There will be a professional hockey game Sunday in the Chicago area. For some, it will be their first experience seeing the game like this.
There will be hits, goals and possibly fights. But Windy City hockey fans won’t be cheering on Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar or any Chicago Blackhawks. Nor the AHL’s Chicago Wolves.
The Professional Women’s Hockey League’s 2025-26 Takeover Tour will make a stop at Allstate Arena in Rosemont at 1 p.m. Sunday, the league’s first game in the Chicago area. The back-to-back Walter Cup champion Minnesota Frost will take on the Ottawa Charge in a rematch of last season’s finals.
“This is a league that we dreamed about for so long, (and it’s) a league that I wish was in existence so many years ago for generations of players to have the opportunity that we now have today,” said Frost captain Kendall Coyne Schofield, a Palos Heights native. “I know the impact that Sunday’s game will have on so many people who will see the PWHL for the first time.”
The PWHL opened play on New Year’s Day 2024 as another attempt at women’s professional hockey. It quickly gained a great reception, as the audience grew with each game.
The 2024-25 Takeover Tour hosted 123,601 fans across nine cities. In 2024, Sports Business Journal voted the PWHL as the Sports Breakthrough of the Year.
Players go out on the ice to win the games, but they’re skating for a greater purpose. For the young girls who attend PWHL games, it’s a way to see that it’s no longer just a dream to go pro in hockey.
“Hearing how excited all those girls are every time I go home since this league has started, knowing that there are professional hockey players from Illinois, they’re so excited to even get the chance,” said Charge forward Taylor House, a Joliet native. “There’s so much excitement from these girls and the game has grown so much.”
Added Coyne Schofield: “I think if you asked a lot of girls how they got (into hockey), a lot of them said, ‘My older brother played.’ Now it’s: ‘I saw Taylor (House) play. I want to be like her.’ The visibility of the sport is so much greater than it was.”
Professional women’s hockey has been played at the United Center. The Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) held its Dream Gap Tour, a showcase of the players, before the official PWHL launch.
It wasn’t an ideal situation. COVID-19 had its hands on the tour, as it did everything else.
“I remember we played at the United Center (and) there were no fans, there were tarps across the seats, so definitely a completely different time,” Coyne Schofield said. “That was the bridge to get us where we are today, and (now) we’re here and we’re here to stay.
“I’m so excited for professional (women’s) hockey to come to Chicago.”
There are eight teams in the PWHL, including the Charge and Frost. The players didn’t hide their excitement about the possibility of a Chicago expansion team in the future.
“I don’t think you have to convince us we’d love to see a team in Chicago,” Coyne Schofield said.
Coyne Schofield is currently a player development coach with the Blackhawks, a position she has held since 2020. Her initial dream was to play for Chicago’s NHL team.
House grew up as a big Hawks fan. She doesn’t get the chance to come home and play much, so Sunday means more to her.
“(I’m) super excited, being able to be that close to home. The closest we usually get is Minnesota,” House said. “Last year I (had) a St. Louis game, but that’s still a five-hour drive for us.”
What should fans expect for their first PWHL game?
“They will see a fast, physical (and) competitive game, just like they go into any other professional sport environment,” Coyne Schofield said. “This will be the first for a lot of people, but I can almost guarantee you it won’t be their last because they’ll be wanting more.”
Added House: “We pack the crowd and it’s pure excitement. I know what that does to our bench and it makes it tougher to play when the away team has that type of energy behind them. That crowd energy can change a game, it could change play, it can affect everything.”
Sunday’s game will be another testament to how far women’s sports in general have advanced. The growth of the PWHL, WNBA, Athletes Unlimited Softball League and more is … well, “it’s about time,” as Coyne Schofield put it, and other players echo this sentiment.
“This is a dream, you can’t complain about anything,” House said. “I never would have thought that I’d be traveling the country, going to NHL arenas to play.
“I was used to 200, 300 (fans) and I was shocked if there was 1,000 somewhere. That was where we thought the limit was of those times. I don’t think there’s a limit now. We could fill every arena and I think that’s how the games have grown.”
They have a message for those planning to be at Allstate Arena: Stay awhile and have a good time.
“For anyone that’s watching or listening, get your tickets because we want to fill these buildings,” Coyne Schofield said. “We can show that we can come back and Chicago can be a great market.”