Paris Alston: This is GBH's Morning Edition. Tonight will be an exciting night in Lowell as the fifth game of the Professional Women's Hockey League finals begins. Boston will face Minnesota at 7pm tonight at Tsongas Arena, looking to become the first team to hoist the Walter Cup. This is a big moment for the team and for women's sports in the Boston area. To talk about this and preview the game, I'm joined by the Rev. Laura Everett, who runs the blog Boston Women's Sports. Good morning!
Reverend Laura Everett: Hello, Paris.
Alston: Tickets for tonight's game are sold out. In fact, anyone trying to get tickets last minute will have to pay anywhere from $200 to $2,000 on the secondary market. So, Pastor Everett, as someone who's followed women's sports for a long time, what is the significance of this moment?
Everett: So yes, I think Paris needs a bigger stadium, and this is a great sign of how passionate women's sport is across the region.
Alston: What are you most looking forward to about tonight's game?
Everett: Now, it's the decisive Game 5. Boston won on Minnesota's home ice in a crucial and very competitive double overtime game, sending the series back to Boston, Lowell and Tsongas Arena. Tonight's game should be especially exciting.
Alston: For those who haven't watched the series, what were the highlights and who were the key players that really stepped up on the ice?
Everett: Well, the Boston team is incredibly well-rounded, but the player to watch is definitely goalie Aerin Frankel. Everyone calls her the Green Monster. She has the highest save percentage in the league. Goalie Aerin Frankel is what we call the “brick wall.” And we have an incredibly deep offensive line. We've had some rotations here and there, but the player to watch is definitely captain Hilary Knight. She's an essential player for the U.S. Women's National Team. And Finnish player Susanna Tapani. She's very popular in her home country, and Finnish reporters come to cover her. And Canadian player Jamie Lee Rattray is also a great player who is an essential player in the game. And Lauren Goebel, who is known to a lot of Boston college fans, is back from injury. We have an incredible team with incredible depth.
Alston: Yes, we have a lot of stars. Like Alina Muller? She scored a key goal in double overtime the other day to take the team to Game 5.
Everett: Yes, that's right. And there's another famous star player who came from here in the Beanpot, Boston. And yes, there are a lot of players who played here in college.
Alston: Tonight's game, and this moment, came after a thrilling women's March Madness in which the championship teams, or rather games, of undefeated South Carolina and Iowa drew record viewership, for example. And of course, Caitlin Clark's WNBA debut averaged 2.1 million viewers. Speaking of needing bigger stadiums, three teams had to relocate to bigger arenas to accommodate the demand to see her. So what do you think is driving this momentum in women's sports in general right now?
Everett: Look, this has been a long journey. And, unfortunately, I say this is also the result of artificial market suppression. There are a lot of women who have been playing for years, but they haven't had all the investment and support that women have had. This is the result of Title IX, which has been over 50 years in the making. But we didn't have the league, the investors, the infrastructure yet. But now we know that we have spectators, players, fans, people who will pay big bucks to see a great production. We have fans who want to come to these games. We need bigger arenas, bigger stadiums, more merchandise. All the PWHL Boston jerseys are sold out, and we have people who want to come, pay big bucks, and have more seats. There is a demand for all of this. I think investors should get in now.
Alston: Yes, that's Pastor Laura Everett who runs the blog Boston Women's Sports. Thank you so much, Pastor.
Everett: Thank you, Paris, for having me.
Alston: You're listening to GBH News.
