PWHL game between Minnesota and Montreal sets attendance record with over 13,000 fans

Minnesota goalie Maddie Rooney (35) stops a shot by Montreal forward Maureen Murphy, left, during the second period of a PWHL hockey game Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

SAINT PAUL, Minn. - Maddie Rooney had a 24-save shutout as Minnesota blanked Montreal 3-0 on Saturday in Professional Women's Hockey League action.

Grace Zumwinkle had a hat trick for Minnesota (2-0-0), putting her third goal into an empty net with 2:47 left in the third.

Anne-Renee Desbiens stopped 19-of-21 shots in net for Montreal (1-1-0).

It was the largest crowd to ever attend a professional women's hockey game, with 13,316 fans packed into Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minn.

The crowd surpassed the 8,318 that sold out Tuesday鈥檚 PWHL game between Ottawa and Montreal at The Arena at TD Place in Canada's capital city.

Before the PWHL season, the championship game of the 2021-22 Svenska Damhockeyligan season between Bryn盲s and Lule氓 held the worldwide professional women鈥檚 hockey record with a crowd of 7,765.

The previous North American record for a regular-season professional women鈥檚 hockey game was 5,938, established Dec. 10, 2016, in the CWHL when Les Canadiennes de Montr茅al hosted the Calgary Inferno at Bell Centre.

This report by 春色直播was first published Jan. 6, 2024.

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