Goalie Maschmeyer pulled as Toronto extends winning streak to seven

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TORONTO 5, OTTAWA 2

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Any magic Emerance Maschmeyer held over PWHL Toronto went up in smoke Saturday afternoon.

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After giving up two goals in two previous games against the provincial rivals, Ottawa’s goalie was beaten three times in just over a period in front of a PWHL-record crowd of 8,447 fans at a sold-out TD Place.

The 5-2 victory was the seventh W in a row for Toronto, while Ottawa failed in an attempt to put together its first two-game winning streak.

Natalie Spooner, Brittany Howard, Hannah Miller, Samantha Hogan and Maggie Connors scored the Toronto goals. Spooner added an assist while Sarah Nurse and Victoria Bach chipped in with a couple of helpers each.

Gabby Hughes and Ashton Bell replied for Ottawa.

Toronto, which moved into a temporary share of first place with Montreal, now has 24 points.

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Ottawa remains in fifth with 16 points.

After a slow start by the home side, both teams finished with 25 shots.

Howard started an eruption of three goals by the visitors in two minutes and 28 seconds at 2:46 of the second period after Ottawa had a couple of chances to clear the zone but gave the puck away leading up to the goal.

Miller padded the lead 1:57 later with a shot from the right wing faceoff circle that chased Maschmeyer, who had stopped 53 of 55 shots in two January victories over Toronto but was pulled after facing just 13 shots on Saturday.

Backup goalie Sandra Abstreiter allowed a goal by Hogan on the first shot she faced — a wrister that squeezed between her arm and body — just 31 seconds after taking the crease.

Ottawa coach Carla MacLeod called a timeout after that goal, and the tactic had a positive effect.

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But after pressing hard to get on the board, Abstreiter was called upon to redeem herself when moments after giving up the goal she stopped Connors on a clear-cut breakaway.

The home side finally solved Toronto goalie Kristen Campbell when Hughes scored her team-leading sixth of the season off a scramble at 11:16 of the middle frame.

Ottawa had a number of good chances to close the gap before the intermission, but was unable to convert, largely because of stellar tending from Campbell.

After Emily Clark failed to convert a shorthanded breakaway in the third minute of the third period, Bell pulled Ottawa to within two with her first PWHL goal when she backhanded home a blind shot from the high slot at the 5:49 mark.

Connors added an empty-netter with 1:33 left.

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Spooner scored the only goal of the first period, her league-leading 11th of the season, by sliding a shot from the low slot that beat Maschmeyer on the stick side.

Maschmeyer kept Ottawa within one by making a sprawling glove save off Jesse Compher that had the Toronto forward looking to the rafters in disbelief.

Toronto held a 9-4 edge in shots through 20 minutes.

ICE CHIPS: Before Saturday’s game, Ottawa announced that it had lost forward Kristin Della Rovere to a wrist injury that will require surgery and keep her out of action for the rest of the season.  The 23-year-old Caledon, Ont., native had a goal and plus-2 rating in nine games. “Kristin fits in perfectly with our team culture,” said GM Mike Hirshfeld. “She’s a great person. We’re very proud to have her on our team. We’ve seen her improve week by week. We look forward to seeing her on the ice when she’s healthy again.”

dbrennan@postmedia.com

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