The Vancouver Goldeneyes defeated the Toronto Sceptres 3-2 in front of a sold-out crowd in Toronto on Sunday (March 29).
This is the first time the Goldeneyes have won on the road in a primary home venue, according to the PWHL.
The Sceptres hosted the Goldeneyes at the Coca-Cola Coliseum in front of 8,631 people.
Toronto’s captain, Blayre Turnbull, opened up the scoring at 2:32 in the first period. Just over five minutes later, Hannah Miller, a former Sceptres, responded, scoring a goal for Vancouver, which tied the game going into the second period.
Just over thirty seconds into the second period, Izzy Daniel scored for the Goldeneyes, giving them the lead.
Goldeneyes Head Coach Brian Idalski said of Izzy Daniel: “It was noticeable immediately that her hockey IQ is smart, she’s good with the puck. She’s a good passer, and so as she’s gotten comfortable and settled in, especially with that line, she continues to grow and make plays. The biggest thing for me is she’s creating offence without sacrificing anything defensively. She’s playing a 200-foot game and continues to get better.”
The Toronto captain, Turnbull, scored again, tying the game, but it did not last long.
Less than a minute after Turnbull’s second goal, Mannon McMahon scored the game-winning goal for the Goldeneyes.
Vancouver goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer was back in the net Sunday after being off with an upper-body injury. She saved 25 of 27 shots on goal.
The PWHL noted that, “She (Maschmeyer) became the seventh goaltender to record 20 career wins today and has allowed two or fewer goals in five straight starts, surpassing Aerin Frankel (BOS) for the longest such active streak.”
Vancouver forward Hannah Miller said it felt “good” to win Sunday, especially as the race for a playoff spot continues. “We go into every game wanting to get three points, and we’re just going to try to string some together and keep it rolling. We know how important everything is.”
Sceptres goalie Elaine Chuli saved 26 of 29 shots.
Sceptres captain Blayre Turnbull said of the game, “We definitely had more chances tonight. I think we’ve got to be a bit more hungry, got to make sure we’re bearing down, getting rebounds and putting them in. Troy mentioned after the game, he stills believes that we’re passing up a lot of shooting opportunities. I think the goalies in this league are really good and if we want to score, we have to get more pucks to the net, and I think we’ve got to find a way to bury our second chances too.
Vancouver is currently tied for sixth place with the New York Sirens in the league with 27 points.
The Goldeneyes will take on the Montréal Victorie on Wednesday (Apri 1) at 4 p.m. PT.