Sceptres Capture the Second Battle On Bay Street

The Toronto Sceptres played a complete game at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday and got rewarded for their efforts in the second “Battle on Bay Street” against the New York Sirens. Sarah Nurse scored the winning goal in the third period on a power play after the Sceptres had dominated play and outshot the Sirens 35-19 in total.

The game was meaningful on many levels besides being a highlight event on the PWHL schedule in its second season. Many of the players involved are from the Toronto area, including the league’s leading scorer, Sarah Fillier, as well as Jaime Bourbonnais, Ella Shelton, and Jessie Eldridge, who all played significant roles in the game. On the Toronto side, the game was especially significant for their second-round draft pick, Megan Carter, who is from nearby Milton, Ontario, and made her professional debut on the largest stage in the season.

Total attendance was 19,102, a sellout. Last year’s contest between Montreal and Toronto at Scotiabank Arena had a sold-out crowd of 19,285 fans.

The crowd was electric from the start, and the home team came prepared to put on a good show. They pressured the Sirens immediately, with shots coming from all angles. Posts were hit, breakaways were unfinished, and the tension between the two teams elevated with scrums after almost every whistle.

Captain Blayre Turnbull had a chance on an early power play but hit the post. New York’s Fillier broke in with a huge shot late in the first, and rookie goaltender Raygan Kirk, who got her third start of the season, made a big save. (The victory was also Kirk's second win.)

Finally, at 18:34 of the first, defender Kali Flanagan walked the blue line and fired a shot that was tipped in by Hannah Miller for her fifth of the season. Miller also scored in last year’s Battle on Bay Street.

Shots were 13-5 for the Sceptres after one period.

In the second, although the Sceptres kept up the pressure, it was the Sirens who broke through with a power-play goal after Carter took at cross checking penalty on Fillier. Ella Shelton sent a seeing-eye shot on goal and it went past Kirk for Shelton’s second goal of the year. Shelton also scored the first-ever PWHL goal against Toronto in the league’s first game ever. She became the first opposing player to score in the Battle on Bay Street.

After several games where the Sceptres haven’t gotten the results they might have deserved, the team appeared to be squeezing their sticks. Another breakaway, this time for Miller, was foiled by Corinne Schroeder. Shots were nearly two to one for the home team as they shot from everywhere. Daryl Watts and Sarah Nurse were frustrated time and again by Schroeder.

It was Miller again at 18:47 of the second who grabbed a loose puck just inside the blue line, went in alone on Schroeder and calmly shot it five-hole to put the team ahead once more. Last year, Miller had seven total goals, and this puts her in the lead in the PWHL at six.

"She plays the game the right way," said Ryan of Miller.

"She's responsible defensively, she scores a lot of goals on the power player and in transition and I was very happy for her."

Both teams had scoring chances, and some rough exchanges highlighted the significance of the three points in the standings despite the game being a showcase event. Abby Roque and Sarah Nurse had several skirmishes.

“Every team has people you're friends with. But the second you're on the ice, most of us couldn't care less. I think it's about winning and it's about getting in somebody's face. It creates some rivalries, and I think it's good for the sport,” said Roque after the game.

At 1:01 of the third, Roque got her revenge when a clearing pass by Fillier went right to Eldridge and she passed across the front of the net to Roque, who fired it above a sliding Kirk to tie the score at 2-2.

After a penalty on both teams in the third, there was some four-on-four play that led to several chances, but the game remained tied.

New York had the run of play for a good portion of the third, forcing Kirk to make some nice saves. Carpenter and Fillier, who are both at the top of the league in scoring, were noticeable all over the ice.

After a tripping penalty to Bourbonnais at 13:56, the Sceptres’ power play proved to be the difference, with Sarah Nurse finally rewarded for her multiple chances. She got a nice pass from Daryl Watts in the slot, and shot high on Schroeder, and the winning goal was hers. It was Nurse’s fourth goal of the season.

“It was kind of a long time coming, a couple of posts, a couple of missed opportunities–– so, definitely frustrating, but I had a lot of support from [my teammates], especially on the bench today so it was huge. It was a really big power play goal, which was good for our momentum and our PP group.”

When New York pulled Schroeder for the extra attacker, Flanagan was keen enough to send her clearing attempt just hard enough and with some spin to send it into the empty net at 18:21.

It was her first multi-point game of the season and second of her PWHL career.

New York coach Greg Fargo gave credit to the Sceptres afterwards.

"Obviously, it was a big crowd, but I think Toronto also had a lot to do with it. They seemed to, you know, really slow us down to neutralize and make it hard for us to get in."

The home fans celebrated a hard-earned victory, and the Sceptres were able to claim their second win in the Battle on Bay Street.