The Toronto Sceptres played host to the Ottawa Charge on Thursday night (Dec. 4) at Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto, Ontario. This was the first game of the season between these two in-province rivals, as they both came in seeking win number two of the young season.
The Sceptres came in with a 1-1-0-0 record and tied for fifth in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL).
The Charge started this one at 1-2-0-0, sitting alone in seventh in the PWHL.
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The Sceptres won this one 3-1. Here’s your game recap.
Game Recap
The road team struck first as Fanuza Kadirova came streaking in and blew one past Sceptres goalie Elaine Chuli for her first PWHL goal. That goal came just 1:45 into the game and was the only marker of the period as the Charge took a 1-0 lead into the break. Despite trailing, Toronto had a heavy advantage on the shot clock at 18-4.
The Sceptres’ relentless push paid off in the second when Daryl Watts ripped one blocker side past Gwyneth Philips to tie things up on the power play. And then later on in the period, Natalie Spooner redirected a slick feed from Watts for her first of the season and the lead. They took that 2-1 lead into the second intermission, with the shots in their favour at 27-11.
The third period saw the Sceptres protect their lead on the way to victory. The Charge pulled their goaltender with just under two minutes left, but captain Blayre Turnbull buried one in the open goal to seal it. The final score was 3-1, with the shot count in their favour at 37-17.
Watts led the way on offense as she had a goal and an assist in this one. Meanwhile, Chuli stopped 16 shots in a row to record her first win as a member of the Sceptres. Philips was also solid at the other end, stopping 34 out of 37.
Ottawa’s next game comes in a couple weeks when they visit the Vancouver Goldeneyes at Pacific Coliseum on a Tuesday night (Dec. 16). Puck drop is slated for 8 p.m. MDT.
Toronto’s next game will be an early one this Sunday (Dec. 7) as they visit the Montreal Victoire at Place Bell. Puck drop will be at 10 a.m. MDT.
