PWHL Toronto and PWHL Ottawa are set to drop the puck for the second instalment of the "Battle of Ontario" this season. Ottawa took game one, but Toronto is coming in hot.
PWHL Toronto and PWHL Ottawa are set to drop the puck for the second instalment of the "Battle of Ontario" this season. Ottawa took game one, but Toronto is coming in hot.
After a shorter layoff this time around, Ottawa will be back in action at TD Place on Tuesday. On their first night of a back-to-back, they will clash against Toronto for the second time this season. Just ten days ago, the 'Battle of Ontario' went head-to-head for the first time in Toronto. Ottawa came out with an impressive 5-1 victory.
In more recent memory, Ottawa will look to rebound after their 3-2 overtime loss against Minnesota this past Wednesday. Ottawa came out flying with a 2-0 lead midway through the first period but failed to get one past Nicole Hensley who shut the door for the next 51 minutes of play.
Toronto is fresh off of an impressive 4-3 shootout road win against Montreal, arguably their best game yet. They outshot Montreal 39-24, dictating most of the play. With Lauriane Rougeau’s shootout goal, they snapped a three-game losing streak and earned their second win of the season. They have played double the games Ottawa has, with a record 1-1-0-4
Player to watch: Blayre Turnbull
Toronto has struggled so far this season through six games, and so has the captain, Blayre Turnbull. The two-time Canadian Olympian is not known for flashy point totals, but her zero points through six games is something to take note of. Turnbull has also struggled in the face-off dot at 44%, while holding a -5 rating. The 30-year-old has ramped up the shot category in the last four games, with 19 in that span, but has yet to score. If the shots keep firing on net, then she will break the bank sooner rather than later.
While Toronto has played a consistent schedule since opening day on January 1st, Ottawa has had the opposite. A postponed game diminished their number of games even more as they sit with three games played. Ottawa is 5th in the league with a record of 1-0-2, albeit three games behind New York. While the gap has not been drastic, Ottawa has outshot each opponent this season. They have managed to collect 5/9 points with their record.
Player to watch: Brianne Jenner
On Ottawa’s side, Brianne Jenner is a player to watch as this season progresses. Jenner’s career has been extremely successful, and she has been a winner everywhere she has gone. In the PWHPA last season, she led Team Sonnet in scoring with 19 points in 20 games. The Oakville native also scored 14 points (nine goals) in seven games for Canada at the 2022 Winter Olympics. She has been an elite scorer but has started off slow in her PWHL career. The captain is scoreless through three games, along with a -2 rating. She is tied for fifth on Ottawa in shots on goal, while considered as the team’s first line center.
The Battle of Ontario will be situated for the first time at TD Place tonight at 7pm EST. The game will be broadcast on Sportsnet while being live streamed on Sportsnet+ and YouTube.