PWHL Toronto looked like a new team Friday night. They forced turnovers, and got a big game performance from Natalie Spooner. Here's a look at keys to their win.
PWHL Toronto looked like a new team Friday night. They forced turnovers, and got a big game performance from Natalie Spooner. Here's a look at keys to their win.
A two-goal performance from Natalie Spooner and strong defensive play put PWHL Toronto over New York with a 2-0 win, picking up their first home win in franchise history.
Here are key takeaways from Friday night's performance.
Toronto shuts down New York
Three shots. That’s how many shots Toronto held New York to in the second period. Overall, Kristen Campbell only had to save 19 shots to pick up the team's first shutout in franchise history. That is a sign of a team that dominated defensively.
The Toronto we have seen so far this season did not have the defensive discipline that was seen on the ice against New York. New York had no odd-player rushes the entire game and had a hard time breaking through to the centre of the ice.
“I thought our defence did a good job. Instead of just diving down and crashing down and trying to force turnovers they accepted the rush a little bit more, got their feet under them and then engaged in a battle,” said coach Troy Ryan. “A lot of it is just the forwards working with the defence instead of going on solo missions, they worked together to force those turnovers."
Another big aspect of their defensive play was their shot-blocking. Throughout the game, Toronto players stood in the way of shots from New York, specifically near the point making allowing Campbell clean looks for her to handle.
Spooner does it again
Natalie Spooner rose to the occasion again for Toronto as she has done all season. She has been the lone player in Toronto to consistently score and tends to do it when they matter the most. Her fourth and fifth of the year against New York came in a game where high-quality chances were few and far between.
That all changed as Spooner came alive late in the second with a burst of speed to blow by three New York players and slide the puck under Corinne Schroeder’s pad to give Toronto their first goal of the contest.
Her scoring touch wouldn’t end there, as with less than six minutes left in the third period, Spooner scored her second goal of the game as she banked in a shot from the side of the net.
“I said right from the start, like a lot of people will talk about other players on their team, Spooner always finds ways," said Ryan. "You know from my time with Hockey Canada with her she just finds ways to score big goals. She plays in the dirty areas she doesn't mind that she plays below the goal line, and generally big things happen when you are big, strong and athletic and don’t mind taking pucks to the net."
Shot selection was questionable
Shot selection needs to be better for Toronto. They routinely fired pucks on the net as soon as they enter the zone or held onto it too long shooting from tight angles along the boards.
Roughly a third of Toronto's shots came from these low probability zones. These shots often led to a loss of puck possession or a whistle and another face-off. Time in the attacking zone for his team is something that Ryan has been making a point of this season.