NWHL All Star Game Headed to Pittsburgh

The National Women’s Hockey League on Wednesday announced that the 2017 All Star Game will be heading to Western Pennsylvania and the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex on February 11 and 12.

The facility located 20 miles outside of Pittsburgh, in Cranberry Township, is the state of the art practice arena of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League. All the events during the weekend will be held at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex.

Penguins President and Chief Executive Officer, David Morehouse said, “We are excited to have the National Women’s Hockey League bring its showcase event to the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. Women’s hockey is growing rapidly both in Pittsburgh and across the world, and this will give our fans the chance to see the most talented players in North America and create new role models for aspiring players in the Pittsburgh area.”

New York Riveters forward, Amanda Kessel and Buffalo Beauts forward, Kelley Steadman, were chosen to be the captains for the 2017 NWHL All Star Game.

Both Steadman and Kessel have ties to the Pittsburgh area as well. Kessel’s older brother, Phil Kessel, plays for the Penguins, as part the team’s “HBK Line,” with Carl Hagelin and Nick Bonino. Steadman is the Director of Hockey Operations for Robert Morris University, in nearby Moon, PA.

Kessel said, “I am excited and honored to be a part of this year’s NWHL All Star Game, and it is especially awesome to have it in the city where my brother has found a new home and success. I have been lucky to experience first-hand what a great hockey town Pittsburgh is. To be able to showcase the talented hockey players of the NWHL to the passionate fans of Pittsburgh is going to be a lot of fun and a great opportunity to expand our fan base.”

The 2017 NWHL All Star Game will take place on Sunday February 12, 2017. The league will release more information on the rest of the events for All Star Weekend within the next few weeks. Those events will range from details about the skills competition, to the fan activities to the all-star selection process.

NWHL Commissioner, Dani Rylan said, “Our goal has been to grow our footprint outside of our markets so the elite athletes of the NWHL can demonstrate their amazing talents before new crowds. Since we started the league last year, we have received a lot of support from women’s hockey fans in Pittsburgh, so taking our all-star game there was a natural choice, and we are thrilled about it.”

Tickets for the 2017 NWHL All Star Game will officially go on sale, December 14 at 10:00 AM and can be purchased through www.nwhl.zone/tickets.