The Professional Women’s Hockey League postponed a playoff game Monday night “due to player safety concerns related to illness.”
The Minnesota Frost and the Montreal Victoire were supposed to play a decisive Game 5 Monday, but the game was postponed two hours before its scheduled start.
“The decision was made following consultation with medical personnel and in accordance with the league’s commitment to the health and well-being of players, fans, staff and all those involved in the competition,” the PWHL said in its initial statement.
The league, which launched in 2024, said it would announce the rescheduled date once “medical guidance determines it is appropriate to resume play.”
Roughly four hours later, the PWHL announced on X that Game 5 would be played Tuesday at 7 p.m. EDT. Place Bell, the Victoire’s home arena, will still host the game.
What illness postponed the PWHL game?
The PWHL has not announced which illness caused the postponement of the Frost-Victoire game, but it did disclose that medical assessments determined the illness’ “symptoms are not consistent with hantavirus.”
Fears of another pandemic arose after the rodent-borne Andes hantavirus killed and infected several passengers on a cruise ship earlier this month.
Utah State Epidemiologist Leisha Nolen previously told Deseret News that she does “not have concern of this infection spreading widely.”
“Unlike COVID, hantavirus is a disease that has been around and studied for years. This means we know how it transmits and how to stop it from spreading to additional people,” Nolen said.
Two anonymous sources told The Associated Press that “the illness is limited to Montreal.”
The two teams traveled together by charter plane from Montreal to Minnesota for Games 3 and 4 but traveled separately back to Montreal for Game 5, according to AP.
The winner of Tuesday’s game will face the Ottawa Charge in the Walter Cup Final. Minnesota has won the first two PWHL titles and is looking to win its third consecutive.