Montreal Victoire edge Toronto Sceptres 4-2 in first PWHL game in Vancouver

Marie-Philip Poulin scored twice as her Montreal Victoire downed the Toronto Sceptres 4-2 Wednesday within the first Skilled Girls’s Hockey League sport in Vancouver.

Mikyla Grant-Mentis added a objective and an help for the Victoire (4-1-2-1) and Claire Dalton additionally scored.

Jesse Compher had a objective and an help, Darryl Watts scored and Renata Quick registered two assists for the Sceptres (2-5-0-1).

Montreal goalie Ann-Renee Desbiens stopped 29 of 31 pictures. Kristen Campbell made 21 saves for Toronto.

The sold-out sport was the second cease within the PWHL’s nine-city “Takeover Tour” criss-crossing North America to develop the league’s viewers and check potential enlargement markets.

Different neutral-site locations on the tour embody Quebec Metropolis, the place Montreal takes on the Ottawa Cost on Jan. 19, and Edmonton, the place Toronto faces Ottawa on Feb. 16.

Video games can even be held in Denver, Detroit, St. Louis, Buffalo, N.Y. and Raleigh, N.C.

Takeaways

Sceptres: After falling behind 3-0 halfway via the second, Toronto labored its manner again into rivalry, beginning with Watts’ power-play objective 9:29 into the center body.

The Sceptres pushed within the third, outshooting the Victoire 13-11 throughout the interval, however could not discover the equalizer.

Poulin sealed the win with an empty-net strike with 51 seconds left on the clock.

Victoire: The workforce’s energy play continues to wrestle, going 0-for-2 on the evening.

Montreal got here into the sport with its energy play clicking at league-worst 10.71 per cent.

Key second: Poulin gave Montreal a 3-0 cushion with a shocking objective 7:48 into the second interval.

Erin Ambrose’s shot bounced off of Campbell and out towards Poulin within the faceoff circle.

From her knees, the Canadian hockey legend corralled the rebound and snapped a blistering shot into the into the highest proper nook of the online.

Key stat: An introduced crowd of 19,038 took within the sport, eclipsing the Vancouver Canucks’ season excessive of 18,940.

Up subsequent

Sceptres: Go to the New York Sirens on Sunday.

Victoire: Tackle the Frost in Minnesota in Denver on Sunday.

— This report by The Canadian Press was first printed Jan. 8, 2025.