Edmonton looks to impress as potential expansion destination by hosting PWHL neutral-site game

Ticketmaster shows that only resale tickets are available for the game, with some seats on offer for more than $500 each.

When the Toronto Sceptres and Ottawa Charge meet Sunday at a sold-out Rogers Place, it will feel like more than a one-off game.

It will feel like Edmonton is on trial.

The Alberta capital is the fifth city to host a neutral-site Professional Women’s Hockey League game this season as part of its nine-site Takeover Tour. For Charge forward Danielle Serdachny and defender Stephanie Markowski, the game will see them return to their hometown to play in front of family and friends.

But Serdachny said that the stakes are much higher than a game between the Charge, who sit last in the six-team PWHL with 17 points and a 5-0-2-8 (five regulation wins, no overtime wins, two overtime losses and eight regulation losses) mark, and the Sceptres, in third with 21 points (5-1-4-6). It’s a chance for Edmonton to show that it can be a city that is home to a PWHL team.

“It seems like the Takeover Tour is kind of like a tryout for these cities, in a way,” said Serdachny, who has two World Championship gold medals in her trophy cabinet and has posted two goals and three assists through 15 PWHL games this season. “They can show the league as a whole what the city has to offer. I know the PWHL is super passionate about their fan bases and wants the continued growth of the game to occur.

“So I think any time you get to play in a city, especially with the Takeover Tour, it’s all about what the city has to offer. And I know Edmonton to be such a passionate fan base with the Oilers. They are going to definitely bring that energy and support.”

Markowski said the topic of westward expansion — the league’s westernmost team is current the Minnesota Frost — comes up often with family and friends in Edmonton. They want to see the league get into the Mountain and Pacific time zones.

“A lot of our friends and family want us to play there (in the west), so they could come watch us more frequently. They bring it up quite a bit.”