Spooner’s first of the season lifts Sceptres past Charge 3-1

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Natalie Spooner scored the go-ahead goal in the second period to lift the Toronto Sceptres to a 3-1 win over the visiting Ottawa Charge in Professional Women’s Hockey League action on Thursday.

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Daryl Watts, with a goal and an assist, and Blayre Turnbull, with an empty-netter, also scored for Toronto (2-0-0-1). Elaine Chuli made 16 saves.

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Fanuza Kadirova scored for Ottawa (1-0-0-3). Gwyneth Philips stopped 34 shots.

Kadirova took a lead pass from Samantha Isbell from Ottawa’s defensive zone and slid it past Chuli just 1:45 into the game.

Watts evened the score when she wired one over Philips’s left shoulder 2:22 into the second period. It was Toronto’s first power-play goal in 10 attempts this season after leading the PWHL with a 25.8-per cent conversion rate last year.

Spooner scored her first of the season to put the Sceptres ahead with a tip-in off a pass from Watts with 7:01 left in the middle frame.

Takeaways

Sceptres: Toronto enjoyed another one-sided advantage in shots on goal but had trouble with execution as Philips gave the home side troubles. The Sceptres outshot Ottawa 18-4 through the first period, 27-11 through two and 37-17 in total.

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Charge: It was head coach Carla MacLeod’s first game back behind the bench for Ottawa following her breast cancer diagnosis last week. Philips made a highlight-reel save in the first period when she stuck her stick out to stop Turnbull from scoring into an open net after a scramble in front.

Up next

Sceptres: Visit the Montreal Victoire on Sunday.

Charge: Head to Vancouver to face the Goldeneyes on Tuesday.

Scotiabank Arena game announced

The Sceptres will make their third trip to Scotiabank Arena next month for a game against the expansion Vancouver Goldeneyes, the team announced Thursday.

The third annual “Battle on Bay Street” is set for Jan. 17 at 3 p.m. ET at the home of the NHL’s Maple Leafs and NBA’s Raptors.

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The Sceptres drew sellout crowds of over 19,000 fans in their last two games at Scotiabank Arena.

A then-record crowd of 19,285 saw the Sceptres post a 3-0 win over the Montreal Victoire on Feb. 16, 2024, in the league’s inaugural season. That record was beaten just over two months later when the Sceptres beat the Victoire 3-2 in overtime before 21,105 fans at Montreal’s Bell Centre.

The Scotiabank Centre crowd of 19,285 that took in Toronto’s 4-2 win over the New York Sirens on Jan. 25, 2025, was the third-highest attendance in the league’s history.

Toronto had three points from one win and one loss — both in regulation — heading into a game Thursday against the visiting Ottawa Charge at Coca-Cola Coliseum. Vancouver sat last in the league with two points from an overtime win and three regulation losses.

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“The game at Scotiabank Arena is easily one of the most exciting games of the year,“ Sceptres defender Renata Fast said in a release. ”The energy there the last two seasons has been incredible, you feel it through your whole body.

“Playing in front of 19,000 passionate fans at home is an experience you can’t really put into words. I know this game is circled on all of our calendars.”

The game at Scotiabank Arena will be the last at home for the Sceptres before the PWHL takes a break from Jan. 29 to Feb. 25 for the Milan Cortina Olympics.

It will also mark the return of former Sceptres Sarah Nurse, Hannah Miller, Kristen Campbell and Izzy Daniel.

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