Three Takeaways From Toronto's Season Opening Win

The Toronto Sceptres amidst a ruckus atmosphere in Coca-Cola Coliseum fended off the Boston Fleet in a dramatic 3-1 win.

Goals from Sarah Nurse, Hannah Miller and Emma Maltais led the way for Toronto while Kristen Campbell stood tall to make 18 saves on 19 shots.

Here are three takeaways from the Sceptres' home opener:

Both the Sceptres and Fleet found ways to change the momentum of the game through their play on special teams.

Boston got to work early in the first period taking advantage of an early power play. Hilary Knight was left wide open in the slot and shot a rocket low blocker beating Kristen Campbell to give them the lead three minutes into the opening frame.

The goal put a hush over the otherwise explosive Sceptres crowd and pivoted the momentum heavily toward the Fleet who dominated possession over the first half of the period.

After Izzy Daniel was called for tripping, it looked like Boston would have another opportunity to score with the extra attacker. Just seconds into the power play a loose puck found its way to Daryl Watts who sprung Sarah Nurse on a breakaway where her first shot would be denied. Still, Nurse found her own rebound to score, tying the game for Toronto, and freeing Daniel from the box on the first jailbreak goal of the season.

“I thought some of the five-on-five play got us the power play opportunities, and then obviously that kind of tilts the ice in your favour a little bit," said Sceptres head coach Troy Ryan. “I know the power play is not going to be clicking like it will be in a couple of months, but I love the fact that it found a way today.”

This goal brought the crowd back to life and was followed by Toronto’s first sustained time in the offensive zone in the first period.

While they didn’t score, Toronto’s three power play opportunities in the second shifted momentum in the Sceptres' favor.

In the third, a boarding call against Hilary Knight sent Toronto to the powerplay where Hannah Miller tapped home the game-winner on the power play with 1:38 left in the game.

“There's nothing better than a hit like that against a key player on your team,” said Ryan. “She's safe, she's okay, she gets up and you go right back and you score a power play goal to win a hockey game. That is our team building things that you want to have happen as much as you can in the year.”

To say that the PWHL season opener was chippy would be an understatement.

Toronto and Boston don’t like each other and it was blatantly obvious from the number of scrums along the boards after the whistle.

One thing that stood out for Toronto was Allie Munroe’s willingness to jump into any scuffle to help defend her teammates.

This was most prevalent in the second period when Noemi Neubauerová was smashed into the boards by Taylor Girard. Munroe went right after her with one of the countless tussles in the game ensuing.

“We have a locker room full of players like that, that's what makes this group in Toronto so special,” said Miller. “Allie is one of the best teammates of all-time; we're lucky to have her.”

Despite the level of physicality, Troy Ryan said he wanted to see fewer big hits and more subtle physicality throughout the game.

Toronto finished Saturday afternoon's game with 22 hits while also showing the league that they are a team that is willing to compete.

In a game where the Sceptres were able to get 41 shots, they had more than a dozen prime scoring opportunities, of which they only capitalized twice.

Boston Fleet netminder Aerin Frankel deserves credit, earning second star of the game making 38 saves including a highlight reel stop off a Jocelyne Larocque shot from the slot.

19 of the Sceptres' 41 shots came in a high-danger area of the ice showing that Toronto was able to get to the scoring areas, but couldn't finish their second chances in the crease.

“Being able to put 40 plus shots on goal, it's hard not to think of the pucks that (Natalie) Spooner would collect...net front," said Ryan. “We will learn as a group that if we're putting that many pucks on net and if someone gets to that “Spooner area," there'll be some goals there for them as well.”