Sunday, December 7, 2025 | 12 p.m. ET | Place Bell
WATCH LIVE: TSN 4, TSN.ca, TSN App, RDS, PWHL YouTube & thepwhl.com (U.S. / International), More
EN: Matt Cullen (Play-by-Play), Cheryl Pounder (Analyst), Kelly Greig (Reporter);
FR: Claudine Douville (Play-by-Play), Isabelle Leclaire (Analyst), Catherine Savoie (Reporter), Andrée-Anne Barbeau (Studio Host), Karell Émard (Studio Analyst)
TORONTO SCEPTRES
2-0-0-1 | 6 PTS | 2ND PLACE (TIED)
Top Scorer: Natalie Spooner – 3 GP, 1-2-3 PTS
Last Game: 3-1 W vs. OTT on Dec. 4
MONTRÉAL VICTOIRE
1-0-0-1 | 3 PTS | 7TH PLACE (TIED)
Top Scorer: Abby Roque – 2 GP, 1-2-3 PTS
Last Game: 4-0 W vs. NY on Nov. 25
2024-25 SEASON SERIES: MONTRÉAL WON 10-8 IN POINTS (TORONTO WON 13-2 IN 2024)
Dec. 21 at TOR: 4-3 MTL (OT) | Jan. 8 at TOR (VANCOUVER): 4-2 MTL | Jan. 30 at MTL: 4-3 MTL (SO) | Feb. 25 at MTL: 3-1 MTL | Mar. 6 at TOR: 4-1 TOR | Mar. 23 at MTL: 2-1 TOR
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Toronto and Montréal meet for the first time this season and represent the only teams in PWHL history to finish the regular season in first and second place. Toronto finished the inaugural season with 47 points to Montréal’s 41, then in 2024-25, the Victoire had 53 points to the Sceptres’ 48. Both teams entered the 2025-26 campaign with 32 regular season wins.
The Sceptres outshot their last two opponents by a combined 62-29 margin at home, including 27-6 in the first period, after being outshot by 12 (31-19) in their season opener on the road.
Natalie Spooner scored her first goal of the season Thursday and leads the Sceptres with three points, already within two of her total from all of last season (in 14 games). She’s one of 11 players from these two teams on Canada’s roster for next week’s Rivalry Series against the United States.
There have been a combined 18 power plays in the Sceptres’ three games, and the only goal on any of them came from Daryl Watts in the second period Thursday to tie the game en route to a 3-1 win over Ottawa. Toronto has held opponents to 0-for-6 on the power play.
Elaine Chuli became the first PWHL goaltender to win her first start in all three seasons with her 16-save performance against Ottawa on Thursday. She’s now won games with three different Toronto teams in the pro ranks including the Sceptres, the PHF’s Toronto Six and the CWHL’s Toronto Furies.
Chuli is one of three Sceptres making her return to Montréal for the first time along with forwards Claire Dalton and Clair DeGeorge. Chuli won 10 of her 19 appearances in two seasons in Montréal, Dalton recorded 18 points in 50 games and notably scored the first goal in team history, and DeGeorge contributed two assists in 26 games last season.
Jesse Compher is second on the Sceptres with 10 shots and still looking for her first goal of the season. She finished third on the team with nine goals during the 2024-25 campaign and scored five of them against Montréal.
Montréal is the only PWHL team yet to play in December, having been idle since a 4-0 home win over New York on Nov. 25. The Victoire had only one shutout in the first two seasons combined, and with their opening loss to Boston, have had consecutive shutout results for the first time in team history.
When these teams met for the first time last season, on Dec. 21, 2024, Montréal had 39 shots on goal to Toronto’s 22. The +17 difference in shots on goal remains the Victoire’s best margin in any game in team history.
All three games between these two teams at Place Bell last season were decided by one goal, with Montréal winning in overtime and a shootout and Toronto winning in regulation. In the inaugural season, Montréal hosted Toronto at the Verdun Auditorium, the Bell Centre and Pittsburgh’s PPG Paints Arena.
Abby Roque had a goal and two assists in Montréal’s last game to match her career high with three points, having also had a goal and two assists at Ottawa on Feb. 4, 2024. She has six career multi-point games.
Hayley Scamurra faces her former team for the first time in a Victoire uniform. She recorded three points in 19 games with Toronto following a trade from Ottawa on Dec. 30, 2024.
This game features the top two career leaders in all offensive categories. In points, Marie-Philip Poulin (51) is followed by Watts (46), Poulin (30) leads Spooner (24) in goals, and Erin Ambrose (28) leads Renata Fast (26) in all-time assists.
The Victoire held an open practice at the Hippodrome de Trois-Rivières on Wednesday where an outdoor rink was set up for the Coupe 55, a tournament between QMJHL teams from central Québec. Hundreds of fans attended the practice and an autograph session with the players. Following practice, Poulin and Laura Stacey read the starting lineup for the Cégep de Trois-Rivières Diablos and Voltigeurs du Cégep de Drummondville, two Cégep women's hockey teams. Earlier in the day, players visited four different area schools.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
“I am really excited to play in Montréal and Place Bell again. I’m really grateful for my two years in Montréal and am looking forward to returning, this time playing for my hometown team. Montréal is a tough team, and I foresee the game being very physical and highly competitive.” Sceptres forward Claire Dalton
“It’s certainly a very intense rivalry. The games are very physical, very fast. So that’s what I expect on Sunday. It’s simply the very nature of the games, the type of players that make up each team. There are very physical players and very fast players, and I think when they face each other, it brings out the best in each and makes the games more competitive.” – Victoire forward Hayley Scamurra
SUNDAY’S GAME: For the second straight year, fans are invited to bring warm clothing to Place Bell to donate for women in need as part of the Victoire’s Tuque Drive, presented by Air Canada. All winter clothing will be sent to Chez Doris, a community organization whose mission is offering practical help to support women on their journey to independence. Tess McQuade will perform the national anthem, and DJ Nelles will be in charge of maintaining the party atmosphere that fans are used to at a Victoire home game. This is the first of three head-to-head games this month between Montréal and Toronto as the teams will launch the Takeover Tour in Halifax (Dec. 17) and then return to the Bell Centre (Dec. 27) over the holidays. It’s also the last day of games before the PWHL schedule pauses for the International Break where players will join their National Team programs in preparation for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games.