On Friday, Nov. 21, the Seattle Torrent played in their inaugural game against the Vancouver Goldeneyes. It just made sense to pit the two newest expansion teams in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) against each other, and what a game it was. The Torrent scored first, but the Goldeneyes kept pace with them. In the third period, the Torrent took the lead, but the Goldeneyes tied it up shortly after. With the game going into overtime to decide the winner, it was the Goldeneyes who took the victory 4-3.
Gosling Finding Success With Seattle
Julia Gosling scored not once, but twice in this game.
Late in the first period, Anna Wilgren took a shot at the blue line, but it was saved by Emerance Maschmeyer. Both Alex Carpenter and Gosling were up in front of the net, but Gosling got the rebound first. She took a shot to make history, scoring the first goal ever for the Torrent.
With a minute left on the clock, Gosling received another feed, this time from Hilary Knight. She skated to the edge of the faceoff circle and let her shot fly, scoring her second goal of the game and the second ever for the Torrent.
Gosling was selected in the expansion draft by Seattle. She spent her rookie season in the PWHL with the Toronto Sceptres. She scored a total of four goals last season, but all of them were on the power play. These were her first two goals at 5-on-5 in the PWHL. They are just a testament to the work she has put in with the Torrent. Seattle is a change of pace for Gosling, and already it has paid off.
Bilka’s Goal Has Already Caused Issues With New PWHL Rule
Halfway into the third period, Emily Brown had the puck at the blue line. She passed it around the boards, where it found Danielle Serdachny behind the net. Hannah Bilka skated up, and Serdachny passed to her. Bilka sent the puck past Maschmeyer to give the Torrent the lead.
Related: Sceptres Fight Back to Take Down Frost 2-1
However, it wasn’t clear if it was a goal right away. The official was right behind the net and immediately disallowed it. The play then went to further review, where it was deemed a good goal. However, now in the third season of the PWHL, the league has abolished the coach’s challenge. All questionable goals have to go through a review only if the official asks for one.
Luckily for the Torrent, this official did request a review, but what would have happened if they didn’t? The Goldeneyes would have won in regulation, as Bilka’s goal was the last one the Torrent scored in this game. Maybe the PWHL will decide to bring the coach’s challenge back.
Injuries Already Becoming an Issue
In the second period, Tereza Vanisova laid a hit on Aneta Tejralova. The hit was definitely clean, but Tejralova landed awkwardly, causing her to need assistance to get up. While she returned to the bench in the second period after going down the tunnel, she later left the game again with a lower-body injury and did not return.
Hopefully, Tejralova is okay and doesn’t have to go on injured reserve (IR). In the event that she does, the Torrent have one defender on reserve that they could call up, Emily Zumwinkle. While she went undrafted, Seattle sent her a camp invite. Although she didn’t make the roster, she impressed the team enough to receive a position on the reserves. There is a chance that she gets to make her debut in the PWHL sooner rather than later.
Torrent Home Opener Up Next
The Torrent’s next game is an exciting one, their home opener. They will host the Minnesota Frost on Friday, Nov. 28.
