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Tag: professional women’s hockey league

  • MGM Resorts Partnering with Flavor Flav on Las Vegas Women’s Hockey Team Bash – Casino.org

    Posted on: February 26, 2026, 07:31h. 

    Last updated on: February 26, 2026, 07:58h.

    • MGM Resorts and Flavor Flav will co-host a massive Olympic celebration in Las Vegas this summer
    • The event, July 16-19, honors the women’s hockey team after they declined a White House invitation
    • A GoFundMe campaign already raised over $34,000 for direct athlete bonuses

    MGM Resorts International announced on Thursday, Feb. 26, that it will serve as a “full partner” with rap star Flavor Flav in a Las Vegas celebration of the victorious U.S. women’s Olympic hockey team this summer. “She Got Game” will be a weekend-long celebration, tentatively including a parade and concert, from July 16-19.

    Public Enemy hype man Flavor Flav was the spark behind an Olympic party coming to Las Vegas July 16-19. (Image: GoFundMe)

    When Flav, who has lived in Sin City for decades, took to social media earlier this week to demand a “real celebration” for the team, the resort giant committed to providing more than 100 hotel rooms across its premier Las Vegas portfolio to accommodate the athletes.

    “Planning is underway and details will be shared soon as we get ready to celebrate our incredible USA athletes in a way only MGM Resorts knows how: World-class hospitality, high-energy fun, and memorable experiences,” MGM wrote in a statement, indicating that women-led sports media company The GIST will also serve as an official partner.

    Cold as Ice

    Captain Hilary Knight of the U.S. Olympic women’s hockey team celebrates after winning the gold medal following a game with Canada on Feb. 19. (Image: Andreas Rentz/Getty)

    The alternative celebration was born out of a moment of historic success and political friction. On Feb. 19, the U.S. women’s hockey team defeated Canada 2-1 in a thrilling overtime victory in Milan. However, the victory was soon overshadowed by a public exchange involving President Donald Trump.

    After the U.S. men’s team also won the gold, Trump called the men’s locker room and joked that he would “probably be impeached” if he did not also invite the women’s team to the White House.

    The remark drew immediate fire from the athletes. Captain Hilary Knight appeared on SportsCenter to call the joke “distasteful and unfortunate,” noting that such comments “overshadow the amazing feats” of female athletes. (USA Hockey officially cited “academic and professional commitments” for the team’s decision to skip the State of the Union address.)

    MGM Resorts trumpets the Las Vegas weekend on social media. (Image: X)

    The players moved independently to accept Flav’s offer.

    The corporate support, and donations, keep coming. The Palms Casino Resort pledged “over-the-top” luxury suites and fine-dining experiences to supplement MGM’s. Alaska Airlines responded to Flav’s request for travel assistance by confirming they are coordinating flights to bring the athletes to the desert.

    And StubHub also responded on social media by stating it would be “happy to help with tickets to shows.”

    To gift the athletes more than a fleeting weekend of hospitality, Flav also launched a GoFundMe on Thursday to provide direct financial “victory bonuses.”

    Recognizing that many Olympic athletes must juggle second or third jobs to fund their training, Flav set a $50,000 goal to put cash directly in their pockets.

    As of Thursday evening, more $34K has been raised from more than 600 donors.

    Corey Levitan

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  • Boston defeats Minnesota 1-0 in double OT in Game 4 of PWHL Walter Cup Finals

    Boston defeats Minnesota 1-0 in double OT in Game 4 of PWHL Walter Cup Finals

    Alina Müller kept Boston’s Walter Cup hopes alive.

    The Boston forward scored the game-winning goal in double overtime, as Boston topped Minnesota, 1-0, in Game 4 of the Professional Women’s Hockey League Finals on Sunday.  The game was played in front of over 13,104 fans at Xcel Energy Center.

    A must-win victory, Boston has tied its best-of-five series for the Walter Cup, 2-2, forcing a fifth and deciding game Wednesday back at the Tsongas Center in Lowell at 7 p.m.

    A tight-checking affair, the two teams were held scoreless through the end of regulation, with both goaltenders shining. Boston’s Aerin Frankel made 33 saves, while Minnesota goalie Nicole Hensley made 32 stops for the shutout.

    But in the end it was Müller who would have final say, scoring at 17:26 of double overtime.

    Minnesota had a goal disallowed for goalie interference shortly before Boston’s game winner.

    Boston came out firing in the first period with Loren Gabel leading the charge. Relegated to spare forward status to open the playoffs, Gabel added a much-needed spark to the team’s checking line with several good looks to open the game.

    Meanwhile, the Boston defense kept close tabs on Minnesota sniper Taylor Heise. The tight checking of Jessica Digirolamo helped hold the PWHL playoff scoring leader without a shot in the scoreless stanza.

    Denisa Křížová had Minnesota’s best opportunity in the closing seconds. The left winger was setup off a brilliant rush by Kelly Pannek but was turned away on a big save from Frankel. Boston outshot Minnesota 9-8 at the end of the first period. It marked only the second time the team had outshot its opponent in the series, something they continued to do in the following period.

    Minnesota was held off on a pair of powerplay opportunities to open the second. Pannek provided a great scoring chance feeding Grace Zumwinkle in the final minutes. Zumwinkle’s shot was initially stopped by Frankel, with the loose puck drifting dangerously out in front of a wide open net, before being swatted away by a Boston defender.

    Boston continued to struggle on its first two powerplay chances, but it wasn’t for lack of effort. Amanda Pelkey sent in Gigi Marvin with a great cross-ice feed, before getting denied by Hensley. The netminder made 19 saves in regulation, including stoning Susanna Tapani on a setup from Hilary Knight moments later. Boston outshot Minnesota 9-3 in the second period.

    Minnesota was unable to breakthrough on three separate powerplay opportunities in the third, despite outshooting Boston 9-5, and 20-19 overall by the end of regulation.

    Zumwinkle continued to be a cause for concern with several big rushes in the first OT session. Boston also had a golden opportunity to end it on the powerplay, but came up just short with Sophie Shirley getting stymied by Hensley on a point-blank save. The Boston powerplay were held scoreless in all 15 chances during the playoffs.

    Minnesota outshot Boston 7-5 at the end of the first OT session, holding a 27-24 overall lead at that point.

    Zumwinkle and Křížová kept Boston on edge converging on a 2-on-1 break with 11:30 left in the second OT, with Frankel standing firm.

    Sophie Jaques appeared to put the game away in double OT burying a cross-ice feed from Taylor Heise at 17:26 but the goal was overturned due to goalie interference.

    Boston changed up its forward lines for Game 4. Jamie Lee Rattray returned to the second line, Sophie Shirley and Gabel to the third line, and Pelkey to the fourth line. Minnesota made no changes to its lineup.

    Minnesota’s Michela Cava (86) attempts to score against Boston goalie Aerie Frankel (31) in the first period of Game 4 of the PWHL Walter Cup finals in St. Paul, Minn., Sunday, May 26, 2024. (Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Star Tribune via AP)/

    Christopher Hurley

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  • Jess Healey, Boston host crucial PWHL game Saturday in Lowell

    Jess Healey, Boston host crucial PWHL game Saturday in Lowell

    Jess Healey remains positive about Boston’s playoff hopes.

    As she skates into the regular season finale at the Tsongas Center, Healey and her Boston teammates are determined to make the Professional Women’s Professional Hockey League postseason.

    Boston (7-4-3-9, 32 points) is tied with Ottawa (8-1-6-7, 32 points) for the fourth and final playoff spot. Both clubs are within striking distance of third-place Minnesota (8-4-3-8, 35 points), putting even more emphasis on this weekend’s results.

    Boston is determined to defeat second-place Montreal on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

    “We’re going to leave it all out on the ice,” said Healey. “Whatever happens happens. We’re just focusing on Saturday. We’re excited to be at home again in front of our fans. We’re looking forward to it.”

    Minnesota travels to last place New York for a 1 p.m. game Saturday, with Ottawa wrapping up the regular season slate at first-place Toronto on Sunday.

    “It’s been pretty intense looking at the standings,” said Healey, 27. “We’re excited to see how it goes, but just look forward to getting back out on home ice and finishing strong.”

    Boston has been in playoff mode for the past two weeks. After enduring a heartbreaking 4-3 shootout loss in Ottawa on April 24, which put them on the brink of elimination, Boston bounced back over the weekend. Hannah Brandt buried the game-winner with 2.7 seconds left in regulation, as Boston topped Minnesota, 2-1.

    “Just to get the three points in regulation and get that buzzer beater was huge,” said Healey. “It gave us a lot of momentum. We’re feeling good with how we’ve been playing lately. We’ve just got to keep doing what we’ve been doing defending home ice.”

    Boston can also thank its neighbors from New York. The last place team battled back from a two-goal deficit to beat Ottawa, 4-3, keeping Boston’s playoff hopes alive. And when Toronto topped Minnesota, 4-1, on Wednesday, it became a three-horse race.

    There are still a number of ways for Boston to secure a playoff spot. The most straight forward path exists if Minnesota loses in regulation to New York on Saturday, followed by a Boston win in regulation against Montreal. In this scenario, both teams would have 35 points and Boston would own the tiebreaker by virtue of having more overtime wins.

    It is important to note that overtime wins are not defined by the OTW column in the standings, but specifically games won in overtime. Boston has won three games in OT and one in a shootout, and Minnesota has won two games in OT and two in shootouts.

    Minnesota needs just one point against New York to clinch third with 36 or more points. Boston would then need to finish with more points than Ottawa to secure fourth. If Ottawa and Boston are tied in points, Ottawa would own the tiebreaker by virtue of having more regulation wins.

    “It’s kind of a crazy situation,” said Healey. “But we’re just focusing on what we can control and that’s our next game on Saturday.”

    Paired on defense with her college teammate, Sidney Moran, Healey has earned her keep on the Boston blue line. The defenseman has scored a goal, added two assists and is a +3 in 21 games. She’s enjoyed playing in Lowell.

    “It’s been incredible,” said Healey. “Coming into this I had no idea what to expect. I don’t think a lot of us did. It’s just been unbelievable from the people I’ve met, to the players I’ve got to play with, to the way we’ve been treated. Our facilities have been phenomenal, and the fans have been insane coming to Lowell to watch us.”

    She feels this is the start of something big in the PWHL arena.

    “We’ve gotten over 10,000 fans at some places, 13,000 in Detroit,” said Healey. “The fans have been incredible supporting us, having our backs and cheering us on. Being in Boston has been unreal. It’s a great sports city and we’ve gotten a lot of support from the other teams as well. No matter where we finish in the standings, it’s going to be something all of us will remember forever. I’m so glad to be a part of it.”

    Saturday’s showdown also falls on Fan Appreciation night at the Tsongas, adding to the excitement.

    “Hopefully we can get a lot of people out there cheering loudly,” said Healey, who will have plenty of friends and family in attendance. “I think it’s going to be a good weekend. We’re looking forward to it.”

    Three young Boston hockey fans hold a sign in support of the PWHL during a game earlier this season at the Tsongas Center in Lowell. Boston plays its final regular season game Saturday at the Tsongas with a playoff spot on the line. (James Thomas photo)

     

    Christopher Hurley

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