The Vancouver Goldeneyes were defeated 2- 1 in their first game back after the Olympic break against the Toronto Sceptres.
The Goldeneyes hosted the Scepteres at the Pacific Coliseum in front of 13,264 people.
Toronto’s Raygan Kirk opened up the scoring in the 7th minute, followed by Lauren Messier less than a minute later. This was Messier’s first career professional women’s hockey league (PWHL) goal. Goaltender Raygan Kirk saved 25 of 26 shots on net.
Izzy Daniel scored the only goal for Vancouver in the third period. Fans jumped to their feet in celebration when she scored, but the excitement was temporarily halted as the goal was reviewed. After the review, the referees confirmed that it was indeed a goal.
Daniels said, “We wanted to get more pucks on the net, that was something we were talking about, especially with traffic in front. I would say for myself, I’m a passer, so not always looking to shoot, but when you get the puck in the slot, I think that’s the time when you have to bear down and fire it on net. That’s something I continually try to work on, is being more shot ready. I’m just looking for the right play and that was the right play there.”
Goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer saved 22 of 24 shots for the Goldeneyes.
The Goldeneyes took a moment of silence at the start of the game to honour the victims and survivors of the Tumbler Ridge tragedy.
Before the start of the game the Goldeneyes took a moment of silence to honour the victims of Tumbler Ridge and Maya, who is still in hospital fighting for her life. @PWHL__Vancouver @SurreyNowLeader pic.twitter.com/i8GPU4ltC1
— Anna Burns (@AnnaBBurns) March 1, 2026
Goldeneyes defender Claire Thompson is listed as day-to-day after suffering an upper-body injury during the Olympics, and Katie Chan is also listed day-to-day with an injury.
Vancouver Head Coach Brian Idalski said there is room for improvement in the next game.
“As much as the game is involved with individual skill and ability, hockey still at its core is a one-on-one physical competition. Having a little more of a chip on your shoulders, having a little more grit sandpaper to go along with our skill to get to the inside, to battle to get net front presence and to be heavier to play against, specifically offensively, that’s the missing piece for me. I think we start stringing some of that together – we’re a good hockey club, and we still have faith in that.”
Vancouver’s second of a five-game homestand is on March 10 against the Boston Fleet at 7 p.m. PT.
The Goldneyes sit in seventh place with 17 points.
The PWHL entered its third season on Nov. 21 with its original six teams: Toronto Sceptres, Montreal Victoire, Ottawa Charge, Minnesota Frost, Boston Fleet, and New York Sirens, along with the two new teams, Vancouver Goldeneyes and Seattle Torrent.
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About the Author: Anna Burns
I cover breaking news, health care, court, Vancouver Rise FC, Vancouver Goldeneyes and social issues-related topics for the Surrey Now-Leader. anna.burns@surreynowleader.com Follow Anna on Twitter.