Toronto beat Montreal for their ninth straight win of the PWHL season in what turned into a physical contest between Rivals.
Toronto beat Montreal for their ninth straight win of the PWHL season in what turned into a physical contest between Rivals.
PWHL Toronto’s three goals are a footnote given the intense altercation between teams during the second period
Both the PWHL Toronto and Montreal teams are chalked full of star talent, solid defence, and sturdy goaltending. But it was Toronto who triumphantly outshot (33-23) and outhit (74-51) their opponents, besting their Bay Street rivals 3-0 while celebrating International Women’s Day on home ice.
Toronto opened scoring early. Natalie Spooner’s initial wrap-around attempt was stopped by Elaine Chuli, but Hannah Miller netted the rebound.
In the third period, Olivia Knowles extended her team’s lead, extending her stick to redirect a point shot from Rebecca Leslie past Chuli.
Sarah Nurse had a partial break on an empty net before being chased down by Marie-Philip Poulin nullifying any shot attempt Nurse could muster. Emma Maltais, however, found twine on her breakaway attempt, potting the empty-netter to seal a 3-0 win for the home team.
The loss was Chuli’s first on the season and extended Toronto’s win streak to nine straight games. Kristen Campbell earned her third shutout on the season.
Physicality and Rivalry
The second period is where we saw the rivalry—and more specifically, the physicality—reach its boiling point. Thirty seconds into the frame Laura Stacey was slow to get to her feet after taking a hit along the boards. Roughly seven and a half minutes later, tempers flared.
After Sarah Lefort delivered a hit, stumbling a Toronto player into the Montreal bench, the opposition took exception. A scuffle ensued where hands were thrown amidst the pushing and shoving. The most notable moment of the altercation was when Brittany Howard grabbed the cage on Lefort’s helmet and tossed her away from the crowd of jerseys battling it out. This prompted Lefort to retaliate, only to be restrained by Maureen Murphy.
“Those were two real physical teams out there tonight," said Stacey. "There are still some things that we need to figure out. That’s how hockey goes. We had so many chances tonight.”
As the scrum settled, the officials were tasked with handing out penalties. After several minutes of discussion, it was concluded that three Toronto players and two Montreal players earned a spot in the sin bin.
Moments later, tempers flared once again when Nurse drove the net and crashed into Chuli, reigniting the tension before officials stepped in to break up the players in the Montreal crease.
The hard hits would not stop following this series of events, as Howard laid the body on Catherine Daoust as the frame entered its final moments, leaving her slow to get up.
When asked about the heated back-and-forth during intermission, Emma Maltais described the rivalry by simply saying, “Montreal versus Toronto, that’s what you’re going to get.”
With the win, Toronto now shares the top spot in the PWHL with Montreal. Both teams sit with 30 points in the campaign.
The teams will spar once again on Sunday, March 16 in Pittsburgh, Pa. at the PPG Paints Arena. The rivalry will renew with undoubtedly more physical play.