Lauriane Rougeau scored the shootout winner as Toronto edged Montreal 4-3 within the first Skilled Girls’s Hockey League sport between the 2 rival cities on Saturday evening at Verdun Auditorium.
Toronto snapped a three-game shedding streak regardless of heroic efforts from Montreal captain Marie-Philip Poulin and goalie Ann-Renee Desbiens in entrance of 3232 followers at Verdun Auditorium.
Maggie Connors — with a objective and an help — Natalie Spooner and Jocelyne Larocque scored in regulation for Toronto (1-1-0-4), whereas Rebecca Leslie earned two assists.
Kristen Campbell stopped 21 pictures in her sixth begin this season. Campbell entered the sport with a league-worst .876 save proportion.
WATCH l Rougeau sends Toronto to 1st PWHL shootout win, beating Montreal:
Toronto edges Montreal 4-3 within the first shootout in Skilled Girls’s Hockey League historical past with Lauriane Rougeau’s winner within the sixth spherical.
Poulin scored twice, together with a goal-of-the-year candidate with 22 seconds left in regulation to tie the sport, whereas Desbiens made 36 saves for Montreal (2-1-2-1). Sarah Bujold additionally scored for the house group.
Spooner scored with 1:24 left within the third interval to provide Toronto a late lead.
Then, with the goalie pulled, Poulin — generally known as “Captain Clutch” for shining late in video games — took it into her personal arms.
The 32-year-old celebrity corralled the puck from the impartial zone and danced by way of Toronto’s defence earlier than tucking a shot previous Campbell to cap the solo effort and pressure time beyond regulation.
Poulin scored in certainly one of 4 makes an attempt within the shootout, whereas targets from Hannah Miller and Rouge gave Toronto the win within the sixth spherical.
Down 2-1 after 40 minutes, Toronto evened the rating at 2:32 of the third interval as Connors scored her first with a wrist shot previous Desbiens.
Jesse Compher appeared to provide Toronto its first lead of the sport with eight minutes left in regulation by scoring after a scramble in entrance of the online, however the whistle blew simply earlier than the puck crossed the objective line.
Bujold opened the scoring along with her first of the season by pouncing on a rebound after Leah Lum shot at 11:21 of the primary interval.
Toronto in any other case drove the play all through the body and outshot Montreal 14-6, however ran right into a dialed-in Desbiens.
WATCH l Poulin scores fifth league objective to ship Montreal to time beyond regulation:
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PWHL Monreal captain Marie-Philip Poulin with a jaw-dropping play to attain her league-leading sixth objective of the season.
With underneath 4 minutes left within the first, Natalie Spooner created a turnover within the offensive zone and reduce to the online, solely to fulfill Desbiens’ left pad. Spooner adopted up with a rebound likelihood along with the online, however a sprawling Desbiens, who misplaced her stick on the earlier play, stretched her leg out to make a save.
Desbiens, of Clermont, Que., turned away an ensuing one-timer from Sarah Nurse to convey the followers to their toes.
Larocque broke by way of on Toronto’s 18th shot at 3:01 of the interval after a centring move from Leslie — resulting in a loud response from a piece of visiting supporters within the nook.
Poulin restored Montreal’s lead with a breakaway objective at 8:20. The captain picked up the puck within the impartial zone, flew down the center of the ice and beat Campbell blocker-side.
Desbiens then withstood fixed strain for the rest of the interval as Toronto led the pictures 29-16 on the finish of the second.
The total schedule of PWHL video games airing on CBC Sports activities this season is obtainable right here.
WATCH l CBC Sports activities’ Rob Pizzo, Saroya Tinker break down third week of motion:
Host Rob Pizzo is joined by former ladies’s hockey participant Saroya Tinker to interrupt down the third week of motion within the inaugural PWHL season.
