The Professional Women’s Hockey League is coming to Winnipeg, and two Manitoba Olympians preparing to hit the ice say there’s plenty of reasons to get excited.

The Ottawa Charge and the Montreal Victoire will face off at Canada Life Centre on March 22 as part of the PWHL’s Takeover Tour.

“I definitely expect it to be loud,” Ottawa Charge defenceman Jocelyne Larocque told reporters at a news conference Friday.

The tour is made up of 16 neutral-site games across 11 sites in North America. Some stops could end up being PWHL expansion markets. The league has made it clear adding teams in Vancouver and Seattle was the first step in growing its footprint.

Larocque said it’s time for Winnipeg to have a team.

“It would make a lot of sense logistically, and the city loves hockey, so I definitely see a team in Winnipeg in the future,” said the 37-year-old Métis athlete, who hails from Ste. Anne, Man.

Larocque, fresh off her silver-medal win with Team Canada at the Olympic Winter Games, said she’s excited to play in Winnipeg for the first time since 2018.

“This is the first time as a professional athlete in the league that a lot of my friends and family are going to be able to watch me play live,” she said.

“We’ve played Montreal now twice [this season], and both games were really close. They’ve won both, so maybe we’re looking for a little bit of revenge.”

‘A lot of physicality’

Winnipegger Kati Tabin, a defenceman with the Montreal Victoire, said many of her friends and family haven’t seen her play live since she was in high school.

“I’m just super-excited to bring it home,” the 28-year-old said. “Every team in this league is super-competitive, super-skilled, so every single game is throat to throat.”

PWHL teams play hard and fast, Tabin said.

“I think that’s something that fans might not be expecting,” she said. “A lot of physicality.”

Tabin said playing with Team Canada at the Milano-Cortina Olympics this year was a dream come true.

“My second dream come true was to be able to play in Winnipeg,” she said.

Larocque said the Olympics and the PWHL have worked well together to grow momentum behind women’s hockey.

“I’m really excited for the young girls in the stands, and I know there’s going to be a ton of them,” she said.

“This league is something that we fought so hard for, so to be able to show it live in the city that has given me so much and that has helped shape me into the player and person I am today, it’s pretty special [and] going to be very fun.”

While the Winnipeg game is special to them, both Tabin and Larocque said they’re focused on every point that will get them closer to a run in the playoffs.

“My last three Olympics [were] the end of the season,” Larocque said. “I like this better. The more hockey I get to play, the better.”