Daryl Watts scored both of the Toronto Sceptres’ goals in their 2-1 victory against the New York Sirens on March 19 to inch closer to clinching a playoff berth.
The low-scoring affair saw tremendous displays of goaltending at both ends of the ice, with Sceptres’ netminder Kristen Campbell and Sirens’ goaltender Corinne Schroeder each making 27 saves in the contest.
After both goalies dazzled in the early going, making quality stops on high-danger scoring chances, Watts broke the deadlock late in the first period as her rocketing shot from the high slot beat Schroeder glove-side to give the hosts the one-goal advantage.
Watts then doubled Toronto’s tally nearly a minute-and-a-half into the second period following a give-and-go passing play from Anna Kjellbin, who was making her Sceptres debut.
“I usually get a lot of shots and thankfully they were going in,” said Watts following her seventh multi-point game of the season, which is tied for the league lead.
Natalie Spooner also recorded an assist on Watts’ second goal of the night and eighth of the season, which was unsuccessfully challenged by New York for goaltender interference.
However, the lengthy delay shifted momentum into the Sirens’ favour as Alex Carpenter cut the Sceptres’ lead in half midway through the frame after burying the rebound from the end boards with assists by Ella Shelton and Jaime Bourbonnais. New York continued piling on the pressure in the latter stages of the period, forcing Campbell to make 12 saves in the second — the most saves in any period — to preserve the Toronto lead.
Campbell continued her dominance in the third as she made key stops on the penalty kill as Toronto was a successful five-for-five in the game against New York power plays.
“[Campbell] is one of those goalies that just thrives off the confidence that she gets through her play and the confidence that our team gives her,” said Sceptres head coach Troy Ryan. “She seems to be in a good place right now.”
Toronto’s confidence was on display in the final minute as they nearly added a third into the empty net, but the play was ruled offside as the hosts came up on top, 2-1. The Sceptres have now earned points in each of the last three games while extending their home point streak to seven, dating back to the last meeting between these teams when Toronto was victorious 4-2 on Jan. 25.
With the win, Toronto (10-2-5-7) now sits just one point behind the Boston Fleet for second in the PWHL standings with 39 points and have a four-point cushion on the Minnesota Frost, who are currently in the fourth and final playoff spot with only six games remaining this season.
Following the loss, New York (5-4-4-11) remains in the basement of the league standings with 27 points and are three back of the Ottawa Charge for fifth place and eight behind the Frost for the final playoff seed.
Both teams have three games left before the league takes a nearly month-long hiatus for the IIHF Women’s World Hockey Championships, which are set to take place from April 9 to 25 in Czechia before the final playoff push resumes on April 26.
Representing Canada from the Sceptres are Sarah Nurse, Natalie Spooner, Emma Maltais, Hannah Miller, Blayre Turnbull, Daryl Watts, Renata Fast and Kristen Campbell, as well as head coach Troy Ryan, who is tasked with leading the nation to their fourth gold medal in the last five years.
For more information about the Toronto Sceptres, visit thepwhl.com.