Another stop on the PWHL Takeover Tour, Rogers Place in Edmonton was packed for a showdown between the Toronto Sceptres and the Ottawa Charge.
Edmonton hosted the fifth stop on the PWHL Takeover Tour, and the city enjoyed an exciting game. A total of 17,518 fans attended, including some members of the Edmonton Oilers. Stu Skinner, Corey Perry, and Darnell Nurse, who was proudly wearing his cousin Sarah Nurse’s jersey, were present on Sunday afternoon. This game marked the PWHL’s third-highest attendance for neutral site games.
Ottawa comes out strong
The Charge got to work early on the power play when Toronto’s Jesse Compher received a slashing penalty. Gabbie Hughes quickly put Ottawa on the scoreboard by finding the back of the net with the game’s very first shot.
Ottawa’s strong play continued as they limited the Sceptres to just two shots and held them shotless for the first nine minutes and 12 seconds of the period. By the end of the opening frame, Ottawa led with 17–2 in shots.
The league-leading power play shines
After the break, Toronto dug in and found their rhythm, and outshooting the Charge while holding them scoreless through ten minutes. After killing off a power play earlier in the frame, Jocelyn Larocque received her second hooking penalty of the period, sending the Sceptres back to the power play. Toronto’s pressure paid off as Daryl Watts scored, tying the game.
A late hooking penalty from Aneta Tejralová sent the Sceptres back to the power play with just 52 seconds remaining. As time wound down, Julia Gosling cut into the slot and put the puck past Emerance Maschmeyer with only 23 seconds left to play. The second period felt like a whole new game, as Toronto responded with a dominant 19–5 edge in shots.
Tejralová would be forgiven for her second-period hooking call at the 4:10 mark into the final period. Ottawa’s leading goal scorer tied the game with a nifty slapshot that beat Raygan Kirk on the power play. This period was much closer, as Ottawa edged Toronto 13–12 in shots, resulting in a game total of 35–33. The two teams remained tied, treating the fans to some extra hockey.
Overtime didn’t last long as Daryl Watts scored the game-winning wraparound goal just 51 seconds into the extra period. Her sixth of the season was her second goal of the game against her former team, giving the Scpetures a 3–2 victory.
Homecoming event for many players on both teams
This stop on the Takeover Tour was a homecoming for a few Charge players. Both Danielle Serdachny and Stephanie Markowski hail from Edmonton. Emerance Maschmeyer from Bruderheim, just northwest of the city, had a great game for the Charge despite the loss, making some key saves in front of her home province. It was also a homecoming for Charge Head Coach Carla McLeod, who is from Spruce Grove.
With another successful stop on the Takeover Tour for the PWHL, is Edmonton, a city with all its hockey past success, a potential place for an expansion team in the coming years?
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