Toronto finding their way after tough start to inaugural PWHL season

TORONTO - It’s been a notably dark winter in Toronto weather-wise and while the shining light that is the Professional Women's Hockey League has been a point of energy and joy in the city, Toronto definitely would have preferred a better start to their inaugural season. 

The team entered the All-Star break at the bottom of the league’s standings, with eight points through their first eight games. They’ve struggled to score this season, netting a league-low 15 goals before the break. That doesn’t put the whole story into perspective, though, as they’ve outshot their opponent in all but one game this season, despite having only two regulation wins and one shootout win on the year. 

“There’s some things we did well but there’s still so much room for improvement, we’re not even close to where we need to be," remarked head coach Troy Ryan. 

Toronto entered the break on the right foot with a 2-0 shutout win over New York to earn their first victory on home ice, as Natalie Spooner netted both the goals in the win. 

Entering Saturday's contest, Toronto and Minnesota each boasted one of the league's leaders in goals on their roster. Toronto’s Spooner had sole possession of the second spot with five on the season, while Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle was tied with Montreal's Marie-Philip Poulin for the top spot with six.

With under a minute left in the first period of Saturday’s contest, Spooner netted her sixth goal with help from Sarah Nurse and Rebecca Leslie. 

“I think we’re getting rolling now,” observed Spooner when asked about the momentum starting to shift in her team’s favour. 

Legendary American Kendall Coyne Schofield netted a controversial equalizer at 12:05 in the second period to a rain of boos, as Toronto fans campaigned for an interference call on the play. Star defender Renata Fast got her first PWHL goal and a go-ahead for Toronto soon after. 

It was all Toronto from there, as captain Blayre Turnbull got her first in the league too, and Spooner got another to not only seal the deal on the 4-1 victory, but also take the top spot in the PWHL's goals race with seven on the season. 

“Obviously Minnesota being the top of the board, I think we should take a lot of confidence from that,” acknowledged Spooner after the victory, though she’s not super keen on placing any bets against Poulin when it comes to the goals race. 

“I don’t know if I want to bet against her,” she laughed. 

Toronto has strung together three regulation wins, and in a six-team league where those count for three points, they’ve now catapulted up the standings from last to having the second-most points in the league with 11, behind Minnesota and Montreal, who are tied for first with 15. 

Toronto sent three players to the NHL's All-Star festivities in PWHL second-overall pick Jocelyne Larocque, Turnbull and Nurse. Turnbull and Nurse were seen helping out at the NHL skills competition Friday night before having to jump right back into regular season action.

While it was an honour for the players selected, the league-mandated break was anything but relaxing, with a gauntlet of events and appearances. 

“I’m pretty proud of our group, just the result and how we came out today given the circumstances," said Fast postgame. “I mean it wasn’t a normal week for us, and our only practice was on the outdoor rink - it was super sunny out there, it was hard to see the puck, so I think our group came to the rink focused today and we got the job done, cause there was a lot of distractions over the last week, for sure.”

The tilt versus Minnesota wasn't just the first game after the All-Star break for Toronto, it also comes after a major transaction for the team. 

In a move that became official yesterday, Toronto released Jess Jones - a Picton, Ont., native with no points through five games played, and signed Victoria Bach. 

Bach, who was a reserve player with Toronto, holds Boston University’s all-time goals and points in a season records, which are accolades she had to beat out fellow alumni Poulin for. She was also Poulin’s teammate for back-to-back World Championship gold medals in 2021 and 2022. 

Bach’s start to her PWHL career was put on hold as she completed her teacher’s certification, and her itch to get this game under her belt was tangible. 

“It’s been a long month, and I can’t wait to officially step on the ice with this amazing group we have here in Toronto,” she beamed before the game. 

Bach, who is from nearby Milton, Ont., slotted in on the left side of the second line, alongside her two former BU teammates Leslie and Jesse Compher. 

“Honestly, it’s amazing,” said Bach when asked about the reunion, “ [...] it felt really good, we know where to find one another out there, so it was nice to have some familiarity on the ice.”

Bach broke Boston University's all-time points in a season record in 2017 playing alongside Leslie, who is the school’s all-time assist leader. The duo played their entire collegiate careers together from 2014-2018, while Compher, an American, was a Terrier from 2017-2021. 

“It’s just super exciting to have her back in the lineup,” Leslie boasted as she looked over at her current and former teammate. “Obviously, she’s gonna be a key contributor to our team moving forward.”

Toronto’s next home game won’t be a traditional one - the team will take to the ice against Poulin and Montreal at Scotiabank Arena on Feb. 16. It’s already nearly impossible to find tickets for the game, which should break the all-time professional women’s hockey attendance record for a third time this historic season with the venue’s capacity of 18,800.