When it comes to the QEW rivalry, the Toronto Scepters may just be turncoats.
The Women's Professional Hockey League franchise highlighted the importance of the Tigercats ahead of the Takeover Tour game in Hamilton on Saturday when several players showed up in uniform for their city's biggest CFL rivals.
Defender Renata Fast, a two-time Olympic member of Team Canada and assistant team captain, donned a Bo Levi Mitchell jersey upon arrival and then received her own uniform, courtesy of Hamilton security Stavros Katsantonis. Forward Maggie Connors was ahead of the pack and already had a special Ticats jersey with her name and number on it, while Claire Dalton wore a team sweatshirt before the game.
CFL 🤝 PVHL
All the love in Hamilton 🫶 pic.twitter.com/JR4SdTFdJ3
— Toronto Scepters (@PWHL_Toronto) January 3, 2026
In addition to Katsantonis, several Ticats players were in attendance. Receivers Kiondre Smith and Kenny Lawler, linebacker Devin Veresuk, running back Johnny Augustine and defensive end Jamal Peters all showed up for the game at TD Coliseum, which will serve as a test of market interest in women's hockey as the PWHL continues to expand.
Unfortunately for the Scepters, wearing the black and gold proved to be a bad omen as they lost to Seattle Torrent 3–2 in a shootout in front of 16,012 spectators. Fast recorded an assist in the game, proving that Mitchell is not the only one capable of making assists.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats finished first in the East Division standings in 2025 with an 11-7 record, although the team lost to the Montreal Alouettes in the East final. Bo Levi Mitchell led the CFL with 5,296 passing yards, 36 touchdowns and 11 interceptions after starting all 18 regular season games, earning an Eastern Division Most Outstanding Player nomination.
The Tiger Cats ranked third in net offense, eighth in net defense and first in turnover differential plus ten. The club's leading rusher was Greg Bell with 1,038 yards, the leading receiver was Kenny Lawler with 1,443 yards, and the leading tackler was Stavros Kasantonis with 69 tackles. Hamilton ranked fourth in attendance with an average attendance of 22,858, up 3.9 percent from the previous year.
