The PWHL’s first game in the nation’s capital shattered the U.S. attendance record for professional women’s hockey, drawing 17,228 fans to Capital One Arena for the New York Sirens‘ 2–1 victory over the Montreal Victoire.

The crowd quashed the previous record of 16,014, set when Seattle hosted Minnesota in November.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen that many people at warm-ups with signs along the glass for us,” said New York’s Sarah Fillier. “In the third, when they were singing along during play, it’s an incredible feeling as a player.”

With the largest American crowd in league history watching, it was fitting that New York’s rookies carried the offensive load.

First overall pick Kristýna Kaltounková wasted no time announcing her presence, burying a power play goal just 84 seconds into the opening frame for her eighth tally of the season. The Czech phenom has been on a tear lately, with five goals in her last five games, which tops among all PWHL rookies and second across the entire league.

But it was another Sirens rookie who would etch her name into the record books alongside the historic crowd. Midway through the second period, Anne Cherkowski redirected a Paetyn Levis feed off the opening face-off to score her first professional goal, one that would stand as the game-winner and give New York its sixth consecutive game with at least a point.

The D.C. crowd delivered

For Montreal’s Hayley Scamurra, a D.C. area native, the atmosphere was everything she’d hoped for and then some.

“I knew they would show up, but I think this exceeded everyone’s expectations,” Scamurra said. “The energy that they brought, I mean, that was the loudest they’ve ever been. I heard people from the Caps say that was as loud as they’ve been all season.”

The crowd’s passion wasn’t lost on Fillier either, who acknowledged the palpable hunger for women’s sports in the nation’s capital. “You can tell there’s a lot of passion in this city for sports, and especially for women’s sports. It was a great crowd, and it would be awesome to come back and play here.”

The Sirens, last place finishers in the PWHL’s first two seasons, climbed to second place with the win. They’ve earned points in six straight games.

Kayle Osborne was stellar once again between the pipes, stopping 31 of 32 shots in her 13th consecutive start, which is also a franchise record.

“Obviously, we have a completely different group, and that starts there,” Levis explained when asked about the turnaround. “Some of the leaders in the locker room have stepped up, and we’ve matured in understanding situations like being on the power play with two minutes left, controlling the puck and being smart about how we close out games.”

That maturity has been evident in the results. New York is a perfect 4–0–0–0 this season when being outshot by opponents, finding ways to win tight games that eluded them in previous campaigns.

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Montreal head coach Kori Cheverie was frustrated after a late penalty hampered her team’s comeback attempt.

“We can’t win hockey games when that type of stuff happens,” Cheverie said. “Nothing is given in this league; you have to earn absolutely every inch of ice.”

The Victoire dropped to fourth place with the defeat. This is their first setback in four games and their first loss since facing New York on January 2nd.

Next up, New York hosts the Ottawa Charge on Tuesday while Montreal travels to Minnesota on Wednesday.

Sunday’s record crowd proves American fans will show up for elite women’s hockey when given the chance. The question now is which city raises the bar next?