In the debut game of the Professional Women’s Hockey League in Halifax, the Montreal Victoire triumphed over the Toronto Sceptres with a 2-1 shootout victory. Ann-Renee Desbiens showcased a stellar performance with 35 saves, while Marie-Philip Poulin sealed the win with the only goal in the shootout, cheered on by a capacity crowd of 10,438 at the Scotiabank Centre.
Maya Labad scored for Montreal in regulation, equalizing after Anna Kjellbin’s opening goal for Toronto. Sceptres’ goalkeeper Raygan Kirk made 30 saves during the intense matchup.
This game marked the beginning of 16 neutral-site games scheduled for the PWHL’s Takeover Tour this season, including two games in Halifax. The next event at the Halifax Mooseheads’ home will feature the Ottawa Charge facing the Boston Fleet on Jan. 11.
In a fiercely contested game, Toronto’s Blayre Turnbull came close to securing the win in regulation time, but was denied by Desbiens. A potential game-winning breakaway by Emma Maltais for the Sceptres was nullified due to interference by Renata Fast on Montreal’s Jessica DiGirolamo in overtime.
Following this victory, the Montreal Victoire will face Vancouver next, while the Toronto Sceptres will play against New York. In another game on the same night, the Seattle Torrent defeated the Ottawa Charge 4-1, with Alex Carpenter scoring twice and Hannah Bilka contributing a goal and two assists for Seattle’s second consecutive win. The expansion team, Seattle Torrent, secured their back-to-back wins for the first time in franchise history.
Julia Gosling and Rebecca Leslie also found the net for Seattle and Ottawa, respectively, in an action-packed game. The Seattle Torrent will host Boston in their upcoming match, while Ottawa Charge will play against the Minnesota Frost in Chicago.
The game showcased remarkable performances from both teams, setting the stage for an exciting season ahead in the PWHL.
