The Toronto Sceptres took a quick break from being at home all of March as they headed to take on the Boston Fleet on Tuesday night (March 17). The game took place at Agganis Arena in Boston, Massachusetts. The Sceptres were hoping to continue their strong play post-Olympic break against the league’s best team.
Toronto sat in a tie for fourth with the Ottawa Charge at 28 points at the outset of this one. On the other side, the Fleet held a comfortable three-point lead on first place in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) at 39 points.
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The Sceptres got their goals from Daryl Watts and Blayre Turnbull. It took a while, but Toronto scored a couple goals late in the third and came away with a big victory. They won 2-0.
Watts Extends Point Streak
Make it four-straight games with a point and back-to-back games with a goal for Watts. She broke the stalemate just shy of the midway point of the third when she brought the puck into the Fleet zone and squeaked one past Aerin Frankel. It was her eighth of the season as she stays in hot pursuit of the scoring title late in the season.
Watts had a few decent chances throughout the game and finally got one by Frankel for the game winner. She’s one of the stars on the team that head coach Troy Ryan relies on heavily, and she seems to deliver every time.
Sceptres Had Plenty of Chances
Like Watts, the rest of the team also had some chances to add to their lead throughout the game. They were constantly testing the Fleet with screened shots and scrambling after any rebounds they got. Toronto recorded an even 30 shots in the game, most of them being high-quality in my opinion. They also had three chances on the power play, but could not convert and struggled to set anything up.
It’s a good thing they came out on top in this one, but taking advantage of some of the chances they had will be crucial when playing top teams going forward. They’ll need to clean that up, especially given the tightness of the middle part of the standings. Every goal counts, whether you end up winning 2-0 or 6-0.
Toronto Defence Locks Up Boston
The Fleet had a few good chances in this one, but they came few and far between. The Sceptres’ defensive effort, led by a 26-save shutout from Raygan Kirk, proved frustrating for their opponent. They held Boston to zero-for-three on the power play and rarely allowed them to bring anything to the interior of the offensive zone.
It was a stellar effort led by their top-tier defenders in Renata Fast and Ella Shelton, who had 27:18 and 22:43 in ice time, respectively. Emma Maltais was also a big part of that, with over 20 minutes played and aggressive play in all four corners. It was a statement game against the PWHL’s top team as the Sceptres grabbed hold of a playoff spot for the moment.
Sceptres Head Back Home
As mentioned, Toronto has been playing most of the month in their home arena. They will continue to do so next Friday night (March 27) in a rematch with the Fleet at Coca-Cola Coliseum. Puck drop for that one is 5 p.m. MDT. And to finish the month, they will play the Vancouver Goldeneyes on home ice next Sunday (March 29) with puck drop set for 11 a.m. MDT.
