In Halifax’s first-ever Professional Women’s Hockey League game, Ann-Renee Desbiens made 35 saves as Marie-Philip Poulin’s shootout goal secured a 2-1 victory for the Montreal Victoire over the Toronto Sceptres. The sold-out crowd of 10,438 at Scotiabank Centre witnessed the thrilling showdown where Maya Labad and Anna Kjellbin scored in regulation for Montreal and Toronto, respectively.
Despite Sceptres goalie Raygan Kirk’s 30 saves, it was Poulin’s decisive goal that sealed the win. This game marked the beginning of the PWHL’s Takeover Tour, with 16 neutral-site games scheduled for this season, including two in Halifax.
Kjellbin and Labad traded goals in the first period to keep the score level until the shootout. Toronto’s Blayre Turnbull and Montreal’s Jessica DiGirolamo had notable chances, but Desbiens stood strong in goal. Emma Maltais thought she had won the game in overtime, but a penalty negated her goal.
In the next games, Montreal will face Vancouver, while Toronto will take on New York. In another game, the Seattle Torrent defeated the Ottawa Charge 4-1, with Alex Carpenter leading the way with two goals and an assist. Seattle’s victory marked their first back-to-back wins in franchise history. The game also featured strong performances from Julia Gosling and Hannah Murphy for Seattle and a late goal from Rebecca Leslie for Ottawa.
Looking ahead, Ottawa will play Minnesota Frost, and Seattle will host Boston in their upcoming matches. This game showcased the growing excitement and competitiveness in professional women’s hockey.