beforehand, before going into the weekend’s results.
The majority of this game’s action, for better or worse, took place in the first period. Montréal’s Kati Tabin received a match penalty for a hit to the head of New York’s Jessie Eldridge, a play which she was later suspended two games for. While the Victoire would kill off all five minutes, Jade Downie-Landry would make them pay with ten seconds left in the frame for what would stand as the game winner.
The Sirens controlled for the majority of the second period, their best chance coming off the stick of Taylor Girard and onto the post. The majority of Montréal’s best chances missed the net entirely, leading Corinne Schroeder to make just 16 saves in her third shutout of the year.
This game would also feature a match penalty, but that wouldn’t be until the third period. Before that, it was all Shiann Darkangelo’s show. She opened the scoring just 45 seconds in on her former team, adding a second in the second before Jincy Roese scored her first since New Year’s Eve to make it 3–0 and chase Aerin Frankel. Darkangelo completed her first career hat trick on Emma Söderberg in the third.
A couple minutes after the 4–0 goal, Zoe Boyd would be ejected for a crosscheck to the head of Alina Müller, which also earned her a one game suspension. Like yesterday’s major penalty, though, the defending team held strong, helped in no small part by Gwyneth Philips who certainly faced quality over quantity in her 17-save shutout.
With those games out of the way, pretend the entire World Championships just happened over the course of reading this sentence. Or don’t. Anyway, we now return to your regularly scheduled programming.
A team that’s clinched against a team fighting for their playoff lives, the Victoire look to play spoiler for the Charge in the first game back from the World Championship break.
Ottawa certainly looked the part of desperation, flying out of the gate with waves of chances from each of their forward lines, the best of them from Alexa Vasko and Victoria Bach on their fourth. Montréal had their good looks as well, but their shots that usually would be labelled high-blocker on most goalies sailed into the right-catching glove of Philips.
Eventually, the scoreboard would mimic the run of play. After Stephanie Markowski took Laura Stacey off the ice with offsetting roughing minors, Ashton Bell opened the scoring on the ensuing 4-on-4. Her defence partner Jocelyne Larocque made a great stretch pass to an open Darkangelo, whose try on Elaine Chuli deflected off of a driving Bell’s leg and in.
Darkangelo would be involved in the next marker as well, as her line with leading scorer Tereza Vanišová and captain Brianne Jenner continued to click. Vanišová hit Jenner with a cross-seam pass that she took on her backhand, then shot past Chuli with the next touch on her forehand to make it 2–0.
The Victoire wouldn’t go into the dressing room down multiple goals, though. Anna Wilgren, fresh off her first USA national team appearance, snuck a wrist shot through traffic and past fellow gold medal winner Philips to cut the lead to just one.
While the period would end scoreless, it wasn’t for a lack of trying. The teams went back and forth in the first half of the second, highlighted by Stacey and Ronja Savolainen trading rush chances. Ottawa would survive a scare in the latter half by killing off 1:58 of a Victoire two-woman advantage, necessitated by an Anna Meixner interference penalty immediately followed by a rare face-off violation committed by Danielle Serdachny.
Montréal would finally break through Philips again after a miscue on the breakout by the Charge. Meixner’s clearing attempt glanced off of Kristin O’Neill’s skate and right to Catherine Dubois, who had time, space, and a good angle to put it under the goaltender’s glove. While O’Neill and new teammate Kaitlin Willoughby have struggled this year, putting them on a line with a sparkplug in Dubois seemed to energize them, as the trio was the Victoire’s best over the course of the game.
With a playoff position potentially on the line, Ottawa looked well on their way to faltering in the third period once again. After being unable to convert on a Wilgren penalty that also temporarily took Jenner out of the game to get stitched up, Darkangelo was given a borderline slashing call with under two minutes to go in regulation. If the Charge were to glean points from this game, they’d have to do it all on the penalty kill until overtime. That is, of course, unless they scored themselves.
Emily Clark broke the puck out to Gabbie Hughes, who sent it into the opposing corner and chased after it. She received unlikely help in the form of Larocque, who crashed in from the point to allow Hughes to gain control once more. The centre sent it back up top to Bell, whose shot glanced off of Abby Boreen’s glove and past Chuli. Entering the game with one goal on the season, Bell left it with three, as her jailbreak game-winner at thirteen seconds on the clock let the Ottawa Charge leave with three points of their own.
Nat’s Stat: While Ashton Bell’s second goal of the game was the latest regulation jailbreak goal the PWHL has seen thus far, it isn’t the latest in a given period in league, or even team history. On February 19, 2024, Gabbie Hughes scored shorthanded against Boston with twelve seconds left in the middle frame, just one tick fewer than Bell. Hughes’ goal was assisted by Emily Clark, and both forwards factored in on Bell’s game-winner on Saturday.
After a strong World Championships, Klára Peslarová makes her first PWHL start as the Fleet look to hold off the Charge in the standings by holding off the Sceptres at home.
Any nerves Peslarová may have had were shaken off by the play of the team in front of her. Lexie Adzija opened the scoring on their first shot of the game, taking a pass from Jamie Lee Rattray behind the net and putting it past Kristen Campbell, who was looking the complete opposite way.
While Boston was feeling the loss of Frankel and Müller due to injuries suffered in their respective final games of Worlds, another player returning in their stead made her mark right away. Hannah Bilka, playing her first game since the Rivalry Series, made a dangerous pass to Megan Keller, who couldn’t get a shot off but maintained control of the puck. She circled back to the point and flung it on net where Hannah Brandt tapped it five-hole on Campbell, her second of the season and her team’s second of the opening frame.
A quieter middle frame would be marked by a couple Sceptres penalties, a concerning trend from before the break that seemed to carry over. Exemplifying this was Renata Fast taking her league-leading 17th minor penalty late in the second, and Toronto just barely wouldn’t escape unscathed. Loren Gabel led a Fleet four-on-two rush, dropping it for Rattray who sent it across to Theresa Schafzahl for the tap-in with just seven seconds remaining.
Score effects would take over for the remainder of the game, with the Sceptres outshooting the Fleet 10–2 in the third period. Peslarová, though, would get in front of all of them, settling down the Boston crease in Frankel’s absence and remaining flawless in her young PWHL career thus far. Playing the puck as time expired, #29 was able to collect her own souvenir from her 29-save shutout in her first start, as the Fleet cruised to a 3–0 victory.
Nat’s Stat: Each of Boston’s goal scorers in Saturday’s game had previously only scored against the Ottawa Charge this season. Lexie Adzija (2–4–6) put in the empty-netter at TD Place on March 15, Hannah Brandt (2–8–10) netted the game-winner against Ottawa at home on December 17, and Theresa Schafzahl (3–2–5) got the opening goal against the Charge on February 20 while also scoring in the March 15 game.
With the latest Charge and Fleet wins, winning this game became even more imperative for the Frost. They take on the Sirens in their last home game of the season.
Minnesota absolutely overwhelmed New York to start, taking a quick 9–1 lead in shots by the first TV time-out and forcing a penalty out of Ella Shelton to boot. They’d bump that total to 17 over the course of the period with the closest coming off the stick of Kendall Coyne Schofield after a giveaway by Girard, but it caught the mask of Schroeder instead of twine.
The Sirens had their chances intermittently, including a Sarah Fillier breakaway, but weren’t able to generate any sustained pressure. With the 0–0 score holding to the end of the first, Schroeder had already made one more save than was necessary in her April 1 shutout.
The onslaught on Schroeder wouldn’t let up, as early into the second period Downie-Landry was ejected for a hit from behind on Katy Knoll. New York’s penalty kill, though, has been a bright spot in their less-than-stellar season, and they made it through the five minutes with help from their netminder. Abby Roque, who was all over the ice in this game, hit the post shortly after the extended power play, continuing the Sirens’ trend of opportunistic chances.
This would also be how they’d get on the board first. Maggie Flaherty bobbled the puck at the offensive blueline as the last defender back, and Girard was off to the races on a breakaway. She made no mistake going low blocker on Maddie Rooney, recording her first goal since a midseason trade from Boston, and her first of the year overall.
Despite not facing many shots, Rooney was in a difficult position in this game, since the chances were extremely dangerous when they occurred. The Sirens didn’t get their first shot on her until halfway through the period, but Rooney had to sprawl out to make a toe save on Eldridge to keep the Frost within one.
Unfortunately, her effort wouldn’t be enough. Taylor Heise took a penalty late, and after Elle Hartje, still without a goal this season, caught iron on the empty net from her own end, she’d set up Paetyn Levis for the late clincher. Schroeder recorded her second straight shutout, with more than twice as many saves as her previous, to lead New York to a 2–0 win.
Nat’s Stat: Despite Jade Downie-Landry’s ejection and a brief injury scare with Micah Zandee-Hart, New York defender Olivia Knowles did not play a shift on Sunday, marking the fifth consecutive game she’s been dressed that she did not touch the ice. As a result, Knowles has recorded the most single-season and career games with an ice time of 0:00, with Minnesota teammates Brooke Bryant and Kaitlyn O’Donohoe being the next closest skaters with four and three, respectively.
While the Sirens’ mathematical elimination was confirmed with the two results on Saturday, their victory over the Frost had implications for nearly every other team in the league.
Not only do the Sceptres clinch their spot because of it, the Fleet and Charge move dangerously close to doing so themselves. Minnesota, now only able to accrue 44 points at most, is unable to control their own destiny, despite their last two games being against Boston and Ottawa.
In addition, New York clinched the higher draft pick of the two non-playoff teams with the win, though whether it is first overall remains to be seen due to…
In a long-awaited announcement, the PWHL revealed on Wednesday that a seventh team, based in Vancouver, British Columbia, would begin play starting next season. While their home arena, being Pacific Coliseum, was unveiled, information regarding the expansion draft and Vancouver’s integration into the entry draft has yet to be given.
It has been heavily rumoured that an eighth team in Seattle, Washington will join PWHL Vancouver on the west coast, but there has been no official confirmation or announcement from the league regarding this.
As alluded to before, Boston’s Müller was placed on long-term injured reserve, and while Frankel was not, she remains in concussion protocol.
In addition to those two, Toronto Sceptres goaltender Raygan Kirk was moved to LTIR over the break, and the team signed Kassidy Sauvé to a standard player agreement in a corresponding move.
Sauvé put up the third-best save percentage in Sweden’s top division this year, leading SDE to the league semifinals where they were swept by the top regular season team in Luleå.
Joining Bilka back in their team’s respective lineups are Ottawa Charge forward Kateřina Mrázová and Montréal Victoire forward Alexandra Labelle. Mrázová had been injured since Ottawa’s massive 8–3 win over the Frost in February, but played at the World Championships and recorded five assists in seven games. Her return is incredible news for the Charge, as she often serves as their top line centre.
Labelle’s presence is similarly a massive help to Montréal, as she formed the league’s most consistent third line with Mikyla Grant-Mentis and Claire Dalton before her injury, and the team’s forward depth noticeably struggled without her.
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Funko’s POP! Yourself initative lets you turn yourself (or anyone you know) into a Funko POP! figure. And though you can play it straight, Funko has collaborated with different IPs to let you add a little nerdy flair to your figure. For example, you can go Marvel and add a Captain America shield to your personalized Funko figure, or head into the world of Star Wars with a bonus lightsaber. But now, things are about to get a little stranger in the world of Funko POP! Yourself. That’s right, as Stranger Things heads to its final season, it’s also heading into the world of Funko’s POP! Yourself. Soon, you’ll be able to add a Stranger Things twist when you turn yourself into a collectible figure. Funko hasn’t elaborated too heavily on what exactly the collaboration between POP! Yourself and Stranger Things will entail. But it did offer guests at San Diego Comic-Con a little tease. Funko gave a con-exclusive Pop! Yourself x Stranger Things Demodog figure to guests at its panel at the convention. This adorable little guy is the perfect (deadly) pet for the Pop figure of you. Sadly, those who didn’t attend the panel won’t be able to snag the Demodog, he’s a con special. But the cute carnivore does get us excited for what’s in store for us when Stranger Things does finally come to the world of Pop! Yourself. Maybe you’ll be able to give yourself Steve Harrington’s bat, Max’s headphones, Dustin’s hat, or Vecna’s… vines? Something we know we’d LOVE to be able to do is give our POP! Yourself figures little Funko Hellfire Club t-shirts. So please move that up to the top of the list, Funko. Funko officially shared: At Funko’s SDCC Panel, attendees were surprised with a limited-edition Stranger Things’ Demodog buddy designed as part of the company’s Pop! Yourself line. With only 2,000 made and never to be released again, the collectible became an instant must-have for fans. More details of an upcoming Stranger Things collaboration to be revealed soon. Funko hasn’t confirmed when the Stranger Things x POP! Yourself collaboration will go live, but does say, it’s coming soon. Cue Stranger Things theme music.
The Boston Red Sox have plenty of firepower at their disposal that would interest opposing teams ahead of the trade deadline. Despite this, it recently was reported that the Red Sox are expected to keep their outfield intact for now, at least. While this is the case, FOX Sports made an unlikely suggestion that the American League East rival Toronto Blue Jays would be a solid landing spot for Jarren Duran. "The Blue Jays, who lead the Yankees by three games in the AL East, should operate like a legit contender. Acquiring Duran would fortify that status," FOX Sports said. "Last offseason, Toronto made a presumably cost-effective and high-impact move by signing former Baltimore Orioles outfielder/designated hitter Anthony Santander — who blasted 44 home runs in 2024 — to a five-year, $92.5 million deal. Unfortunately for the Blue Jays, Santander hasn't played since May 29 due to a shoulder injury and boasted a .179/.273/.304 slash line before going down. "Furthermore, center fielder Daulton Varsho has missed the last two months due to a hamstring injury and struggled to get on base beforehand. Acquiring Duran could help Toronto replenish some of the production that both Santander and Varsho's absences have vacated. Duran would provide slug and somebody who files around the basepaths to a plausible offense but one that could use more slug; while Toronto entered Wednesday second in MLB with a .332 on-base percentage, it was also 12th with a .407 slugging percentage. At full force, Duran, Varsho, George Springer, Davis Schneider and Santander — who was the team's designated hitter before going down — would make for an outfield depth chart of multiple players who are adept at playing multiple spots." Maybe this is true, but Duran is under team control for a few years. Why trade a fan-favorite within the division? This can be ruled extremely unlikely.
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb reminded teammates to keep their cool after the team had multiple skirmishes during the first two days of training camp. Rookie defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku and tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford got involved in a brief scuffle on Tuesday. At the following practice on Wednesday, a fight broke out between safety Markquese Bell and TE Tyler Neville. New head coach Brian Schottenheimer then stopped practice and pulled the whole team together. He said the next player who threw a punch would be kicked out of practice (via Joseph Hoyt of The Dallas Morning News). "We've got to be professional," Lamb said of the incident after practice, per ESPN's Todd Archer. "I get it that we have a lot of animosity and tension between us and understanding that we want to proclaim our dominance and show like aggressiveness on both sides of the ball, but then again, to what extent?" Fighting in training camp isn't uncommon. It's an intense environment. Many are trying to prove themselves before teams trim their rosters to 53 players. However, too much brawling can threaten to tear a locker room apart. A lack of discipline was also one reason the Cowboys replaced Mike McCarthy with Schottenheimer this offseason. According to NFLPenalties.com, Dallas drew the league's sixth-most flags (128) last season. Per Archer, there were no more fights after Schottenheimer pulled the team aside. Still, the incidents raise questions about his ability to maintain control. The coach spent Wednesday morning's meeting discussing two plays where DE Sam Williams was too physical and sent to the sideline. His players must not have received the message. It's good for Dallas that Lamb seems to be echoing Schottenheimer's sentiments, but the rookie HC still must get through to his team. Rebounding from a 7-10 season could already prove challenging for the Cowboys. As of Wednesday, ESPN's Football Power Index gives Dallas a 34.5% chance to make the playoffs. Infighting will make that even more difficult.
The Florida Gators are in the hunt for a very intriguing college football prospect from the 2028 class. Social media blew up last weekend after a crazy one-handed catch was made at the NFL Flag Championships by receiver Brysen Wright. The original video of Wright's snag has over 7 million views and caught the eye of NFL talent like Patrick Mahomes, Caleb Williams, and others. On3's Adam Gorney caught up with Wright to discuss recruiting and which schools are currently in the lead. Wright revealed he has heard from the Gators, Ohio State Buckeyes and Miami Hurricanes. “The only (main) schools I’m hearing from now really are Ohio State, Florida and Miami,” Gorney compared Wright to sophomore Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith. Smith burst onto the scene last season, leading the Buckeyes with 1,315 receiving yards as a true freshman. Smith was a former five-star prospect and the top receiver in the 2024 class. Wright is rated as a four-star on Rivals, and On3's Hayes Fawcett believes the recruit will be one of the prospects in the class. Wright is familiar with Florida, as the Gators had him in town for an unofficial visit in November of last year. The On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine has tabbed Florida as the favorite and gives it a 21.9% chance to land him. Ohio State has a 13.7% chance, while Miami has a 1.2% chance. While Wright's decision may not be imminent, Florida is trending upward as a program. The Gators just secured the first winning season of head coach Billy Napier's tenure, and people are paying close attention to Florida. Greg McElroy even said that Florida could be a problem with a consistent running game. If Wright pans out as people expect, it would be a massive addition to Florida.