In a historic moment for women's professional hockey, PWHL Minnesota's game against Montreal at the Xcel Energy Center set a new attendance record with 13,361 fans. The historic evening was further highlighted by Grace Zumwinkle's exceptional performance, as she scored the first hat trick in the league, leading her team to a 3-0 victory on Saturday.

The previous attendance record of 8,318, previously the highest set by Ottawa during their debut just three days prior, was surpassed by the crowd at the Minnesota game.

During an interview with MPR News' Todd Melby, Zumwinkle, a University of Minnesota graduate, shared her excitement about the electric atmosphere at the Xcel Energy Center.

“I think what was more exciting was just the atmosphere at the Xcel. And I think breaking the attendance record of having roughly 14,000 fans was just as special as the hat trick in and of itself. It's just huge that the league is getting to this point,” Zumwinkle said, “And obviously super exciting for our team, especially with a lot of players from Minnesota.

Zumwinkle described the initial jitters the team felt due to the packed arena but noted how they quickly adapted to the energy of the game. Her plays led to three goals, contributing to the team's win.

“I think a lot of us were nervous. I think that was maybe evident in the first 10 minutes of our game. But then, once we settled into it, it was just like any other hockey game. And so I think the jitters and nerves were definitely there for us,” Zumwinkle said. “It was surreal, I think, especially playing for the Gophers, I got a taste of it, but nothing quite like having maybe 10,000 more fans than I was used to. But I think it's just the first word that comes to my mind is ‘pride.' And I think that was evident in the fans that showed up.”

Looking forward, Zumwinkle and PWHL Minnesota are preparing for their upcoming game against Toronto on Wednesday. Acknowledging the strength of their opponents, she emphasized the need for readiness in the competitive league.

“In this league, there's so many good teams and you can't take a night off. So it will be interesting to play them for the first time,” she said. “But each team has their own strengths. So we always got to be up ready for the challenge.”