Ottawa downs Toronto in ‘Battle of Ontario’ for first PWHL win

By Sam Beaudoin

In the first ‘Battle of Ontario’ meeting in Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) history, Ottawa secured their first win in franchise history with a convincing 5-1 win over Toronto on Jan. 13 at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC).

Ottawa entered the contest with fresh legs as their most recent matchup against Boston on Jan. 8 postponed due to inclement weather. The club entered poised to earn their first franchise win, not having played since Jan. 2 against Montreal where they fell 3-2 in overtime. 

“At the end of the day, it is what it is, you can’t control the variables and Mother Nature had her say in that,” said Ottawa head coach Carla MacLeod. “[I’m] really proud of our group, to keep our focus and energy…we knew the day was going to come where we would play again and here we are.”

As for Toronto, they were seeking the first of what they hope will be many wins on home ice this season after falling 4-0 to New York in their home opener. 

“After the postponed game we were just very eager to get out there and get that first win”

Ottawa came out of the gates applying pressure and putting the home side on their heels early, holding Toronto shotless through the first 11 minutes.

The visitors’ hot start forced the home side into an undisciplined style of play, which resulted in Ottawa getting a five-on-three for nearly the full two minutes midway through the opening frame.

The Ottawa powerplay wasted no time, slinging the puck around in the offensive zone and directing shots through traffic on goal, ultimately beating Toronto netminder Kristen Campbell twice on the powerplay.

Ottawa defender Jincy Roese found herself alone in the slot and wristed one on net, which Campbell turned aside. However, forward Kateřina Mrázová was there on the doorstep to bat home the rebound for her second goal of the season, giving the visitors the opening goal. 

Moments later, forward Gabbie Hughes found herself alone in the crease, potting a Mikyla Grant-Mentis rebound to put Ottawa up 2-0 and silence the raucous Toronto faithful. 

“This league is so competitive, the games are so fun…in an industry where you try to score goals you gotta shoot the puck and I thought we had a shooting mentality today,” said MacLeod. 

Ottawa didn’t take their foot off the gas as they continued to pressure Toronto and eventually extended their lead. With 15.6 seconds remaining in the frame, forward Daryl Watts walked in and sniped one past Campbell from above the faceoff dot, to send Ottawa to the locker room up 3-0. 

To begin the second frame, Toronto head coach Troy Ryan opted to make a goaltending change, pulling Campbell for Erica Howe—marking her PWHL debut. 

“I just thought it was time to shake things up a little bit,” said Ryan. “Sometimes you just do that to see if you can get a little bit of life or rhythm out of the group.” 

Howe came out of the gates locked in, coming up with several key saves to generate momentum for her squad.

Minutes later, Toronto forward Natalie Spooner utilized this momentum and scored the first home goal in Toronto franchise history, restoring the energy at the MAC. 

The Scarborough, Ont. product buried it from behind the net past Ottawa goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer to cut the visitors’ lead to two.

“I wish it would’ve snowballed into a few more, but [it’s] nice to get one to get the crowd into it and feel that energy,” said Spooner. 

Toronto couldn’t maintain the momentum and continued to hang their goaltender out to dry, giving up multiple odd-man rushes to Ottawa.  

“I wish it would’ve snowballed into a few more, but [it’s] nice to get one to get the crowd into it and feel that energy”

Shortly after, Maschmeyer would collect the first goaltender assist in PWHL history with a nifty cross-ice pass on forward Natalie Snodgrass’ first goal of the season, which restored Ottawa’s three-goal advantage.

The third period saw the same story unfold for both clubs. A continued lack of puck management by Toronto allowed Ottawa to take full advantage and continue to pad the scoreboard. 

“It’s just not smart hockey,” said Ryan. “One of the things I write down on my game card every game is the importance of puck possession, if you don’t have that you’re just backchecking all game.” 

Grant-Mentis and Hughes hooked up again for yet another tally, this time by way of a beautiful cross-seam pass from Grant-Mentis which resulted in an easy tap-in for Hughes.

Hughes’ second of the day put the game to bed and ended any remaining hope that the 2,417 spectators in attendance might have had.  

The Toronto faithful will have to wait until Wednesday night against Boston to see if their club can secure their first win on home ice.

As for Ottawa, they’ll head home with a smile on their face after picking up their first win in team history. They will now begin preparing for first-overall pick Taylor Heise and Minnesota who will visit Ottawa on Wednesday night. 

“So exciting, we’re ecstatic…there’s just so much energy in the room,” said Maschmeyer. “After the postponed game we were just very eager to get out there and get that first win.”

UP NEXT: Toronto searches for their first victory at the MAC on Jan. 17 as they take on Boston. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.