Inaugural PWHL season opener to air live on CBC Sports, Radio-Canada

New Year's Day marks a new beginning for women's hockey.

The Professional Women's Hockey League's inaugural season begins Jan. 1 when Toronto hosts New York live on CBC Sports, with a pre-game show at noon ET ahead of puck drop at 12:30 p.m. ET. CBC Sports will air another 17 games through the season.

The New Year's Day contest at Toronto's Mattamy Athletic Centre — inside the building which used to be Maple Leaf Gardens — is also available on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem as well as in French on ICI TÉLÉ and ICI TOU.TV.

Coverage of the Toronto-New York game, the first in league history, will by led by a studio panel featuring host Andi Petrillo alongside The Athletic's Hailey Salvian, former pro hockey player Saroya Tinker, and TSN reporter and Olympic gold medallist Tessa Bonhomme. Daniella Ponticelli is the play-by-play announcer next to colour commentator Cheryl Pounder of TSN, while CBC Sports' Anastasia Bucsis will be rinkside.

WATCH | A look back at the year in sports, including the formation of the PWHL:

"CBC Sports is committed to providing equal coverage of women's sport across all platforms and is proud to provide a national stage for the PWHL, helping to further grow audiences for women's hockey in Canada and celebrate the incredible talent in this country and around the world," Wilson said.

CBC Sports will also launch a new digital show titled Hockey North, with host Rob Pizzo taking you through the top storylines in the PWHL and throughout Canadian hockey. The show will be available weekly on YouTube and CBC Sports digital platforms.

The remaining 17 PWHL games on CBC Sports' schedule will all take place on Saturdays, continuing Jan. 6 when Montreal visits Minnesota.

The full schedule is