Wednesday, January 8, 2025 | 7:00 p.m. PT | Rogers Arena (Vancouver, BC)
WATCH LIVE: TSN 1/3//5, TSN.ca, TSN App, RDS, PWHL YouTube & thepwhl.com (U.S. / International)
EN: Jamie Hersch (Play-by-Play), Becky Kellar (Analyst), Shantelle Chand (Reporter);
FR: Claudine Douville (Play-by-Play), Isabelle Leclaire (Analyst), Andrée-Anne Barbeau (Studio Host), Karell Émard (Studio Analyst).
MONTRÉAL VICTOIRE
3-2-1-1 | 14 PTS | 1ST PLACE (TIED)
Top Scorer: Abby Boreen – 7 GP, 3-2-5 PTS
Last Game: 3-2 SOL at BOS (Seattle) on Jan. 5
TORONTO SCEPTRES
2-0-1-4 | 7 PTS | 6TH PLACE
Top Scorers: Sarah Nurse (3G, 3A) & Renata Fast (6A) 7GP
Last Game: 2-1 L vs. OTT on Dec. 31
2024-25 SEASON SERIES: MONTRÉAL LEADS 2-1 IN POINTS (TORONTO WON 13-2 IN 2024)
Dec. 21 at TOR: 4-3 MTL (OT) | Jan. 8 at TOR (VANCOUVER) | Jan. 30 at MTL | Feb. 25 at MTL | Mar. 6 at TOR | Mar. 23 at MTL
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Vancouver is the second of nine stops on the PWHL Takeover Tour and Rogers Arena is the tenth NHL venue to host a PWHL game all-time.
Rogers Arena hosted the Rivalry Series on Feb. 5, 2020, with nine players from today’s teams in that game. Toronto’s Hayley Scamurra scored 1G, 1A for the United States in the 3-1 win. Sceptres forward Jesse Compher also played for Team USA, while Canada’s lineup included Montréal’s Erin Ambrose, Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey, and Toronto’s Renata Fast, Sarah Nurse, Natalie Spooner and Blayre Turnbull. On Feb. 3 in Victoria, BC, Montréal’s Ann-Renée Desbiens made 20 saves in a 3-2 overtime win for Canada. Toronto's Savannah Harmon scored a goal for the U.S. The U.S. roster also included Montréal’s Cayla Barnes and Clair DeGeorge who were not in the lineup.
Here on Feb. 22, 2010, Poulin famously scored both goals for Canada in a 2-0 win over the U.S. to win Olympic gold. The youngest member of Team Canada (18) was a Tournament All-Star with 5G, 2A. Canada’s roster also included PWHL Hockey Operations SVP Jayna Hefford, Toronto GM Gina Kingsbury, Montréal assistant coach Caroline Ouellette, Ottawa head coach Carla MacLeod and assistant Haley Irwin, Jocks in Jills host Tessa Bonhomme, and PWHL broadcaster Becky Kellar.
The Victoire lost their most recent game to the Fleet, 3-2, in a shootout in Seattle. Montréal has had two games this season end in a shootout, the most in the PWHL.
Montréal has recorded at least one first-period goal in each of its last three games after scoring zero times in the opening frame of its first four games. Five of the Victoire’s eight goals in their last three games have come in the first period.
Stacey recorded a goal and five shots in her last game against Toronto and against Boston, her third time reaching both marks in a game this season. That is the most such games by any PWHL player this season.
Montréal won its first matchup against Toronto this season, 4-3, in overtime on Dec. 21. The Victoire outshot the Sceptres 39-22 in that game and scored on the first shot by either side in overtime. Toronto won all five games in the series last season.
The Sceptres lost their last game against the Charge, 2-1, despite outshooting them 38-13. The plus-25 shot-differential is the largest by any PWHL team in a defeat this season.
Hannah Miller scored the lone goal for Toronto against Ottawa, giving her a team-leading three goals this season (tied with Sarah Nurse). Miller has recorded at least four shots in each of her last two games after only reaching that mark once in her first 28 PWHL games.
Miller hails from North Vancouver and Sceptres defender Rylind MacKinnon is from Cranbrook, BC. MacKinnon captained the UBC Thunderbirds where she ended her U SPORTS career with the most points by a defender in program history. Victoire forward Jennifer Gardiner is from Surrey, BC.
Other West Coast connections include Toronto forward Emma Woods who lived in Creston, BC for a few years growing up and where she first began playing hockey. Sceptres rookie Izzy Daniel was born in nearby Seattle, WA, and lived there for a couple years before moving to her hometown of Minneapolis, MN. Victoire forward Clair DeGeorge is from Anchorage, AK.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
“Coming back here to Vancouver, for me, is a pretty memorable moment in my heart, having experienced my first Olympic Games here. To be able to come back here with a new group is super special. It's very cool to be back here and to be able to wear the Victoire logo.” Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin.
“I never thought I’d get the chance to play in BC after my last university game, so the announcement of the Takeover Tour was exciting. It means a lot to be back in my home province and in Vancouver where I’ve met a lot of amazing people and have made some great memories with the UBC women’s hockey program. It’s a great opportunity to be able to show off what the PWHL has to offer to the West Coast.” – Sceptres defender Rylind MacKinnon.
WEDNESDAY’S GAME: Montréal and Toronto will be wearing specialty jerseys tonight in partnership with Molson. The jerseys feature the player’s name bar at the bottom, with the Molson logo placed where the regular name bar would be, often covered by some players’ long hair. Last season on International Women’s Day, these teams wore the specialty jerseys to launch Molson’s ‘See My Name’ campaign. The jerseys will be worn in six different games across Canada this season. The PWHL is proud to welcome Shannon Woeller and Piper Logan to perform the ceremonial puck drop. Woeller is a member of Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team and the first signing by the Vancouver Rise FC of the new Northern Super League. Logan is a standout for Canada’s Rugby 7s and a 2024 Olympic silver medalist. Vancouver Canucks anthem singer Elizabeth Irving will perform O Canada, and Canucks DJ - DJ Tom Fleming - will be a special guest DJ for the game. On-ice officials include referee Grace Barlow who hails from Vancouver, and linesperson Melissa Brunn from Kelowna, BC.