LOS ANGELES, CA – Feb 9, 2023 – The Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) today—in partnership with the Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks, Seattle Kraken, Coachella Valley Firebirds and Oak View Group—announced details surrounding its 2022-23 season championship weekend. The event will be the final stop of the Secret® Dream Gap Tour and will take place in Irvine, El Segundo and Palm Desert, California from March 10-12.
The event will see all four PWHPA teams compete for the 2023 Secret® Cup, with 1-4 seeding still to be determined based on the remaining regular season games. Updated standings can be found on pwhpa.com.
“We’ve had a really great season so far—one that’s allowed players to play more games than ever— and we’re thrilled to finally announce the details surrounding our championship weekend in California,” said Jayna Hefford, PWHPA Operations Consultant. “To partner with four great organizations in the Kings, Ducks, Kraken and Firebirds, as well as Oak View Group, has been great thus far, and we’re looking forward to hitting growing hockey markets in California. As we work our way through the remaining events, I know we’ll see even more competitive games as the teams work to take home the championship.”
The four PWHPA teams will play in the semi-finals on March 10th in FivePoint Arena at Great Park Ice — the training facility of the Anaheim Ducks — in Irvine. The two losing teams will play for final season placement on Saturday, March 11 in El Segundo at Toyota Sports Performance Center, the LA Kings’ Practice facility. The winners of the semi-final games will move on to the championship game on Sunday, March 12 at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, home of the Coachella Valley Firebirds. The complete schedule can be found below.
“The LA Kings and Toyota Sports Performance Center are looking forward to showcasing the best of the PWHPA next month,” said Luc Robitalle, LA Kings President and Hockey Hall of Famer. “After successfully hosting the Rivalry Series game at Crypto.com Arena between the United States and Canada in December, we feel this is yet another great event for hockey fans, and a perfect opportunity to feature the top PWHPA players as we collectively grow our great game.”
Aaron Teats, Anaheim Ducks Club President added: “We are so proud of the boom in women’s hockey and can’t wait to compete with the Kings and Firebirds in March. Events such as these will continue to reinforce the success, growth and skill level of the women’s game.”
Tickets for the Championship game at Acrisure Arena on Sunday, March 12th are available via Ticketmaster.com.
“We are excited to host the final game of the PWHPA Championship Weekend at the brand new Acrisure Arena this March,” said Steve Fraser, Coachella Valley Firebirds President. “It is an honor for us to help grow women’s hockey in Southern California by being part of this incredible event.”
Select PWHPA players and coaches will also run On-Ice Skills Clinics Presented by Air Canada for local girls’ hockey players aged 6-13 in all three locations. The first will take place Thursday, March 9th from 5-6pm at Great Park Ice, the second will be Saturday, March 11th at Acrisure Arena and the third on Sunday, March 12th at Toyota Sports Performance Center from 10-11am. Players can register via Showpass now to secure their spots. For more information, visit pwhpa.com.
Playoff Seeding Information
At the conclusion of the final Secret® Dream Gap Tour stops, teams will be ranked from 1-4 based on season points. Should there be a tie in points, a tiebreaker, based on the following, will be used:
1. Most total regulation wins
2. Most regulation wins head-to-head
3. Best season goal differential
Schedule
| Date | Teams | Time (PST) | Location |
| Friday, March 10 | #1 vs. #4 | 4:00 p.m. | Great Park Ice |
| Friday, March 10 | #2 vs. #3 | 7:00 p.m. | Great Park Ice |
| Saturday, March 11 | L1 vs. L2 | 3:00 p.m. | Toyota Sports Performance Center |
| Sunday, March 12 | W1 vs. W2 | 7:30 p.m. | Acrisure Arena |
About the PWHPA
Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association’s (PWHPA) mission is to promote, advance and support a viable professional women’s ice hockey league in North America that showcases the greatest product of women’s professional ice hockey in the world. The organization aims to provide a united voice to players advocating for the creation of a sustainable professional league. PWHPA is working to accomplish its mission by coordinating training needs and programming opportunities and collaborating with like-minded organizations to make hockey more inclusive for women and future generations. To learn more about PWHPA and the Secret® Dream Gap Tour, visit pwhpa.com.
About the Los Angeles Kings
For more than 50 years the LA Kings have enjoyed a rich history of excitement, passion, and championship glory in Southern California, while demonstrating the utmost commitment to their fans, partners, and community.
About the Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks have long been supporters of the women’s game, including the largest women’s hockey program in the Western U.S. (Lady Ducks). The Ducks also hosted a then all-time attendance record crowd of 13,320 for a Rivalry Series game between the U.S. and Canadian Women’s National teams (Feb. 8, 2020). In 2014, U.S. Olympian Hilary Knight practiced with the NHL Ducks, the first female skater (non-goalie) to practice with an NHL team. On Jan. 28, the Ducks became the first organization in the NHL to host Women in Sports Night headlined by appearances from female trailblazers and elite athletes including Linda Cohn, Lauren Chamberlain, Misty May-Treanor, Jillian Samueli-Reddin and Julie Uhrman.
About the Coachella Valley Firebirds
The Coachella Valley Firebirds are the AHL’s 32nd Franchise and the affiliate of the Seattle Kraken. The team is set to play its inaugural season in 2022-2023 at the Acrisure Arena. Visit www.cvfirebirds.com for the latest news and information.
About Acrisure Arena
America’s hottest music festival destination finally has the world-class arena it deserves. Opened December 2022, the Acrisure Arena provides the greater Palm Springs area of Southern California with a premiere 11,000+ capacity venue hosting the biggest artists and acts on the planet. Designed specifically for hockey and with optimal acoustics for concerts, the new arena provides top-tier hospitality, artist amenities, and all the benefits of a modern music and sports venue. In addition, the facility serves as the new home of the American Hockey League affiliate of the Seattle Kraken, the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
The Acrisure Arena is a $300+ million project that is being 100% privately funded through outstanding partners Oak View Group, Seattle Kraken, and Live Nation. Learn more at AcrisureArena.com and follow Acrisure Arena on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
About the Seattle Kraken
The Seattle Kraken are the National Hockey League’s newest franchise, recently completed their inaugural season at Climate Pledge Arena. Visit www.nhl.com/kraken for the latest news and information including press releases, multimedia content and the latest hires.
About Oak View Group
Oak View Group (OVG) is a global sports and entertainment company founded by Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff in 2015. OVG is focused on being a positive disruption to business as usual in the sports, live entertainment, and hospitality industries and currently has eight divisions across five global offices (Los Angeles, New York, London, Philadelphia, and Toronto). OVG oversees the operations of Climate Pledge Arena at Seattle Center, UBS Arena in Belmont Park, NY, Moody Center in Austin, TX, Acrisure Arena in Greater Palm Springs, CA, as well as arena development projects for Co-op Live in Manchester, UK; and projects for Arena São Paulo in São Paulo, BZ; CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore, MD; FirstOntario Centre Arena in Hamilton, ON; a New Arena and entertainment district in Las Vegas, NV; and a New Arena in Cardiff, Wales. More information at OakViewGroup.com, and follow OVG on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Media Inquiries:
Ashley McLellan
PWHPA Media Consultant
media@pwhpa.com
Jeff Moeller
Sr. Director, Business Communications and Heritage, LA Kings
jmoeller@lakings.com
Alex Gilchrist
Senior Director, NHL Communications & Broadcasting, Anaheim Ducks
agilchrist@anaheimducks.com
Gina Rotolo
VP of Marketing & Communications, Coachella Valley Firebirds
grotolo@cvfirebirds.com
Evan Pivnick
Director of Broadcast & Communications, Coachella Valley Firebirds
epivnick@cvfirebirds.com