The Seattle Torrent erased a two goal lead by the Toronto Sceptres to come back and earn a high scoring 6-4 win on home ice.
The Seattle Torrent started slow, but ended strong in a 6-4 comeback win over the Toronto Sceptres in front of 10,160 fans at Climate Pledge Arena on Wednesday. The 10 goal total was the highest scoring game of the PWHL season to date.
After Blayre Turnbull and Jesse Compher scored to give Toronto a 2-0 lead in the opening three minutes of the game, the Torrent picked away at Toronto. Hilary Knight and Hannah Bilka had the game tied at 2-2 after one, and the teams traded goals with Julia Gosling scoring for Seattle, and Kali Flanagan for Toronto in the second.
Heading to the third tied, Lexie Adzija broke things open in favor of the Torrent scoring a shorthanded jailbreak goal.
“We didn’t have our A Game, but we found a way," said Seattle head coach Steven O'Rourke. "We had a power play goal, Lexie’s huge shorthanded goal, and we just found ways to grind it out. As we talked about before the game, we have a group of players that are led by two experienced Olympians who really don’t blink in the face of adversity, and the rest of them just follow along and don’t blink either, they just kept on pushing."
Following Adzija's shorthanded marker, Megan Carter scored what would eventually stand as the game winning goal. Natalie Spooner responded for the Sceptres, which was answered late by Jessie Eldridge for Seattle.
Adzija and the Torrent have felt the support of their home crowd in Seattle which continues to draw in excess of 10,000 per game this season.
“Every single time we play at home it’s been incredible," said Adzija. "I’ve played for multiple organizations, and it’s different here. Our fans rally around us and even on weekdays, we have over 10,000 fans. As players, that makes this experience so special. We really wanted to get that win for them and I’m happy that we did.”
Toronto will continue its first-ever West Coast trip in Vancouver on Thursday, while Seattle heads to Denver for a date with the Goldeneyes in the last PWHL Takeover Tour game before the Olympic break on Sunday. The Sceptres and Torrent reunite at Climate Pledge Arena in the first game for both teams following the Olympic break on Friday, Feb. 27.