New York Defeats Montréal as DC Takeover Tour Sets New Attendance Record

On Sunday, Jan. 18, the New York Sirens were victorious in Washington, D.C., defeating the Montréal Victoire 2-1. The U.S. capital city hosted the ninth PWHL Takeover Tour game of the 2025-26 season and set a new U.S. women’s hockey attendance record in the process, with a sold-out crowd of 17,228 fans present at Capital One Arena. It was a game full of energy, both on the ice and in the stands. 

The Game

Sunday’s contest was the third meeting between the Sirens and the Victoire, with each team having one win over the other. New York controlled play through the first half of the first period, scoring first on the power play after Montréal took a penalty for too many players on the ice. The goal was scored by Kristýna Kaltounková, who tipped in a shot from Sarah Fillier. Maja Nylen Persson was also credited with an assist. Chants of “wee woo, wee woo” broke out at Capital One Arena with the Sirens on the board. 

Montréal struggled to gain momentum, but a series of penalty calls on New York gave them opportunities. The physicality that would be a common feature of this match also became apparent when Abby Roque landed a big hit on Taylor Girard, and her Sirens teammates took offense, leading to some pushing and shoving. The officiating staff clarified that there were no penalties for any body checks, but Peyton Levis got two minutes for roughing. This power play was the one where the Victoire finally cracked Sirens goaltender Kayle Osborne, with a goal from Maggie Flaherty, assisted by Kati Tabin and Hayley Scamurra, with 30 seconds left in the first period. 

The second period picked up where the first left off, with more penalties, more hits, and more back-and-forth action. There were chances on both ends of the ice, but New York broke the tie towards the end of the period. Just before the goal, the in-arena hosts encouraged the sold-out crowd to do the wave, which was still circling the stands when the Sirens scored again. The puck went off the stick of Anne Cherkowski, making it the first PWHL goal for the former Clarkson Golden Knight. Peyton Levis, who was originally credited for the goal, and Sarah Fillier assisted, making it a two-point night for Fillier. 

The 2-1 score stayed until the end of the game, but not for lack of trying. Montréal took a penalty at the start of the third period, but the Sirens couldn’t capitalize. At one point, Maureen Murphy caught a breakout but was diverted by the Sirens' defense. Then, Skylar Irving got the puck right out of the penalty box and got a shot off, but Osborne made the save. The most dramatic moment of the third period, though, came during a Sirens penalty kill, when Osborne made, by all accounts, a beautiful glove save on Marie Philip-Poulin, except for the fact that the goalie’s glove was in the net and may have crossed the goal line. The play went to the officiating crew and PWHL Central for review, who declared that there was no definitive proof that the puck crossed the line and therefore, no goal. New York killed off the rest of the penalty while boos rained down from the upper deck. 

The tension ratcheted up throughout the last few minutes of the game. Around the four-minute mark, Montréal penned New York in their own zone, but Osborne and the New York defense stayed strong to divert any shots. Then Desbiens got her own beautiful glove save on the other end of the ice, catching a shot from Wheeler. As the clock ticked down and the energy in the stands intensified, the Sirens continued to cut off the Victoire’s chances. The final nail in the coffin for Montreal was an Abby Roque tripping with just over two minutes remaining in the game. Laura Stacey managed one last short-handed attempt, but the shot went wide. Montréal outshot New York 32 to 27, but the Sirens walked away with the win.

That didn’t mean these teams were going out without a fight, though. The game ended with a full-on line brawl, bringing the DC crowd to its feet as several Sirens and Victoire players, including some from off the bench, grappled with each other and had to be separated by the officials. When it was all said and done, eight different players were hit with game misconduct penalties, but the melee seemed an appropriate end to a notably physical game. But even after all that, the players shook hands and posed for a photo as the sold-out crowd roared with cheers and applause.

The win shoots the Sirens into second place in the league, ahead of the Minnesota Frost by one point, but still trailing the Boston Fleet. The Victoire, however, fell behind Minnesota to fourth place in the league standings. New York is back in action on Tuesday, hosting the Ottawa Charge at Prudential Center. Montréal will be traveling to Minnesota to take on the Frost on Wednesday. 

The Vibe

The word that comes to mind is “loud.” Fans made themselves heard throughout the game, from Sirens’ fans cheering “wee woo” to booing at bad hits and undesirable penalties to singing along to millennial favorites like “All The Small Things” and “My Own Worst Enemy.” Sarah Fillier commented on the crowd’s energy after the game. “It was awesome. In the third, when they were singing along during play, it’s an incredible feeling as a player to know fans are excited to show up, support women’s hockey, and watch the product we put on the ice,” the Sirens alternate captain said. Hayley Scamurra also praised the fans in a city she has a deep connection to. “The energy that they brought, I mean, that was the loudest they've ever been,” the Victoire forward, who grew up in DC, said of the crowd. “I heard people from the Caps say that was as loud as they've been all season, so I think it's a testament to the people we have in our city.”

Many fans present were no strangers to the PWHL, with plenty of Sirens and Victoire merch, but also a good amount of visible support for other teams, like the Boston Fleet or Minnesota Frost. On the other hand, a lot of fans I met were first-time attendees of a PWHL game, and the effects of hockey’s growing online fan culture were apparent in the arena. As I observed fans’ signs and attire, there were plenty of references to the show Heated Rivalry and trendy jokes like the “girl aquarium.”

There was an element of synergy between the city’s sports franchises and the PWHL. I saw many Washington Capitals hats and jerseys, but a lot of Washington Spirit merch, too. Before the game, Gabrielle Carle of the Spirit and former Washington Mystics player Tianna Hawkins did the ceremonial puck drop, and during a stoppage in play, the announcer and Jumbotron graphics promoted tickets for both the Spirit and Mystics. With DC’s history as both a hockey city and a women’s sports city, it was no surprise that nearly everyone I talked to insisted that Washington should get its own PWHL team. Chants of “we want a team!” even broke out several times during the game. 

Washington, D.C., was one of seven new Takeover Tour stops this season, alongside Calgary, Chicago, Dallas, Halifax, Hamilton, and Winnipeg. The district hosted women’s hockey in the past as home to PWHPA showcases, but this was DC’s first professional women’s hockey game. With the Takeover Tour understood by many as an audition for potential PWHL expansion teams, Washington certainly made a good case to be included in the next round of growth for the league.