Professional Women's Hockey League inspires female athletes in Calgary

Calgary doesn't have a team in the league, but the local hockey community is excited about the doors it will open for women who want to play professionally.

The official launch of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) is inspiring female athletes in Calgary.

Calgary doesn't have a team in the league, but the local hockey community is excited about the doors it will open for women who want to play professionally.

Gabriella Durante has been playing hockey for 14 years, five of them as a goalie with the University of Calgary Dinos women's hockey team.

"Now that there's an established North American league, it's super exciting and it gives me something to chase after following university and something little girls can grow up striving for," she told CTV News.

Durante watched the PWHL's inaugural game on New Year’s Day, where New York beat Toronto 4-0.

She says the most exciting part was seeing women she knows and has played with shine on the ice.

"To see them on TV, performing like they were, it was just amazing and it gives me an itch I need to scratch now," Durante said with a laugh.