The Toronto Sceptres might just be turncoats when it comes to the QEW rivalry.
The Professional Women’s Hockey League franchise played up the importance of the Tiger-Cats ahead of their Takeover Tour game in Hamilton on Saturday, with multiple players showing up in gear for their city’s biggest CFL rivals.
Defender Renata Fast, a two-time Olympian with Team Canada and the team’s assistant captain, rocked a Bo Levi Mitchell jersey for her arrival before being presented with her own custom uniform courtesy of Hamilton safety Stavros Katsantonis. Forward Maggie Connors was ahead of the curve and already had a custom Ticats jersey featuring her name and number, while Claire Dalton wore a team sweatshirt for her pre-game fit.
In addition to Katsantonis, a number of Ticats players were in attendance to support the event. Receivers Kiondre Smith and Kenny Lawler, linebacker Devin Veresuk, running back Johnny Augustine, and cornerback Jamal Peters all showed up to the game at TD Coliseum, which will serve as a test of the market’s interest in women’s hockey as the PWHL continues to expand.
Unfortunately for the Sceptres, wearing Black and Gold proved to be a bad omen, as they lost 3-2 to the Seattle Torrent in a shootout in front of a crowd of 16,012. Fast did record an assist in the game, proving that Mitchell isn’t the only one capable of completing scoring passes.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats finished first in the East Division standings in 2025 with an 11-7 record, though the team lost the East Final to the Montreal Alouettes. Bo Levi Mitchell led the CFL with 5,296 passing yards, 36 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions after starting all 18 regular-season games, earning the East Division’s nomination for Most Outstanding Player.
The Tiger-Cats ranked third in net offence, eighth in net defence, and first with a turnover differential of 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 Katsantonis with 69 tackles. Hamilton ranked fourth in attendance with average crowds of 22,858, which was a 3.9 percent increase from the previous year.
