Battle on Bay Street presented by Coca-Cola
TORONTO, ON (February 16, 2024) – The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) skates into the Scotiabank Arena spotlight for the Battle on Bay Street, presented by Coca-Cola, featuring Toronto and Montréal at 7:00 p.m. ET.
WHERE TO WATCH
Fans in Canada can catch the action live on TSN5, TSN.ca, and the TSN app. The game will feature an on-site studio panel at Scotiabank Arena with Tessa Bonhomme, Becky Kellar, and Saroya Tinker. Kenzie Lalonde will have the play-by-play call with Cheryl Pounder providing analysis from between the benches and Raegan Subban reporting rinkside. The game is available for viewers in the United States on the league’s YouTube channel. French coverage can be seen live on RDS with host André-Anne Barbeau, desk analyst Stéphanie Poirier, Claudine Douville on play-by-play, and Karell Émard providing colour commentary.
BROADCAST ENHANCEMENTS
Tonight’s game will be broadcast by TSN in 4K UHD, providing resolution that is four times better than HD including enhanced motion detail, increased screen pixel counts, and greater brightness range. In addition to the on-site panel, between-the-bench analysis, and rinkside reporting, viewers will experience several other new broadcast elements. An on-ice operator using a shallow depth of field camera will provide unique perspectives while skating during stoppages of play. Some replays up to 6x slower than usual for super slo-mo analysis, robotic cameras installed in rink boards at ankle height to capture never before seen angles for PWHL, and a third robotic ‘speedy cam’ positioned at centre ice.
BATTLE ON BAY STREET FAN EXPERIENCE
All fans in attendance will receive a commemorative Battle on Bay Street rally towel. A pre-game ceremony, built by world-renowned entertainment producer Greg Kwizak and Maple Leafs game presentation legend Mike “Bear” Ferriman, will include a state-of-the-art ice projection presentation highlighting the past, present, and future of women’s hockey designed by After Hours Media. Accompanying anthem singer Kalista Wilson will be renowned deaf performer Gaitrie Persaud-Killings and ASL interpreter Jenn Bulger to perform O, Canada. During the game, DJ Levi will entertain fans at stoppages of play and during intermissions. When Toronto scores, the goal horn will blast in a ‘short-long-long’ sound pattern – reflective of the morse code for ‘W’.
ATTENDANCE RECORD
Tonight’s game at Scotiabank Arena will set a new professional women’s hockey attendance record, surpassing the crowd of 13,316 at Xcel Energy Center on Jan. 6 when Minnesota hosted Montréal. The current Canadian attendance record for pro women’s hockey is 8,646 set on Jan. 27 at Place Bell when Montréal hosted Ottawa – surpassing the crowd of 8,318 on Jan. 2 when the two teams met at The Arena at TD Place. Prior to the PWHL, the North American record for a regular-season professional women’s hockey game was 5,938, established Dec. 10, 2016, in the CWHL when Les Canadiennes de Montréal hosted the Calgary Inferno at Bell Centre. Les Canadiennes roster featured current Montréal players Ann-Sophie Bettez, Sarah Lefort, and Marie-Philip Poulin. Toronto’s Blayre Turnbull was a member of the Inferno. The largest attendance for a women’s hockey game is 18,013 set on April 5, 2013, in Ottawa during the IIHF Women’s World Championship. The record-setting preliminary round matchup between Canada and Finland featured Poulin, and Toronto’s Jocelyne Larocque, Lauriane Rougeau, and Natalie Spooner. Poulin and Toronto general manager Gina Kingsbury both played in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics where the gold medal game featured an Olympic women’s hockey record attendance of 16,805. The NCAA women’s hockey attendance record is 15,359 set on Jan. 14, 2017, by the University of Wisconsin against St. Cloud State. Among the former Badgers in that game were Toronto’s Sam Cogan and Sarah Nurse, and Montréal’s Ann-Renée Desbiens.
WOMEN’S HOCKEY AT SCOTIABANK ARENA
Eight players in tonight’s game competed in the Canadian Tire PWHL 3-on-3 Showcase as part of NHL All-Star Thursday on Feb. 1 including Montréal’s Marie-Philip Poulin, Ann-Renée Desbiens, and Toronto’s Blayre Turnbull on Team King. Team Kloss featured Toronto’s Renata Fast, Jocelyne Larocque, and Sarah Nurse, and Montréal’s Erin Ambrose and Laura Stacey. Back on Feb. 14, 2019, Canada defeated the United States 4-3 in the second game of the inaugural Rivalry Series before a crowd of 9,014. Poulin led the way with a goal and an assist, and Stacey had two assists. Canada’s lineup also featured Montréal’s Ambrose and Ann-Sophie Bettez, along with Fast, Larocque, Nurse, Turnbull, Victoria Bach, Brittany Howard, Rebecca Leslie, and Natalie Spooner from Toronto. On Dec. 30, 2013, the United States beat Canada 3-2 in the final game of a six-game exhibition series ahead of the 2014 Olympics. Announced attendance was 17,227 and the roster featured Poulin, Larocque, Spooner, and Toronto’s Lauriane Rougeau. The venue also hosted the 2017 CWHL All-Star Game before a crowd of 8,122. Ambrose, Bettez, Fast, Larocque, Poulin, Rougeau, Spooner, Stacey were all named to rosters along with Montréal’s Sarah Lefort, plus Toronto’s Erica Howe and Jess Jones who scored a hat trick.
SETTING THE STAGE
The two hottest teams in the PWHL face-off tonight with a pair of three-game winning streaks on the line. Montréal (3-3-2-1) is in second place in the standings with 17 points and Toronto (4-1-0-5) is in third place with 14 points. Toronto’s last three wins have all come in regulation time, including a 5-3 victory in Boston on Wednesday, a 4-1 win over Minnesota at home on Feb. 3, and a 2-0 shutout against New York on Jan. 26 at Mattamy Athletic Centre. Montréal hasn’t loss since the teams met head-to-head on Jan. 20 in Toronto’s 4-3 shootout triumph at the Verdun Auditorium. Since then, they’ve strung together a trio of 2-1 victories including a regulation win in Minnesota on Jan. 24, and overtime wins against Ottawa at Place Bell on Jan. 27, and in Boston on Feb. 4. Montréal has points in seven straight games and have won four of five on the road. Toronto’s two wins at home followed three straight losses to open the season. The teams are scheduled to meet three more times this season, including once more in Toronto on Mar. 8 at Mattamy Athletic Centre. Keep an eye on the shot totals in this game as Toronto is a plus-41 on the season and Montréal is a minus-41. Despite the shots allowed, Montréal boasts the league’s second-best goals-against-average and Toronto averages the fewest goals-per-game.
RECAP BEFORE THE REMATCH
The first and only shootout so far in PWHL history featured these two teams on Jan. 20 at Verdun Auditorium. Toronto prevailed 4-3 with Lauriane Rougeau scoring the winning goal in the sixth round. Hannah Miller also scored a shootout goal for Toronto, and Marie-Philip Poulin capitalized on one of her four attempts for Montréal. The game required extra time after a last-minute goal by Poulin, her second of the game, knotted the score 3-3. Maggie Connors had a goal and an assist, and Natalie Spooner had a late third period goal for Toronto. Sarah Bujold (MTL) and Jocelyne Larocque (TOR) scored their first goals of the season, and both Leah Lum (MTL) and Rebecca Leslie (TOR) had two-assist efforts. Kristen Campbell stopped 21 shots for the win, and Ann-Renée Desbiens turned aside 36 despite the loss.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Toronto’s Natalie Spooner leads the league with 10 goals and is tied for first with 11 points in 10 games. She’s scored seven goals and one assist over her last three PWHL games, including a hat trick on Wednesday in Boston, plus three goals and three assists in three games for Canada in Rivalry Series competition. Emma Maltais and Sarah Nurse both had three-point efforts in the seventh and deciding game of the Rivalry Series and returned to the PWHL to post strong performances in Boston. Maltais had three assists and Nurse scored once with an assist in the 5-3 win. They’re tied for second in team scoring with six points, along with Rebecca Leslie. Montréal’s top scorers were also productive during the IIHF National Team Break. Marie-Philip Poulin, who leads the team with six goals and nine points, scored once with three assists in three games with Canada. Maureen Murphy (1G 7A) has a three-game point streak and made her season debut with Team USA during the Rivalry Series, and Tereza Vanišová (1G 6A) scored two goals and six assists in four games for Czechia in the Women’s Euro Hockey Tour. Erin Ambrose has six points on the season and notched four assists in three games for Canada. Laura Stacey has five goals, including a three-game scoring streak, in nine games and tallied once with two assists in three February games with Canada.
NURSEY NIGHT
Tonight marks the launch of ‘Nursey Night’ – an initiative led by Toronto’s Sarah Nurse, presented by Rogers, in support of Black Girl Hockey Club Canada. Girls from the Black Girl Hockey Club community have been invited to the Battle on Bay Street and will attend select PWHL Toronto home and away games to cheer on the team and meet Nurse after the game. Nursey Night is a way to introduce more young girls to hockey and to help make the sport a more inclusive space. Click here for more info.
WELCOME BACK TO TORONTO
Five members of PWHL Montréal helped the PHF’s Toronto Six capture the Isobel Cup last season including goaltender Elaine Chuli, defenders Dominika Lásková and Kati Tabin, and forwards Leah Lum and Tereza Vanišová – the OT hero in the championship final. Chuli (Waterford) is one of six players on the team from Ontario, joined by Erin Ambrose (Keswick), Kennedy Marchment (Marmora), Kristen O’Neill (Oakville), Laura Stacey (Kleinburg), and first-year pro Claire Dalton who hails from Toronto. The 23-year-old is a product of the Toronto Aeros program and graduated from Yale University in 2023.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
“So excited to face off against Montréal – it should be a really good matchup considering the last time we played them we went to a shootout! Playing in front of so many fans in the city of Toronto speaks volumes about the support we’ve had in the city and I’m excited to get the opportunity to play in front of so many of them. LET’S GO TO!” – Emma Maltais, Toronto
“Our entire organization is excited to play in front of our amazing fans in a sold-out Scotiabank Arena. We still have a lot of work to do as a team, but we are definitely trending in the right direction, winning three straight and four of our last five.” – Troy Ryan, Toronto
“The exciting times too will be when there are no longer firsts, and all of these (attendance figures) are just second nature, and these happen on a regular night. We’ve been fortunate to play in a lot of firsts this year and they’re exciting and surreal and give us these moments that we’re never going to forget. I think the really special thing about this league is in the five, 10, 15 years down the road, when those firsts are just what we know and it’s not as shocking when we’re skating around and seeing this many fans.” – Laura Stacey, Montréal
“I have a lot of friends in Toronto, but I love Montréal. I am excited to hear so many fans cheering against us, but we’ll have our small cheering section. It will be a great night for women’s hockey.” – Kori Cheverie, Montréal
QUICK HITS
Montréal (+3) is tied for first in goal differential and Toronto (-4) ranks sixth…Montréal (2.44) is tied for second in goals-per-game average and Toronto (2.30) is tied for fifth…Montréal (2.11) allows the second fewest goals-per-game and Toronto (2.70) allows the second most on average…Montréal has scored the first goal in six of their nine games, Toronto in four of 10…Team goals by period for Montréal (7-5-7) and Toronto (4-9-9)…Montréal has played seven one-goal games compared to Toronto’s three…Toronto (+41) is first in shot differential and Montréal (-41) ranks fifth…Toronto (30.1) averages the second most shots-per-game and Montréal (27.78) ranks fifth…Toronto (25.90) allows the fewest shots-per-game on average and Montréal (32.44) allows the second most…Toronto (3/31) ranks third in powerplay efficiency at 9.7%…Montréal (1/26) is sixth on the PP at 3.8%…Toronto (28/30) is first in penalty kill efficiency at 93.3%…Montréal (28/32) is fourth at 87.5%…Natalie Spooner (TOR) leads the league with 10 goals and is tied for first in scoring with 11 points…Marie-Philip Poulin (MTL) is tied for third in scoring with nine points and second in goals with six…Maureen Murphy (MTL) is tied for first in the league with seven assists…Erin Ambrose (MTL) is tied for second in scoring among defenders with six points…Spooner leads the league with three powerplay goals…Emma Maltais (TOR) is tied for the league-lead with one shorthanded goal…Blayre Turnbull (TOR) is tied for second with 10 penalty minutes…Spooner leads Toronto with 42 shots…Laura Stacey leads Montréal with 36…Sarah Nurse (58/111) leads Toronto with a 52.3% face-off efficiency…Turnbull (44.2%) leads the team with 147 draws…Sarah Bujold (38/66) leads Montréal with a 57.6% face-off efficiency…Poulin (55.2%) leads the team with 210 draws…Kristen Campbell (TOR) leads the league with five wins, nine appearances, and 202 saves while carrying a goals-against-average of 2.63 and save percentage of .902… Ann-Renée Desbiens (MTL) has three wins with a 2.11 GAA and a .930 SV% that ranks fourth…Hannah Miller (TOR) is celebrating her 28th birthday today…General Managers Gina Kingsbury and Danièle Sauvageau were special guests at today’s Cboe Canada Marketplace ‘Bell Ringing’ ceremony.
PROJECTED LINEUPS
TORONTO:
Maltais | Nurse | Spooner
Bach | Turnbull | Connors
Miller | Compher | Leslie
Cogan | Vasko | Howard
Willoughby
Larocque | Fast
Munroe | Flanagan
Rougeau | Knowles
Campbell | Howe
Scratches: Jackson, Poulin-Labelle
MONTREAL:
Vanišová | Poulin | Murphy
Bettez | O’Neill | Stacey
Lefort | Bujold | Marchment
Dubois | Dempsey | Dalton
David
Keopple | Ambrose
Tabin | Daoust
Lum | Bizal
Desbiens | Chuli
Scratches: Boissonnault, Lásková, Laganière
OFFICIALS:
Referees: Jordan Deckard (Chicago, IL) and Brandy Dewar-Beecroft (Sault St. Marie, ON).
Linespersons: Ali Beres (Brant, ON) and Luke Pye (Belle River, ON).
Follow the league on all social media platforms @thepwhlofficial plus team accounts @pwhl_montreal and @pwhl_toronto.