The quest to see who becomes the first champions of the PWHL begins on Wednesday.
On Monday night, the league announced the schedule for the first-ever Walter Cup Playoffs.
The postseason begins on Wednesday, with Toronto facing off with Minnesota. Toronto earned the right to choose Minnesota by finishing first in the league during the regular season.
As a result, Montreal will take on rival Boston, with that series kicking off at Place Bell in Laval on Thursday.
The inaugural season for the first fully professional women’s hockey league in North America saw so many great moments, with future Hall of Famers and newcomers putting the league on the map.
The year started off with a surprising start by New York, a team with a few star players, but a lot of hard-working depth pieces. However, once teams started to settle in, the preseason favorites began to rise to the top. Toronto went on an incredible 11-game winning streak, longer than any pro hockey team in the city’s history. Montreal, led by Captain Canada, Marie-Philip Poulin, started to reel off wins and tried to make a hard push for first place following the Women’s Worlds break.
Boston had to grind its way into the postseason. Coming out of the Women’s Worlds break, they were outside the playoff picture, but thanks to a couple of key regulation wins, they ended up third in the league.
Minnesota really squeaked into the playoffs. Despite being the no. 1 team in the league for weeks on end, they really slumped in the second half, losing their final five games of the regular season. Yet, thanks to wins by Boston and an Ottawa loss on the final day of the season, Minnesota finished fourth.
Following an exciting three months of regular-season action, we know the four teams that are going to be playing in the league’s first postseason.
Here is the schedule for the 2024 Walter Cup Semifinals:
(1) Toronto vs. (4) Minnesota
| Date | Game | Time |
| Wednesday, May 8 | 1. Minnesota at Toronto | 7 p.m. ET |
| Friday, May 10 | 2. Minnesota at Minnesota | 7 p.m. ET |
| Monday, May 13 | 3. Toronto at Minnesota | 8 p.m. ET |
| Wednesday, May 15 | 4. Toronto at Minnesota* | 8 p.m. ET |
| Friday, May 17 | 5. Minnesota at Toronto* | 7 p.m. ET |
TV: TSN, Bally Sports North, Women’s Sports Network
Toronto will play its home games at Coca-Cola Coliseum, home of the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. Minnesota will continue to play at Xcel Energy Center, the home of the Minnesota Wild.
(2) Montreal vs. (3) Boston
| Date | Game | Time |
| Thursday, May 9 | 1. Boston at Montreal | 7 p.m. ET |
| Saturday, May 11 | 2. Boston at Montreal | 7 p.m. ET |
| Tuesday, May 14 | 3. Montreal at Boston | 7 p.m. ET |
| Thursday, May 16 | 4. Montreal at Boston* | 7 p.m. ET |
| Sunday, May 19 | 5. Boston at Montreal* | 7 p.m. ET |
TV: TSN, RDS, MSG-SN, Women’s Sports Network
Montreal will be hosting Boston at Place Bell, the traditional home of the AHL’s Laval Rocket, while Boston will continue its home schedule at the Tsongas Center, home of the NCAA’s UMass-Lowell River Hawks.