Ottawa scores first PWHL win against Toronto

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Ottawa 5, Toronto 1

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TORONTO — A well-rested Ottawa team got the jump on Toronto early and never looked back in yet another offensive struggle for the PWHL-Toronto hosts.

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Three unanswered first-period goals stood up for Ottawa who were playing just their second game of the season courtesy of a postponed game in Boston earlier in the week.

Toronto on the other hand was playing its fourth game of the Professional Women’s Hockey League season after back to back road contests in New York and Minnesota and struggled with some early penalty issues and then a few poor line changes that led to opportunities for Ottawa.

Looking to shake things up after that first period, when his team fell behind 3-0, Toronto head coach Troy Ryan replaced starting goaltender Kristen Campbell with Erica Howe and shuffled three of his four lines.

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Toronto had more chances over the final two periods and was certainly into the game more than it had been in the first, but the early deficit proved to be too big.

Ottawa certainly seemed to have a step on Toronto all game long, a development foreign to a team like Toronto that usually counts its speed as an advantage.

Of course, playing into that were the polar opposite schedules the two teams have been on for the past week and a bit.

Ottawa, though, was full value for the win carrying the play in both that first period and for most of the third.

Gabby Hughes led the way with a pair of goals and was named the team’s first star.

Midway through the first period, Toronto forward Jesse Compher was called for a holding penalty, putting Ottawa on the power play.

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Eighteen seconds into that advantage, team captain Blayre Turnbull bowled over an Ottawa player along the boards and was called for a roughing minor giving Ottawa a 5-on-3.

Ottawa took full advantage on those advantages with goals from first Katerina Mrazova and then Hughes to put Toronto in an early hole.

Toronto got it going a little at that point, pressuring Ottawa, but could not beat Emerance Maschmeyer, the Canadian national team goaltender who stopped 25 of 26 shots and was named the second star.

Things got worse for Toronto in the dying seconds of the first period, after the home team was stymied by Maschmeyer, when Darryl Watts came down the wing and sniped one past Toronto goalkeeper Campbell.

“After that goal with 15 seconds left in the period, I thought it was time to shake things up,” Ryan said.

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With the loss, Toronto fell to 1-3, while Ottawa improved to a win and an overtime loss.

It’s not the start Toronto was looking for, but it’s still very early in the schedule.

“I don’t think there is a panic button (being pushed), but I also think there is an expectation we are not quite meeting as a group and I think we have to go to practice and start working on ways to meet those expectations,” Toronto forward Emma Maltais said.

“We have a really tough January and I think you could see that tonight in the beginning,” she said. “We had some travel legs or whatnot but later in the game we really got into it and I think if we build off those things we can kind of fix the scores of the games.”

Maltais, though, did not want to use tired legs or a travel disadvantage as an excuse.

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“That’s all part of being a pro,” Maltais said. “We’re all learning about being a pro and if we can adjust and learn what is best for ourselves in terms of travelling or playing every other day I think that’s really important and a learning point. I’m just happy we are hitting that early in the season.”

Ottawa head coach Carla McLeod said the idea that her team could ever get rusty with the unexpected extended stint between games never occurred to her.

“Nah, they’re young. Look at them. They are pro athletes. You don’t worry about rust. They are so driven to play you almost only have to open the door and say ‘Go.’ So, no, we weren’t worried.”

Toronto’s lone goal in Saturday’s game came from Natalie Spooner, which gave her the first ever PWHL Toronto goal at home as well as the first ever team goal scored last week in Bridgeport.

Spooner, a Scarborough native was clearly happy with the multiple firsts for her team, but clearly still thinking about the loss.

“I wish it could have snowballed for a few more,” she said. “It was nice to get the crowd in it and feel that energy but we’re going to have to find a way to score some more goals and win some more games.”

Toronto is on the ice again Wednesday at home against Boston, while Ottawa returns home to host Minnesota, also on Wednesday.

mganter@postmedia.com

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