April 8, 2025 by Jeff Ponder

The minute you walked into Enterprise Center, you knew it was a different type of game.

Sure, the overwhelming majority of jerseys in the concourse were still that of the blue and yellow variety; but there were visibly more colors walking around before the game started. There were the green and black St. Louis Lady Cyclones jerseys. The red, white and baby blue Peppermint Hippos adult ladies team was in full force, wearing their team’s beautiful jerseys. And let’s not forget the teal and red jerseys that made up the Ottawa Charge and Boston Fleet sweaters.

It was a gameday in St. Louis, but it was the last stop of the PWHL Takeover Tour, which saw stops in nine different major metropolitan cities. Starting in Seattle and taking a long detour around North America, the Takeover Tour showcased the supreme talent of professional women’s hockey.

The magic in the arena was palpable. The St. Louis Blues’ in-game staff exchanged Metallica and The Urge for Taylor Swift and Rosé. Beer was still a moneymaker, but soft drink cups were more visible than a typical Saturday game at the home of the Blues. The typical audience of numerous middle-aged men screaming “shoot” were traded in for a younger female audience, who were just screaming with delight. 

One of those fans was 13-year-old Nichole Miller, who tends the goal for the 2012 Chesterfield Lady Falcons.

“I watch a lot of games on YouTube,” said Miller, who is fresh off a Peewee C1 division Blue Note Cup Championship in early March. “I never thought I would get the chance to see them live. My parents and best friend came with me and we all had such a fun time. It’s hard to even put into words.”

She wasn’t the only one who was ecstatic to see the ladies of the PWHL on Enterprise Center ice. There were plenty of fans walking around the concourse who were happy to share their gratitude for the game.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me to see my favorite athletes in person,” one fan said as she waited in line for refreshments.

“This is something I have looked forward to since the league was formed,” another fan said, waiting in line to buy PWHL Takeover Tour merchandise at one of the many stands around the concourse.

There were even fans who made the nearly 1,200 mile trip from Boston to St. Louis to watch their favorite team perform on NHL ice.

“These ladies have been such a joy to watch represent our city,” a fan decked out in navy blue and teal said. “We’ve seen them play at multiple arenas now and each one just feels more special than the last.”

The major similarity to spring NHL hockey resided in the excitement of the fans waiting to see the product on the ice. 

It did not disappoint.

A familiar in-game experience

The excitement around the game of hockey was not the only constant at Enterprise Center, though. The matchup was treated as a typical Blues game with cheerleaders, in-game hosts Reagan and Dre’Co, and the voice of the Blues home games, Tom Calhoun, as the public address announcer.

Heading into the game, Calhoun held the NHL record streak of 1,726 consecutive games called, but this one was different for the seasoned veteran.

“I was really uplifted by the young girls who were there, seeing their heroes,” said Calhoun. “It was really exciting to see these girls watch the game and see their own future coming into clearer focus for them. It was a big moment to see that segment of our society — girls who play sports and those who play hockey. You could see the smiles and excitement on a lot of their faces because they were watching a professional women’s hockey game. That’s transformational as far as our society is concerned.”

Once the play began, the memories only kept building for St. Louisans who were treated to their first Professional Women’s Hockey League game. 

All the hoopla is over; it’s time to drop the puck

About 1:30 into gameplay, Fleet goaltender Aerin Frankel made a save on a shot from the high slot and covered the puck to get a whistle. The noise in the arena matched that of a big save from Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington. It was clear this crowd was ready for a top-notch hockey game.

“I have never been here before,” Fleet center Susanna Tapani said after the game. “We really liked the city and the atmosphere was great. The crowd was great.”

Just about three and a half minutes later, the hometown hero, Ottawa defenseman Jincy Roese) wound up and took a point shot that headed wide. If you didn’t know any better, you would have thought there was a monster hit or a sprawling goalie save, as the crowd erupted in applause, wanting to see more from the O’Fallon, Missouri, native.

At 8:24, Tapani tallied her 11th goal of the season, opening the scoring and sending the Boston fans into a frenzy. As the Fleet players on the ice converged on their goal scorer, a familiar sound rang throughout the Enterprise Center: the Blues goal horn.

The same goal horn that Hall of Famer Brett Hull set off 285 times while playing in front of his own crowd. The same horn that Jordan Kyrou will continue to set off for years to come. The same horn we’ve heard for hockey greats Wayne Gretzky, Chris Pronger and Al MacInnis was now going off for Tapani and her Boston teammates.

“It was a bit awkward (for me because) I’m used to hearing that horn for the Blues,” said Roese. “It’s just part of the game. You let things go and you bounce back and you have a job to do.”

The game stayed 1-0 in favor of Boston for almost the rest of the afternoon. Frankel and Charge goaltender Gwyneth Philips played tremendous hockey as both teams certainly got their chances, but each goaltender shut the door one shot after another. This included a Frankel save on Roese just over a minute left in the second period, when she sprung in on a loose puck in the slot and Frankel was equal to the test, much to the dismay of the St. Louis crowd.

Thanks largely to Philips standing tall throughout the contest, the Charge were able to tie the game late off a goal from Tereza Vanisova. Roese kept the puck in the zone with a pass to Shiann Darkangelo, who knocked the puck down with her stick and sent it to Vanisova, who beat Frankel with a quick shot for her 14th goal of the season. 

The game sat in limbo for a brief time though as Fleet head coach Courtney Kessel opted to challenge the play for a missed stoppage due to Darkangelo’s high stick making contact with the puck. However, the officials deemed it a fair play, which sent Ottawa to the powerplay for a delay of game on a failed coach’s challenge. As Loren Gabel served the penalty, Vanisova did it again for Ottawa, scoring her 15th of the season just 32 seconds after her first goal, giving her team a 2-1 lead with just 3:02 remaining on the clock. 

The crowd seemed to follow the flow of the game, as the majority of the day felt to sway toward Boston. However, as the third period played on and the Charge peppered Frankel with eight shots on net throughout, chants of “Go Charge Go” began to emit. From the final goal to the clock hitting zero, the crowd was heavily cheering for the Canadian franchise.

When the game ended and the Charge players congratulated each other in Philips’ crease, the Enterprise Center became even louder. At this point, there wasn’t one person seated as the players converged on each other at center ice and took an iconic photo with the Blues’ logo underneath them and 8,578 fans applauding and hollering around them. 

It was the largest crowd for a professional women’s hockey game in the history of Missouri.

Memories for fans and players alike

“It was a great experience for me,” Roese said. “I hope it was an even better experience for the people who came. To have over 8,000 fans is huge for us, huge for the league and huge for the people who came.”

Roese was obviously pleased to play in front of her hometown; but for some, it was their first time in the Gateway to the West. One of those people were Roese’s head coach, Carla MacLeod.

“St. Louis was great,” said MacLeod. “It’s been a wonderful community. You get the ballgame feel. The atmosphere was incredible. For me, these (PWHL Takeover Tour) games have some hometown players in their cities and it’s a thrill to get to watch Jincy play in St. Louis.”

The memories of this game will stay front of mind for fans young and old for some time. And that goes for the staff working the game as well.

“The women were very effective skaters,” added Calhoun. “What they lacked in physical size from the men, they more than made up for with speed and skill. It was an eye-opening experience for me and the gameday staff.”

It’s one thing for fans. It’s another for the aspiring young athletes in the crowd.

“It was something that I’ll remember forever,” said Miller, who resides in the Wildwood area of the St. Louis suburbs. “Getting to see them skate in person was such a great thing to witness. I’ll never forget it.”

Coach McLeod echoed the aspiring goaltender.

“I think what these Takeover games are allowing us to do is expose the game to more people,” she said. “I think what you can be so proud of in St. Louis is who the role model is for these young players. It’s not just the young girls who watched today, it was the young boys who are going to grow up and want to be like Jincy Roese one day, as well.”

Although many may always recall the goals scored, goaltending performances and the overall speed of the PWHL Takeover Tour, the impact of this game is something that will never truly be expressed or measured.

Much like a Stanley Cup win or an Olympic gold medal, it will be a moment in hockey history that resonated more with the people who witnessed it rather than those who played it.