‘D.C, say hello to the PWHL!’
Tempers flared. Hands were thrown. The words of commentator Jamie Hirsch echoed over the broadcast in a way that was somehow both tongue-in-cheek and poignant at the same time.
A record-breaking crowd of 17,228 cheered on the brawl between the New York Sirens and Montréal Victoire, with chants of ‘We want a team! We want a team!’ raining down onto the ice in the final seconds of the Sirens’ 2-1 win in the latest stop on the PWHL Takeover Tour at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
Trailing by just one goal, the Victoire scrambled with urgency in front of the net as the clock winded down. Sirens goalie Kayle Osborne covered the puck, protecting it from the scrum as the final horn sounded, securing the win for New York.
Everything escalated from there.
Shoving continued even after the horn. Then more shoving. Sirens forward Kristýna Kaltounková was separated by an official before exchanging punches with Victoire defenseman Maggie Flaherty, who was bulldozed by New York forward Taylor Girard.
Several players were tossed to the ground as the referees desperately tried to restore order on the ice, and the record crowd – the largest in U.S. women’s hockey history – clearly loved every second of it.
The D.C. faithful has voiced their desire for a team. But for now at least, the PWHL turns its attention to its next tour stop: Denver on Jan. 25.