Montréal Victoire And Toronto Sceptres Take Over Rogers Arena In A 4–2 Thriller

Women’s hockey lit up Rogers Arena on Wednesday night as the Montréal Victoire and Toronto Sceptres faced off as part of the PWHL Takeover Tour. Montréal took the game in a 4–2 thriller, with Mikyla Grant-Mentis, Claire Dalton, and Marie-Philip Poulin (2) scoring for the winning team. Daryl Watts and Jesse Compher potted goals for Toronto. Ann-Renée Desbiens started for the Victoire, making 29 saves on 31 shots, while Kristen Campbell saved 21 of 24.

Women’s hockey has come a long way since the last time a match was hosted at Rogers Arena. A Hilary Knight-led USA took a 3–1 win against Canada. Now, after the introduction of a sparkling new league and some colourful rebranding, fans can cheer on three Canadian PWHL teams — the Victoire, the Sceptres, and the Ottawa Charge, and hopefully more to come.

Rogers Arena was bathed in purple light as fans stood by the ice immediately after the opening of the doors. It didn’t matter which jersey fans were wearing as the Victoire and Sceptres took to the ice for warmups — everyone in the arena cheered. Youth hockey groups held up signs, banging on the glass as members of the Victoire skated past them.

While the Vancouver Canucks’ logo sat in the middle of the ice, it was clear that the Victoire and Sceptres ran the show tonight. There was barely a trace of maroon among the crowd as captains Poulin of Montréal and Blayre Turnbull of Toronto lined up to take the starting draw. Montréal held onto the puck for a lengthy span of time, forcing Toronto to stay in their zone. Campbell made a good slew of saves off a couple of Victoire chances, capping the first stoppage of the game off with a slick glove save.

Montréal’s pressure on both ends of the ice shone during the first period. It was because of this that the Victoire collected the first goal of the game, scored by Grant-Mentis. Even when killing a tripping penalty, Montréal protected their lead and made sure to pile on the chances after Toronto’s 5-on-4 advantage ended. Montréal’s own power play was successful in generating shots, but also failed to capitalize on the advantage. Shots were 9–6 Victoire by the end of the first period.

The stars showed up for tonight’s game, both on and off the ice, as the Vancouver Rise’s Shannon Woeller, Rugby 7s’ Piper Logan, and the Canucks’ very own Émilie Castonguay and Cammi Granato were in attendance. Canadian musician Lights was also spotted alongside her husband, Beau Bokan. Some other BC athletes also made an appearance at the game, as BC Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke cranked the siren to start the matchup. As well, a crop of Abbotsford Canucks made the trip out to Vancouver to get the crowd hyped for the third period.

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Toronto started the second period off with a great chance in-tight, but soon found themselves hemmed in their own zone. After a moment of offensive pressure for the Sceptres, Montréal worked their way back into Toronto’s zone. With a rocket of a shot, Dalton fired the puck past Campbell and into the net, bringing the Victoire’s lead up to 2–0.

It was crunch time for a Sceptres team that was down 2–0. They fired back against Toronto’s second goal with a healthy helping of pressure, led by a smooth deke by Turnbull that didn’t end up converting. However, Montréal was relentless with their forecheck, snatching up the Sceptres’ passes and bringing them back into their own zone. It was through these efforts that the puck found its way to Poulin, who shot from her knees to bring the lead up to 3–0. What a goal!

After the Victoire’s 3–0 goal, it didn’t take long for Toronto to score one of their own. A tripping penalty on Montréal’s Mariah Keopple sent the Sceptres onto the power play, on which Watts scored to make it 3–1. While Toronto kept up their presence near the Victoire’s net, a tripping call on Noemi Neubauerová ultimately put Montréal on the power play. Even so, the two minutes of penalty killing time didn’t stop the Sceptres from forcing the Victoire out of their zone.

The third period was lit ablaze with back-to-back possession for both teams. Any time the Sceptres would take a shot on net, the Victoire would collect it and send it back the other way, and vice-versa. Just when it seemed like no one would score, an off the rush chance by the Sceptres caught Montréal on a tough backcheck, allowing Compher to cut in and tuck the puck past Desbiens.

Despite the early lead by Montréal, Toronto wasn’t ready to surrender just yet. A good third period push saw them create chance after chance, though Desbiens made the typical timely stop to keep the game in her team’s favour. Shots were 31–24 by the time Toronto emptied their net in hopes of tying the game up. However, a giveaway led to Poulin wiring the puck into the empty net, ending the Sceptres’ chances at making a comeback.

Already, the PWHL has made waves throughout Vancouver, even with the city not yet having a team. With a final attendance count of 19,038, the stands were packed with PWHL supporters who are likely wishing for a team of their own.

“It’s really special,” Vancouver native and Victoire forward Jen Gardiner said of the night and the things that transpired. “The future of women’s sports is so bright. It’s so cool to see how many females are supporting the entire league overall. Just the entirety of North America has been so supportive. To get to do it in Vancouver goes to show how many fans are out on the west coast, and hopefully one day the league can expand out here as well.”

“We felt it from the puck drop and the national anthem. People are there for both teams,” added Poulin, reflecting on the Vancouver crowd. “We were the away team, and knowing that we have that many fans behind us, it’s special. You look around, you see signs, you see the jerseys, it’s like ‘holy, this is quite amazing.’ We’re part of this, and it’s beyond our wildest dreams.”

“Today and just this entire trip have been so special, to be out on the west coast in front of friends and family, but more importantly, with our group here,” Gardiner continued. “It’s just very special, and this road trip has been great for team bonding as well.

“Playing in Rogers Arena is something I will never forget for the rest of my life.”

“It was amazing,” UBC hockey alum Rylind Mackinnon said of the experience. “I think we set a great impression and hopefully gave [fans] something to look forward to in the future.”

Toronto Head Coach Troy Ryan explained that, in a typical game, he goes out during warmups to watch a few minutes. Tonight, he stayed the entire time.

“I just love sitting back and watching our players enjoy the atmosphere, but also watching a lot of young kids and the signs they bring,” he said. “You’re in a great hockey environment when two teams are battling against each other, and the majority of their fans are cheering for both sides. Very seldom do you get a player announcement at the start of the game and you’re getting standing ovations for both teams.”

“To come to BC and be embraced by Vancouver, the Canucks, and all the girls or organizations throughout the province has been incredible,” Toronto’s Sarah Nurse explained. “I think it’s just special because it shows that we’ve created this platform for women’s sports, and I know that it’s just going to snowball and continue with other sports throughout the country.”

Scoring Summary:

1st Period:

4:53 - MTL: Mikyla Grant-Mentis (2) from Anna Wilgren

2nd Period:

2:26 - MTL: Claire Dalton (2) from Mikyla Grant-Mentis and Alexandra Labelle

7:48 - MTL: Marie-Philip Poulin (3) from Erin Ambrose

8:29 - TOR: Daryl Watts (2) from Renata Fast and Jesse Compher (PPG)

3rd Period:

6:53 - TOR: Jesse Compher (3) from Emma Maltais and Renata Fast

19:09 - MTL: Marie-Philip Poulin (4) (ENG)

Up Next:

The PWHL Takeover Tour continues on January 12, as the Victoire take on the Minnesota Frost in Denver. They later meet up with the Charge on January 19, facing off in Québec City. The Scepters will make a stop in Edmonton to play against the Charge on February 16.