The Vancouver Goldeneyes won their home opener 4- 3 against the Seattle Torrent in overtime Friday night in front of a sold-out crowd.
Seattle Torrent’s Julia Gosling opened up the scoring in the first period. Several minutes later, at 17:41, the Goldeneyes’ Sarah Nurse scored, at which point the fans jumped in celebration.
Seattle Torrent’s Julia Gosling scored before the end of the first period.
Goldeneyes Gabby Rosenthal scored less than a minute into the third period to tie the game 2-2.
Then, during the 13th minute, Hannah Bilka scored for the Seattle Torrent, giving them a one-point lead.
Vancouver forward Abby Boreen said the coaches told the team between periods not to “panic” and to “keep going out there shift by shift.”
“Good things happen when we work hard. Claire (Thompson) getting that goal was huge for us and I think going into OT the momentum was in our favour,” Boreen said.
Then Goldeneyes Claire Thompson scored and tied the game 3-3.
With the two teams tied at the end of the third, the game went to overtime.
Abby Boreen scored the game-winning goal for the Goldeneyes 1 minute and 36 seconds into overtime. As soon as the goal hit the back of the Torrent’s net, the fans erupted in celebration.
The three stars of the game were Sarah Nurse, who had the first goal of the regular season for the Goldeneyes, Abby Boreen, who scored the game-winning goal and Julia Gosling, who scored twice Friday night.
Abby Boreen scored the game-winning goal for the Goldeneyes 1 minute and 36 seconds into overtime. As soon as the goal hit the back of the Torrent’s net, the fans erupted in celebration. pic.twitter.com/feQ07o4ctm
— Anna Burns (@AnnaBBurns) November 22, 2025
The Vancouver Goldeneyes hosted the Seattle Torrent in front of a sold-out crowd in Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver on Friday (Nov. 21).
Three-time Olympian and Canadian soccer legend Christine Sinclair performed the pre-ceremonial puck drop. The puck was given to her by three-time gold Olympic hockey champion, Meghan Agosta.
“Friday’s sold-out crowd of 14,958 at Pacific Coliseum is the eighth largest attendance in PWHL history and the largest for any team in their primary home venue,” said Vancouver Goldeneyes in a news release Friday.
The Goldeneyes are the only team in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) to be the first tenants of the arena they play in, which means their logo is at centre ice.
Along with the logo at centre ice, the Vancouver Goldeneyes’ branding and player cutouts were featured throughout the newly renovated Pacific Coliseum.
Goldeneyes forward Sarah Nurse spoke to the historic moment that was Friday night’s game,“You know that when you walk into the Pacific Coliseum, you’re coming to see the Goldeneyes, and I think that’s something that’s so special. I think it’s something that the fans have really embraced. To see the amount of jerseys and merch in the stands—I took a second to look around the entire arena and it just seemed like everybody had a piece of Goldeneyes merch.”
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.
The Toronto Sceptres faced off against the two-time Walter Cup champions, Minnesota Frost, earlier in the night in St. Paul, MN. The Sceptres won 2-1.
The Goldeneyes will face off on Wednesday (Nov. 26) against the Ottawa Charge in Ottawa at 4 p.m. PT.
In Canada, Tuesday night games will stream on Prime Video, Wednesday night games will be on TSN, Thursday night games will air on TSN and Sportsnet.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday games will air on CBC, TSN, and Sportsnet. Friday’s (Nov. 21) season opener between Toronto Sceptres and Minnesota Frost will air on TSN at 4 p.m. EST, followed by Vancouver Goldeneyes vs. Seattle Torrent at 7 p.m. PT on TSN.
READ MORE: Vancouver Goldeneyes unveil roster ahead of inaugural season
READ MORE: Meet the Goldeneyes: PWHL Vancouver reveals team name
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.