Vancouver Goldeneyes face off against the Toronto Scepters after the Olympic Break

MEGAN SWAIN/GATG

The PWHL is back after the Olympic break, as the Vancouver Goldeneyes faced off against the Toronto Sceptres on March 1, at the Pacific Coliseum. After a close fight, Vancouver fell with a 2-1 loss against Toronto.

As soon as the whistle blew, a dedicated fan started a chant with what sounded like a duck call. The crowd erupted in cheers, ready for PWHL hockey.

In the first period, Vancouver’s Sarah Nurse took a penalty for holding against her former team. Yet the Goldeneyes had their teammate’s back and successfully killed the penalty. 

However, after an attempt by Maschenmyer to pass the puck to a Vancouver teammate, Toronto’s Sara Hjalmarsson opened the scoring at 7:10 after shooting a pass by Claire Dalton. Only 57 seconds later, Lauren Messier got another one for Toronto at 8:07. Dalton recorded her second assist of the game.

“Sometimes you're doing everything right, and goals are going in, that could happen in the first second of the game [or] the last second. I don't worry too much about the timing of the goals.” said Maschmeyer on remaining calm after two consecutive goals. “I want to make more saves in the first so our team can get up, but at the same time, yeah, I just, I try to focus on the next shot.” 

The second period saw no scoring but the Goldeneyes outshot their opponents 8-5.

Izzy Daniel shot a one-timer in at 9:07 in the third period, finally getting Vancouver on the board. With an assist by Hannah Miller, the energy at the Pacific Coliseum shifted. 

Fans cheered loudly for the goal, even when the refs were reviewing the play. After what seemed like forever for Goldeneyes fans, the goal was allowed and the game continued. 

Even though the Sceptres got the 2-1 win, the Goldeneyes had 26 SOG compared to Toronto’s 24. This shows a real effort from Vancouver to try and turn it around. 

When asked about growing the game and the impact of the league, Maschmeyer said “the traction that we have had in this game so far and just two and a half seasons. It's really promising. […] It's definitely, you know, one of the biggest honours of my life, to be able to be a part of this movement.”