Earning their first home win of the year, the Toronto Sceptres outlasted the Ottawa Charge 3-1 at Coca-Coliseum on Thursday.
The matchup was ‘Stick It To Cancer Night’, one of a handful of Unity, Promotional and Theme games held annually. This particular outing honoured patients, families and caregivers – among others – who have been affected by the disease.
Coincidentally, Ottawa coach Carla MacLeod returned behind the bench after missing one game following a breast cancer diagnosis that she revealed publicly this past week. Former Sceptres goalie Erica Howe, who retired from the league after her own diagnosis – and eventually compleed successful radiation treatments this past year – dropped the puck for opening faceoff.
Flanked by captains Blayre Turnbull of Toronto and Brianne Jenner of Ottawa, Howe performed the duties while wearing MacLeod’s Team Canada sweater.
“It’s really overwhelming for me,” MacLeod said of the outpouring of support. “I’m so grateful, it’s just been this whole massive wave of love. But I just hope to pay it forward. If anything, I can just encourage people to take care of their health and get checked.”
Goalie Elaine Chuli made her first start of the year for Toronto, but got off to a shaky start. Less than two minutes into the game, Ottawa’s Fanuza Kadirova sprinted down the right wing on a partial breakaway and squeezed the puck between Chuli’s pads to break the ice on the game’s first shot.
The Sceptres blitzed their opponents in the opening frame, outshooting Ottawa18-4, the wide margin strengthened by three power plays. Charge goalie Gwyneth Philips rose to the occasion, her best stop coming on the penalty kill while she was horizontal to the ice and seemingly out of position, only to reach behind her to make a miraculous paddle save off Toronto captain Blayre Turnbull.
Toronto finally broke through in the second period. With Ottawa’s Jocelyne Larocque serving her second penalty of the game, Sceptres forward Daryl Watts picked the top corner above Philips’s blocker for the equalizer.
Natalie Spooner put the home team in front, standing at the top of the crease and tipping a Watts shot fired from the left wing boards. It was Spooner’s first goal of the season.
Ottawa ran into penalty trouble, compiling six minors to Toronto’s one after forty minutes of play. Three of the Charge’s infractions were committed by defender Larocque.
Spooner had a chance to give her team some insurance in the third period, outskating defender Stephanie Markowski to find herself all alone down the right wing, but was turned away by Philips, who made 34 saves overall.
In the final minute, Turnbull rounded out the scoring into an empty net.
Watts finished the game with a goal and an assist, and was named the game’s first star. “We were getting so many shots on net. We felt good and we knew that we could come back,” Watts said of her team’s performance that included a final shot tally of 37-17.
Noteworthy: McLeod was given a standing ovation from the near-sellout crowd of 7,715 during the first TV timeout of the third period, and was also hugged by each member of the Sceptres at game’s end…Toronto iced their full lineup for the first time in three outings this year. Renata Fast and Daryl Watts missed the first and second games, respectively, due to injuries.
Around the league
Wed Dec 3 – Boston goalie Aerin Frankel recorded her second shutout of the season as the Fleet blanked the Vancouver Goldeneyes 2-0. Frankel has allowed just one goal in three outings so far this season. Abby Newhook and Jill Saulnier scored for the Fleet, who remain the only unbeaten team in the PWHL.
Also Wednesday, the Seattle Torrent rallied with a pair of late goals to stun the New York Sirens 2-1. Alex Carpenter scored with just 1:24 left in regulation for the equalizer, and Hilary Knight recorded the game-winner a mere 22 seconds later. Pateyn Lewis had the Sirens’ only goal.
The attendance for each of the eight teams’ home openers is as follows:
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