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PWHL Player Pulls Off Gordie Howe Hat Trick Thanks to First Fight in League History
While most of the attention of the hockey world was on the 4 Nation Face-Off final between the United States and Canada on Thursday night, the Professional Women's Hockey League saw some history of their own in a game between the Boston Fleet and Ottawa Charge.
During the third period of Boston 3–2 overtime victory, the first fight in PWHL history took place between Boston's Jill Saulnier and Ottawa's Tereza Vanisova.
Saulnier hit Vanisova in the corner, causing her to lose her stick. As she got up Saulnier continued to push her from behind until Vanisova grabbed Saulnier's stick and threw it on the ice. Then the two opponents just starting throwing punches.
The first legitimate fight in the #PWHL. 🥊 @PWHL_Boston’s Jill Saulnier & @PWHL_Ottawa’s Tereza Vanišová square off. #PWHL@jill_saulnier @VanisovaTereza pic.twitter.com/L6fr5biVmv
— Melissa Burgess (@_MelissaBurgess) February 21, 2025
Saulnier and Vanisova were eventually pulled apart and sent to the penalty box. The official call on the ice was roughing, but everyone know what they had seen.
IT'S GETTING HOT IN HERE! 🌶️
— Boston Fleet (@PWHL_Boston) February 21, 2025
Saulnier and OTT's Vanišová head to the box with double minor penalties for roughing.
Whene Saulnier was joined in the box by teammate Jessica DiGirolamo a few minutes later she appeared to explain exactly what happened in great detail.
What a moment between Digi and Saulnier pic.twitter.com/iexw3igukW
— Kelsea Durham (@kelseadurham) February 21, 2025
As for Vanisolva, she was named the second star of the night after she scored the goal that forced overtime in the final seconds of regulation and also assisted on the Charge's other goal in the third period.
Vanišová is our second star of the night!#FeelTheSurge | #OTTvBOS
— Ottawa Charge (@PWHL_Ottawa) February 21, 2025
Ottawa Charge x @TimHortons pic.twitter.com/LjTel9Op76
So not only did Vanisova participate in the first fight in PWHL history, she also pulled off the first Gordie Howe hat trick in PWHL history.
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Stephen Douglas is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in media since 2008 and now casts a wide net with coverage across all sports. Douglas spent more than a decade with The Big Lead and previously wrote for Uproxx and The Sporting News. He has three children, two degrees and one now unverified Twitter account.