By Ashley Killins
After a very strong few performances after the Olympic break for the PWHL, the Sceptres tried to keep the train rolling in their game on Sunday. Unfortunately, that train ran head first into theMinnesota Frost.
The Sceptres came into this game off two road wins and a very close home loss after the break, while the Frost have only played one game since the break, and it was a 4-0 shutout against the Victoire.
On paper, this game should have been a win for the Sceptres, so what went wrong?
Although it appeared as though they had sorted out their defence issues from before the Olympic break, those same old problems came to rear their ugly heads again: bad line changes, not enough care through the neutral zone, defenders getting caught too deep in the offensive zone, and not enough blocked shots in the defensive zone.
As before the break, they came to rely on their goaltender, Raygan Kirk, to keep them in the game, and she certainly delivered in this one.
While Toronto played well to keep the puck to the walls for the first three minutes of the game, the Frost’s first shot on goal was a high danger chance net-front; stopped by Kirk, but not a great start to the game.
Compounding this, Frost forward Denisa Křížová was allowed to practically walk into Kirk and scored her first goal of the season.
Following this the Sceptres would rally, they managed to get two “greasy” goals: one in the first period by Emma Woods, and one in the second frame, courtesy of Daryl Watts.
There was clearly some communication in the locker room after the first period, but the magic did not last long.
The Frost stepped up their defensive style, which has won them the Walter Cup two years in a row, and the Sceptres simply had no answer after Watts’ goal.
After Toronto’s Clara Van Wieren was called for boarding early in the third period, Minnesota’s Taylor Heise would rip one from the circles and eventually force overtime, while extending her lead atop the PWHL scoring race.
To the Sceptres’ credit, they put on the pressure hard at the end regulation and the first half of overtime, but it would be another bad penalty – an undisciplined slash by Renata Fast – which would ultimately seal their fate.
As evidenced by Kirk being named the third star, and her starting every game since the Olympic break, it seems Toronto has found its number-one starter in net. Thoroughly middle of the road in the league with a 0.919 save percentage, she is not the problem with the Sceptres.
They need to sort out both their blue line and their defensive play from their forwards if they are going to stand a chance at making the playoffs.
Luckily the standings are still relatively close; only a regulation win from leapfrogging the New York Sirens for a playoff spot, but the season is already more than half over and Toronto has played more games than any other PWHL team.
The trade deadline is approaching. Could another blockbuster deal like they did with Ottawa last season save them?
Or will the Sceptres spend another year playing second fiddle to the Minnesota Frost?
One thing is for sure, on this International Women’s Day, these women did not have a good day.
