The Minnesota Frost doubled up the Toronto Sceptres 6-3 on the road, as the Sceptres struggled with another slow start.
The Minnesota Frost doubled up the Toronto Sceptres 6-3 on the road, as the Sceptres struggled with another slow start.
The Toronto Sceptres started slowly out of the gate for a third straight game and couldn’t overcome adversity in a 6-3 loss to the Minnesota Frost on Saturday.
“It’s not ever just about a bounce, or how things just roll. You generally get what you deserve in hockey and in sport. We didn’t have a good first ten, so we’re down 1-0. It’s something we’ve got to look at a bit more internally to see why that’s happening,” coach Troy Ryan said.
Less than three minutes into the first period, with Toronto unable to get out of their own zone, a rebound that wasn’t controlled by goaltender Kristen Campbell on a point shot from Claire Thompson bounced to one then to two players. Claire Butorac put it into the net for a quick 1-0 lead for the visitors.
Sustained pressure and odd-player rushes continued from Minnesota and the Sceptres struggled to keep pressure in the offensive zone. Midway through the frame, the shots were 7-1 for the Frost.
Toronto started to find their legs and the new line combination of Blayre Turnbull, Julia Gosling, and Jesse Compher clicked.
Compher got her own rebound after Rylind MacKinnon put a low shot on net and scored. The Sceptres also made their way back in the shot department, and by the end of the first, only trailed 13-11.
In the second period, a power play for the Frost got them out in front again when rookie Dominique Petrie found the puck on a scramble and tapped it home.
Petrie is tied for the league lead with three goals and is now the first player to score in each of her team’s first three games.
Uneven play from Toronto's back end seemed to cause uncharacteristic errors and lack of confidence breaking the puck out, setting them back each time they pushed to gain control of the game.
Just past the midway point in the second, though, a smart change in the offensive zone for the Sceptres allowed three players to change, including both defenders. Renata Fast collected the puck and shot a seeing-eye wrister on goal, which was tipped by Victoria Bach to even the score once more.
“When we can get the puck from low to high and break their defensive structure, I think moving forward if we can string some solid shifts together, we’ll break down teams more often,” said Fast.
“We knew they’d push,” said Minnesota head coach Ken Klee. “The game evened out a lot, chances both ways. I was really proud of our squad for the third period, we hunkered down and played the right way. We limited their chances, and when we do that, we know we’re going to get chances.”
Toronto went ahead when Daryl Watts grabbed a loose puck and deked goaltender Maddie Rooney with a deceptive move to make it 3-2. However, Minnesota pressed and were rewarded when Britta Curl fired a one-timer past Campbell.
“I thought that the way the end of the second period went, with us scoring a goal and getting high, and then them scoring a goal, that’s ultimately where the game was won for them and lost for us. Not able to rebound and able to respond to that shift in momentum, and a lot of times that costs you a game,” said Toronto coach Troy Ryan.
It was Curl again in the third who got the eventual game-winning goal by streaking in from the right circle and sliding a puck toward the goal. It hit Fast ‘s skate and went under Campbell’s pad.
“I tried to make a centering pass to the back door. It hit [Fast’s] skate, and I thought I’d just whack it at the net. There were people going to it, and got a good bounce,” said Curl.
“Tough play,” commented Fast. “It went off my skate, she was smart to throw it on net - sometimes, you don’t know what it’s going to hit. It hit my skate and went in.”
Michela Cava sealed the win by scoring at 14:47 of the third, and then topped it off with an empty-net goal at 18:13.
“It is important to note that it’s game three, so some of these things take some time. No matter what, we still have had a better start than last year, so we’ll take it right now.,” Ryan said.
Both teams will be off for ten days as the league pauses for the international break. Toronto next plays New York on Dec. 18 and Minnesota plays Ottawa on the 19th.