Yarmouth hockey star Allie Munroe is one of a pair of Nova Scotians on the Toronto Sceptres roster preparing to make their professional debut in Halifax.
She joins Stellarton’s Blayre Turnbull on the ice to tackle the Montreal Victoire in the first-ever PWHL game in Atlantic Canada as part of the league’s 16-game neutral-city Takeover Tour series.
“I’m so fired up,” Munroe said ahead of Wednesday’s game at Scotiabank Centre. “There is nothing like coming home, especially to play professional hockey.”
Halifax was selected as one of only two Canadian cities to host a pair of PWHL games this season, with hockey fans instantly welcoming the league by selling out tickets to the Toronto-Montreal event within minutes of them going on sale in November.
The second PWHL game in Halifax will take place Jan. 11 between the Ottawa Charge and Boston Fleet.
Munroe says those strong ticket sales are a sure sign to the league that Halifax is ready for its own franchise.
“We all know that Halifax would be a great city and saw the women’s soccer team (Halifax Tides FC) obviously do very well,” Munroe adds. “I think there is a lot of room for women’s sports, especially a women’s hockey team. I think Nova Scotia is hockey crazy, so I think it would be a perfect fit.”
Munroe and Turnbull aren’t the only Nova Scotians involved in tonight’s PWHL debut, either.
Toronto head coach Troy Ryan hails from Spryfield and will make a much-anticipated return to the province after serving as bench boss for Team Nova Scotia at the 2015 Canada Winter Games and coaching the Dalhousie Tigers women’s program, among other local coaching duties.
“The PWHL has done such a great job, and our athletes do such a great job at just representing the product,” he told CityNews Halifax. “And being an inspiration to young athletes who are looking to become professional athletes.”