VANCOUVER — Marie-Philip Poulin has a penchant for scoring goals in Vancouver, doesn’t she?
It’s not the first time Montreal Victoire’s captain scored a game-winning goal in Vancouver. Captain Clutch lived up to her name, leading Montreal to a 4-2 victory over the Toronto Sceptres in the same building where she won an Olympic gold medal in 2010 as the PWHL Takeover Tour took to Vancouver.
“Being back in Vancouver, there are special memories here, and there’s another one tonight,” Poulin said. “Being able to play in front of a sold-out crowd in this league representing Montreal, there’s no better feeling.”
Young girls repping their youth hockey teams lined rows of seats at Rogers Arena. Many fans boasted signs with messages chiming for Vancouver to have a team of their own or simply showing admiration for the players on the ice.
“I was 18 years old the first time I played here [in Vancouver], and I still have shivers coming back,” Poulin said.
During player introductions, fans roared for each player. But perhaps no two were louder than Poulin and Surrey, B.C’s., Jennifer Gardiner.
“There aren’t really words to describe that experience,” Gardiner said. “Coming to the West Coast in general, let alone Vancouver, my hometown, is so surreal… it was cool to have all my friends and family [in attendance] and get the win.”
Aside from Toronto whiffing on a netside chance, Montreal pushed the pace, peppered shots on Kristen Campbell and racked up offensive zone time early into the contest.
Anna Wilgren fed Mikyla Grant-Mentis behind the Sceptres’ defence, springing her on a breakaway. The 26-year-old made no mistake, ripping a shot past Campbell blocker-side, igniting the sound of C’est La Vie to blare through Rogers Arena.
Later, Marie-Philip Poulin intercepted a Toronto pass and sprung Laura Stacey on a breakaway. Like Grant-Mentis, Stacey went blocker-side on Campbell, but the Toronto netminder turned the chance aside.
Despite the Victoire pressure, it would be the leading side to commit the contest’s first infraction. Mariah Keopple’s tripping penalty sent the Sceptres to the power play halfway through the opening frame.
The Savannah Harmon-backed player advantage generated Toronto’s best chances of the match to that point but failed to execute.
The back half of the first period saw the Canadian foes trade hits, shots and a Montreal power play, but after 20 minutes, the Victoire lead remained one.
It took just over two minutes for Montreal to double their lead in the second period. Following a pair of quality looks by the Sceptres that Ann-Renée Desbiens turned aside, the Victoire found themselves in the offensive zone.
Grant-Mentis, who opened the scoring, fought off checking from Rylind MacKinnon behind the net. After shaking off the Vancouver defender, Grant-Mentis fed an open net front Claire Dalton, who doubled Montreal’s lead.
At 12:12 of the second period, Captain Clutch made it three nothing for Montreal. After dancing around Toronto’s end, Poulin collected a rebound and sniped top corner past Campbell while falling on her knees.
“When I was here in 2010, it was a sea of red and white,” Poulin said. “Now it’s seas of different jerseys across the PWHL. To see these crowds, it was once every four years — during the Olympic year — now it’s every week, every day of the week. There’s potential to have sold-out crowds.”
The Sceptres swiftly answered Poulin’s marker. Sarah Nurse drew a penalty driving the net, sending Toronto to its second power play of the game. On the ensuing chance, Daryl Watts walked in off the right hashmarks, exuded patience and found the back of the net to give Toronto its first of the game.
Both sides continued to press, but neither managed to score before the buzzer sounded to end the second.
Coming out of intermission, the Sceptres were hungry for their second tally of the contest.
At the 13-minute mark of the third, Jesse Compher streaked into the Victoire end. With Emma Maltais driving the net — forming a partial two-on-one — the Sceptre forward elected to shoot, cutting Montreal’s lead to one.
The Sceptres pushed for the equalizer but to no avail. Toronto pulled Campbell with 1:27 remaining, but Desbiens snuffed any chances the trailing side threw her way, and Poulin sailed her second of the game into the empty net.
“The future of women’s sports is so bright, and it’s so cool to see how many females support the league overall,” Gardiner said.
“The entirety of North America has been so supportive. To do it in Vancouver goes to show how many fans are out on the West Coast, and hopefully, one day, the league can expand out here.”
The PWHL’s Takeover Tour is heading to Denver. Montreal, who played in both takeover games so far, will play the Minnesota Frost at Ball Arena in Denver on Sunday.
The Sceptres will also take to the ice this Sunday in a matchup against Sarah Fillier and the New York Sirens.
