LOWELL, Mass. — On the strength of a Natalie Spooner hat trick, PWHL Toronto (4-1-0-5) beat PWHL Boston (2-2-1-3), 5-3, at the Tsongas Center on Wednesday night.
“This was probably one of our performances I liked the least,” said PWHL Toronto head coach Troy Ryan. “I said to our group after the second period and after the game that maybe this was one of those games that we deserved to have a poor performance and come out on the better end of it. There have been some games this year that we played very well in and found a way to lose, so I guess this was our night to have a lucky one.”
Flirting with danger
It didn’t take long for Boston to ramp up the pressure on Toronto. Jesse Compher was sent to the box for a tripping minor less than a minute into the game. While the Boston power play unit had lots of zone time, they struggled to get shots on net, coming up empty on their first man advantage period.
Toronto got their initial power play opportunity just a few minutes later. Boston’s Jamie Lee Rattray took a penalty for high-sticking at the 5:21 mark of the period. The Boston defense added another successful kill to their nearly spotless record while down a skater, forcing Toronto to chase the puck for the duration of the penalty.
Boston captain Hillary Knight would have the first big attacking chance of the evening, leading a rush into the attacking zone and firing a shot for a rebound from the hashmarks. Rattary was nearly able to pick up the rebound, but netminder Kristen Campbell was able to stick the puck away in time to reduce the danger.
The scoreless draw would not hold for long after the midway point of the period. Toronto’s Sarah Nurse would join a three-on-two rush into the Boston defensive zone, tipping a deflected Emma Maltais shot under the armpit of Emma Söderberg to throw the visitors into the lead with 14:12 gone in the first period.
Boston had a chance to equalize when Toronto’s Victoria Bach was sin-binned for hooking, but again, the hosts failed to capitalize with the extra skater.
Nurse’s score would be the sole marker on the board after 20 minutes of play. However, Boston would outshoot the visitors 11-6 in the opening frame.
Strong second for the Six
The second period opened with Boston on the attack once again. A wild scramble in front of the Toronto net would send the Tsongas Center crowd into a frenzy. But even with multiple cross ice attempts, the hosts would come up empty.
Alina Müller was called for an open ice body check around the five-minute mark of the period. The Toronto power play would turn into a penalty kill when Compher took her second penalty of the night. Neither team was able to score on their truncated power play attempts.
The parade to the penalty box continued when Megan Keller was called for interference just past the halfway mark of the period. The penalty would end up being costly for the hosts. Lauriane Rougeau fired a stretch pass from her own end to set up Natalie Spooner into the attacking zone. The Scarborough, Ontario native would not let her breakaway chance go to waste. She burried her eighth goal of the year on a forehand tuck past the left skate of Söderberg to double Toronto’s lead.
Boston would take another massive blow just a few minutes later. Forward Sophie Shirley was driven into the “Pacioretty” glass by Allie Munroe, prematurely ending her night. She would leave the ice on her own power but would not return for the rest of the game.
Spooner would further add to the damage, potting her own rebound for her second goal of the game. Toronto would head into the intermission with a three-goal lead on just twelve total shots.
Cancelled comeback
Boston would find life on the offensive side of the puck thanks to a Jamie Lee Rattray tap-in from the top of the crease. Theresa Schafzahl’s shot off the post would find its way onto Rattray’s stick, allowing her to cut the deficit to two with 14 minutes to play.
The Tsongas Center crowd’s excitement was short-lived, however. Kali Flanagan fired a slapshot from the point that would go over the shoulder of Söderberg to make the score 4-1 just 90 seconds after Rattray’s tally.
Yet another penalty to Boston, this time to Jamie Lee Rattray, would seem to add further insult to injury. Hannah Brandt, however, would have other plans.
A shorthanded offensive zone possession would end up turning into a goal as Brandt shoveled the puck past the sliding Kristen Campbell. Rattray would have the opportunity to celebrate with her teammates on the ice. In the PWHL, if a team scores while shorthanded, the penalty terminates automatically.
“It’s one of the best rules that [the league] has implemented,” said Rattray postgame. “It was a silly penalty on my part. I obviously don’t want to get my stick stuck in someone’s feet. I was yelling, ‘Get me out of here! Get me out of here!’ I think it brings a lot of energy to the bench, too. Our PK has been phenomenal all year, and they got rewarded.”
With the score standing at 4-2, Boston’s coach elected to pull her goaltender with three minutes to play. Natalie Spooner used the empty net opportunity to make PWHL history. Her hat trick goal on the empty net made her the first player in league history to reach ten goals.
Taylor Girard would score one final goal for Boston, but it would be too little too late. The final goal of the night would bring the final score to 5-3 in favor of the visitors.
Postgame proceedings
“We had some great opportunities to put the game away,” said Boston head coach Courtney Kessel postgame. “I don’t feel like it was the result it should have been, but that happens, I guess.”
Kessel also discussed the performance of the two new additions to her squad. Abby Cook and Susanna Tapani who joined PWHL Boston in the league’s first trade over the weekend. “I think we were really looking to get [Cook] in and trying to figure out our roster,” said Kessel. “Tapani is a tremendous hockey player. She’s smart and plays a 200-foot game. You can use her in any situation. We’re super excited to have her and we’re really looking forward to see what she can do for us.”
PWHL Boston will play again this Saturday at 4:00 against New York at the Tsongas Center. Toronto will head home to a sold out Scotiabank Arena this Friday at 7:00 PM when they take on Montréal. All PWHL games can be live-streamed on YouTube.
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