Professional Women's Hockey League offers more opportunities, inspires players from Nova Scotia
New league played its first game on New Years Day
Nova Scotian forward Jill Saulnier cemented herself in hockey history Monday after scoring a goal for New York in the Professional Women's Hockey League sold-out inaugural game against home team Toronto at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
But it's not only professional players like her who are experiencing the impact of the new league.
Olivia Eustace, 21, is a fourth-year forward with the women's hockey team at Dalhousie University. With her university career coming to an end, Eustace began to consider exploring lines of work outside of hockey. But now the formation of the PWHL has changed how she thinks about her future.
"Growing up ... as a woman and a girl playing hockey, there's not that many opportunities," Eustace said. The PWHL "keeps doors open that I thought … never would have been there to begin with."
Eustace is currently one of the top women's hockey players in Atlantic University Sport, a body governing sports at eleven Atlantic Canadian universities. She has the second-highest number of goals out of all skaters so far this season.
The PWHL is also inspiring young hockey players in the province like Autumn Lewis, 13, who is a goaltender at the U15 level. The league "definitely opens doors for me and others that want to play at higher level hockey," she said. "It feels really good to have that door open."
Lewis, who's been playing hockey since she was four, said she's looked up to players like Saulnier, who's from Halifax. "It was really cool to see her score [in Monday's game]," she said.
Autumn's mother, Angela Lewis,is also the director of membership growth with the Metro West Force Female Hockey Association. She said it's exciting to be able to watch players like Saulnier and PWHL Toronto forward Sarah Nurse finally get to live out their dreams.
"These women have invested so much in not only their own careers, but in the next generation," Lewis said.
Halifax resident Stasia Sianchuk hosted more than a dozen people at a party to watch the PWHL season opener. She plays the sport herself and is a big supporter of women's hockey. "It's definitely important to have a league and for it to be broadcasted," she said.
Sianchuk is excited to watch as many games as possible and hopes to see one in person soon.
"Hopefully [the PWHL] does well and this can be the league that they continue on for years to come," she said.
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