PWHL New York before their first-ever game at UBS Arena, Jan. 10 (Dennis DaSilva/UBS Arena)
ELMONT, N.Y. — This was a dream come true, of sorts, for Ella Shelton and her PWHL New York teammates.
On Jan. 10, the Professional Women’s Hockey League — in its inaugural season — made its first of four stops at UBS Arena this season in what was the first-ever pro women’s hockey game at the NHL rink, which is home of the New York Islanders.
“I think it’s great to be able to come in and use their facilities. It’s top-notch,” Shelton, who scored her second goal of the season that evening, said after her side fell 5-2 to PWHL Montreal. “It’s the treatment that we’ve been wanting and deserve, as well. To be able to come in this facility and play on that ice was kind of a dream come true to play in a big NHL rink.”
New York is one of the six founding members of the new league, which looks to finally provide a stable, long-lasting women’s league in North America. Amongst a 24-game season, four of New York’s 12 home games are at UBS Arena this season — the other eight taking place at Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, CT, which is home of the Islanders’ AHL affiliate.
The hope is that sooner rather than later, New York can call UBS Arena their full-time home rather than setting up its base in Connecticut full-time and making the 60-mile trip for what resembles an away game at the Islanders’ rink.
“I’m very optimistic that this whole thing is going to grow,” PWHL New York head coach Howie Draper said amongst a seldom-seen scrum of reporters. “Not just for New York, but for everybody. The attendance that we’ve seen at the games — this is very rare for a women’s hockey coach to have 10-12 media members around. It’s very, very rare… It’s exciting what’s being generated here.
“I think the fans can see and I hope you can all see how strong and gifted these players are, how hard they work… The foundation is…
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