Tuesday, December 31, 2024 | 7:00 p.m. ET | Coca-Cola Coliseum
WATCH LIVE: Prime Video (Canada), PWHL YouTube & thepwhl.com (U.S. / International)
Matt Cullen (Play-by-Play), Becky Kellar (Analyst), Rob Pizzo (Reporter)
OTTAWA CHARGE
2-0-1-3 | 7 PTS | 4TH PLACE (TIED)
Top Scorer: Tereza Vanišová – 6 GP, 3-3-6 PTS
Last Game: 3-1 W at NY on Dec. 29
TORONTO SCEPTRES
2-0-1-3 | 7 PTS | 4TH PLACE (TIED)
Top Scorer: Renata Fast – 6 GP, 0-6-6 PTS
Last Game: 4-2 W vs. Boston on Dec. 27
2024-25 SEASON SERIES: OTTAWA LEADS 3-0 IN POINTS (OTT WON 9-6 IN 2024)
Dec. 3 at OTT: 3-2 OTT | Dec. 31 at TOR | Jan. 14 at OTT | Feb. 1 at TOR | Feb. 16 at OTT (VANCOUVER) | May 3 at TOR
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
The first trade of the season was completed Monday between Ottawa and Toronto with the Charge acquiring forward Victoria Bach and defender Jocelyne Larocque, in exchange for defender Savannah Harmon and forward Hayley Scamurra.
Bach reunites with former Boston University teammate Rebecca Leslie. The pair were 1-2 in Terriers scoring during the 2017-18 NCAA season. This is Leslie’s first game back in Toronto where she played last season. Larocque was teammates with Charge assistant coach Haley Irwin at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and on Team Canada.
Ottawa has a 4-0-0-2 record against Toronto, including a 3-2 win at home on Dec. 3. That’s the best record by any team vs. Toronto. Ottawa has also scored five goals against Toronto twice (Jan. 13 at TOR, Mar. 23 at OTT) – all other PWHL teams have combined to do so once (Minnesota’s 6-3 win on Dec. 7).
The Charge beat New York, 3-1 on Sunday, their first road win of the season. Ottawa did not record back-to-back road wins at all last season. The Charge have scored first in four of their six games, going 2-0-1-1, and 0-0-0-2 when allowing the first goal.
Shiann Darkangelo has finished with a positive rating in each of her last five games, with a +1 rating on Sunday thanks to her goal. She leads the PWHL with a +7 rating this season – Ottawa’s team leader last season finished at +4.
Emerance Maschmeyer (1st) and Kateřina Mrázová (2nd) headlined the PWHL 3 Stars of the Week. Maschmeyer leads the PWHL with a .929 SV%, and Mrázová recorded 1G, 1A vs. New York. She recorded 2A against Toronto on Dec. 3.
Harmon reunites with former Clarkson University teammate Renata Fast. The pair were d-partners for two seasons with the Golden Knights from 2014-16. Scamurra, who hails from nearby Buffalo, NY, played two seasons with Fast on the Burlington Barracudas from 2010-12 and with Emma Maltais on the Oakville Hornets in 2012-13. Both new Sceptres played together last season in Ottawa with Daryl Watts.
Fast, who leads Toronto with six assists in six games, can become the first player in PWHL history to record points in seven straight games during a single season.
The Sceptres beat the Fleet, 4-2, at home on Friday, improving their record to 2-0-0-0 against Boston this season and 0-0-1-3 against all other teams. Dating back to last season, Toronto has earned at least one point in 12 of its last 13 home games (10-1-1-1 record in those games).
First round draft pick Julia Gosling had a pair of assists against Boston on Friday, the first two points of her PWHL career. The only other multi-assist game by a Sceptre this season also came against the Fleet, when Daryl Watts had a pair on Nov. 30. Gosling’s last multi-assist game prior to Friday came while playing for St. Lawrence against Colgate on Feb. 3.
Toronto has two skaters with double-digit totals in shot blocks this season (Allie Munroe – 17, Fast – 14). No other player in the league has more than 11 blocks. Ottawa’s team leader is Aneta Tejralová with seven.
Jesse Compher, Sarah Nurse and Blayre Turnbull are all riding two-game point steaks, each with one goal and one assist in their last two games.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
“I'm really excited for this new opportunity. Ottawa is a really skilled team. Getting to build some chemistry and getting to know the team is what I'm looking forward to the most. It's going to be fun playing against Toronto tonight. This rink gets really loud so it's going to be a great atmosphere.”– New Charge forward Victoria Bach.
“We’re looking to keep being hard and aggressive on pucks and generating offence through that, if that’s going to the net or making a play. Our focus is to build off of last game and to bring that against the Charge. Playing smart, fast and relentless all game will be key.” – Sceptres rookie forward Julia Gosling.
TUESDAY’S GAME: The New Year’s Eve ‘Battle of Ontario’ will feature a special presentation from IIHF President Luc Tardif to Sceptres forward Natalie Spooner, the 2024 IIHF Female Player of the Year. Fans will receive 2-for-1 vouchers to visit the Hockey Hall of Fame, where they can enjoy the Women’s Hockey - Celebrating Excellence exhibit with artifacts from incredible players and historic moments – including the Walter Cup. Tonight ends 2024, a year that began with the first game in PWHL history in Toronto on Jan. 1.