The Montreal Victoire defeated the Toronto Sceptres 3-1 in a Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) game held at Place Bell on Sunday. The Victoire now hold a record of 2-0-0-1, while the Sceptres drop to 2-0-0-2. Here are three takeaways from the game:
1. Desbiens' Dominance in Net: Ann-Renée Desbiens was a key factor in the Victoire's victory, making 21 saves, including 11 in the third period. She effectively shut down the Sceptres' offense, particularly during a critical five-on-three penalty kill early in the third period, where she made several key stops, including one against Ella Shelton.
2. Sceptres Need More Aggression: The Sceptres have a lot of skill, but they need to play with more of an edge. They have been outdone in the hit column in every game this season, sometimes by double digits. There was also a moment in the first period when captain Blayre Turnbull took a heavy shot in the back, and there was no response from her teammates. A hard edge from the Sceptres could prove to be valuable down the line. They'll need their leaders in this category in Emma Maltais and Renata Fast to continue to be physical and others to take on more of a role in this area.
3. Penalty Kill Solid Despite a Shorthanded Goal: Toronto allowed a shorthanded goal after killing eight straight penalties to start the season. Although they've had some struggles on the power play, the other half of Toronto's special teams is firing on all cylinders. The penalty kill unit has killed off 10 of 11 penalties the team has taken so far, including a five-on-three in Sunday's game. While their first goal allowed shorthanded caused them to drop in the league rankings, operating at around 90% is still pretty good.
Game Summary:
Kati Tabin opened the scoring for Montreal at 8:38 of the first period with a shot from the point that found its way through traffic. Montreal appeared to increase their lead later in the period when Marie-Philip Poulin redirected a pass into the net, but the goal was disallowed after a review due to a kicking motion. Hayley Scamurra, playing against her former team, extended Montreal's lead early in the second period when her centering pass deflected off Toronto defender Kali Flanagan and into the net. Emma Gentry scored her first career PWHL goal for Toronto early in the third period, firing a shot over Desbiens' shoulder. Laura Stacey responded for Montreal with a power-play goal to restore the two-goal lead.
The Victoire dominated the first period, holding a 12-3 shot advantage. Despite not playing since November 25th, Montreal came out strong and maintained their momentum throughout the game.
This was the first of three games between Montreal and Toronto in three different arenas. The teams will meet again on December 17 in Halifax as part of the PWHL's Takeover Tour and on December 27 at the Bell Centre.
