Five takeaways from Week 9 of the PWHL: Edmonton shows up, New York struggles, a unique first win

In the PWHL’s first whole week of action following the international break, we saw a long-awaited return, a couple of notable absences and some more exciting atmospheres north of the border.

Let’s take a look back at some of the highlights and lowlights from the week that was across the league.

YEG loves the P-Dub

Sunday afternoon saw the Ottawa Charge take on the Toronto Sceptres in the fifth game of the Takeover Tour at Rogers Place in Edmonton. With a capacity crowd on hand, the hype lived up to the billing.

Like what we’ve seen in other Takeover games this season, the crowd was electric, giving the contest a playoff vibe. The intensity of the Battle of Ontario in the provincial capital of Alberta rose to the level expected from the crowd. In a back-and-forth game, it was the Sceptres who came out on top, thanks to two goals from Daryl Watts, including the game-winner in overtime.

The interest in the game was palpable as, like the game in Vancouver, it didn’t take long for the game to be sold out, with 17,518 showing up on Sunday. Sure, the turnout was a little less than the 19,038 crammed into Rogers Arena, but that’s because Rogers Place has a smaller capacity.

It does throw Edmonton’s name into the expansion conversation. Vancouver would give the PWHL the nationwide footprint, and with the Vancouver Warriors of the National Lacrosse League only having to play nine home games a season, Rogers Arena seems to have more availability than Edmonton, especially since the Edmonton Oilers and the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings call Rogers Place home.

Nevertheless, the PWHL will have an interesting choice on where it would want to expand westward in Canada.

No Nurse, no problem

The Sceptres came out of the international break a little worse for wear, as the team had to place Sarah Nurse on long-term injured reserve after suffering an injury during Game 4 of the Rivalry Series.

However, despite Nurse leaving the lineup, Toronto was able to fill the hole with Natalie Spooner, who finally returned to play this past week after having knee surgery during last year’s playoffs.

The Sceptres continued to build off the momentum they created heading into the break. Thanks to a big goal from Renata Fast, they knocked off the Minnesota Frost last Tuesday, with a big game from Emma Maltais powering Toronto a win over the Fleet on Valentine’s Day.

Similar to last year, the Sceptres are using an impressive streak to get them back into the playoff race. At one point, the team sat dead last in the PWHL. Now, with points in seven straight games, five of which came via wins, Toronto is on its way to another postseason berth. They currently sit second in the league standings, moving ahead of Minnesota.

goals, Goals, GOALS

With the grind of the regular season, we started to see games get a little tighter across the league, with teams knowing that every point matters in the final couple months of the regular season.

However, some of the games coming out of the league-wide pause took that notion and threw it out the window.

First off, the Boston Fleet, who have had their share of struggles scoring this season, put up four goals on New York Sirens goaltender Corinne Schroeder, just the third time this season the Fleet hit that mark.

Then, the Charge did something that no one saw coming. They hounded the defending Walter Cup champions, scoring eight goals on the Frost last Thursday, setting a new single-game record for goals in the PWHL. The win was highlighted by a hat trick from Tereza Vanišová, who became just the second player in the league this season to pot three in a single affair.

Not to be outdone, the league-leading Montreal Victoire put the pedal on the wounded Sirens on Saturday. Led by Lina Ljungblom and Abby Boreen, the Victoire scored thrice in the opening 20 minutes, going on to win by a final score of 6-2.

Was last week an anomaly? A mere strange bounce in scoring in the return to league play after some of the league’s best went away to partake in international competition? Maybe. However, if teams can find a way to produce more often, even as we approach the trade deadline, it’s going to lead to plenty of more entertaining contests.

New York…you okay?

If you haven’t realized it yet, the Sirens had a rough week. While the Frost managed to come back and have a solid game against the Fleet on Sunday, New York, which was near the top of the PWHL in goals allowed, struggled to keep the put out of their own net.

Unfortunately, the 10 goals given up in two games are just the tip of the iceberg.

With Alex Carpenter missing the last three games due to injury, the scoring has not been there for the Sirens. The team has lost four straight games, scoring just five goals over that span, which is a far cry for a team that possessed one of the league’s most dominant offenses in the early going this season.

Over the past month or so, the Sirens have gone from competing for home ice in the playoffs to simply trying to get back in a playoff spot. Even without Carpenter, this team, on paper, has the tools to win games and advance to the postseason. However, with so much parity in this league, New York might have to make some moves if they want to be solidified contenders again.

Peslarová gets an unexpected first

When the Fleet met the Frost in Lowell, it felt like a Sunday afternoon game. The team elected to start Emma Söderberg (who has not been great in her few appearances thus far), with Klára Peslarová backing her up. Aerin Frankel was given the day off with the expectation that she would play in the second half of a back-to-back on Monday against New York.

Unfortunately, things didn’t start off well for Boston, as Söderberg gave up two goals on the first nine shots. That led to head coach Courtney Kessel pulling Söderberg, throwing Peslarová into her PWHL debut.

The Czech netminder stood tall in relief. Outside of almost getting scored on just minutes into the second period, Peslarová was perfect, turning away all 15 shots she faced. The Fleet rode the confidence of the 28-year-old netminder, reeling off four unanswered goals to steal a 4-2 win.

Though Frankel is still the unanimous No. 1 in Boston, a solid performance from Peslarová might persuade the team to make a change on is behind the American backstop on the depth chart.

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