A record crowd of 17,228 came for a historic PWHL game in D.C. on Sunday. They got that and more when a post-game brawl erupted between New York and Montreal. The tension boiled over right after the final buzzer.

DC's PWHL Takeover Tour stop turned into a heated showdown on Sunday.

Once the final buzzer hit, all hell broke loose right in front of the Sirens' net. Montreal pushed desperately for a tie. Leading to the crowding of goal player Kayle Osborne. And that's when the tensions boiled over into a full line brawl.

As gloves dropped and sticks flew. Officials jumped in quickly. But not before the scrum turned chaotic. It was seen with players grabbing jerseys and throwing haymakers in a rare PWHL outburst. Which is basically way outside the league's no-fighting, limited-checking rules.​

Four players from each side drew 10-minute misconducts. From the Siren's Kristýna Kaltounková, Micah Zandee-Hart, Taylor Girard, and Maja Nylén-Persson, while Girard got an extra 20 for hopping the bench. On the Victoire's side, Maggie Flaherty, Marie-Philip Poulin, Abby Roque, and Hayley Scamurra.

Victoire traded punches with Kaltounková, and the crowd chanted "We want a team!" like it was old-school NHL. Victoire forward Hayley Scamurra just laughed it off in the postgame interview.

She said, "It was just crowded in front of the net. People were getting upset, getting close to the goalie. It happens, emotions flare up, and everyone is just grabbing a body out there, so just protecting your teammates."​

But the team game was outstanding amid all the chaos.

Clutch Grit Seals Record DC Thriller Over Victoire

Kaltounková began through a power-play rebound off Sarah Fillier's shot. Which was for a 1-0 Sirens. And then lead after Montreal's too-many-men call.

The game lived up to the hype from the very start. Victoire answered late in the first with Maggie Flaherty's one-timer past Osborne. Making it 1-1 to their own advantage. 

In the second period, it belonged to New York. Thats when Anne Cherkowski tipped Paetyn Levis' faceoff shot for the game-winner. Which  coach Greg Fargo called "good execution."​

The third period was when the drama peaked, when Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin's rocket got gloved by Osborne. Montreal swore it crossed the line, but video review from the league's war room was inconclusive.

The result turned out to be a no-goal. Later to that, Coach Kori Cheverie fumed it by saying, "looked like it was in" on the Jumbotron. And the night ended at 2-1, where the New York Sirens outlasted the Montreal Victoire.

And lastly, Sirens hung tough, climbing to second in the standings, four points back of Boston Fleet.​

Written by

Ishika Ghosh

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu