TORONTO, ON. — The Toronto Sceptres hosted the Boston Fleet Saturday afternoon, Nov. 30, at Coca-Cola Coliseum. This was the first game of the 2024-25 PWHL regular season.
1st Period
The Fleet showed strong promises in the opening minutes of the first period. Maggie Connors tripped up Megan Keller 2 minutes into the game to give us the first look at the new “No escape” rule. The Fleet instantly capitalized on the opportunity. Megan Keller found Hilary Knight wide open in front of the net and she put one past Kristen Campbell to give us the first goal of the season. First round draft pick, Hannah Bilka, collected her first PWHL point with the secondary assist.
The first half of the period Boston had control and momentum over Toronto. After a penalty from Daryl Watts, Sarah Nurse faced a one-on-one battle in Boston’s zone. Aerin Frankel saved her initial shot. However, Sarah Nurse put her rebound in the back of the net to tie the game. It was the first jailbreak goal of the season. The Sceptres gained momentum towards the end of the period as time expired.
2nd Period
The second period had the Sceptres written all over it. The score sheet was left empty on both sides, Aerin Frankel having a masterclass of a game at this point saving all 16 shots faced this period.
3rd Period
The third period was very one sided, and all eyes were on Toronto. By the end of the period Boston managed to get only one shot on goal during the 20 minutes. The game-deciding play came from a behind the back hit on Renata Fast from Hilary Knight. There was no ill intent behind the hit. Knight stuck around to make sure Fast was okay. Despite this, Knight took a trip to the box with 3 minutes left to go. Hannah Miller capitalized on the powerplay to give Toronto the lead with just 1:36 left on the clock.
At first, this goal was reviewed for goaltender interference but ultimately it was ruled that there was no interference. Sidney Morin was believed to make contact with Jesse Compher. This contact resulted in the shove to Frankel. It was a controversial on-ice call. Nonetheless, the goal remained. Boston desperately wanted to get back in the game. They pulled Frankel to the bench for the “man” advantage. With 11 seconds left, Emma Maltais potted a goal to give Toronto a two goal lead and put this game out of reach for Boston. The Fleet were outshot 41-19, a problem they faced last season.
Fleet fans were faced with some flashbacks to where the fleet left off in the first season, poor scoring chances and Aerin Frankel standing tall in the net. The Fleet will return to the ice on Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. on home ice to face the Minnesota Frost in their home opener.
