Sunday, February 16, 2025 | 2:00 p.m. MT | Rogers Place (Edmonton)
WATCH LIVE: TSN 2, TSN.ca, TSN App, PWHL YouTube & thepwhl.com (U.S. / International)
Kenzie Lalonde (Play-by-Play), Alexis Pearson (Analyst), Christine Simpson (Reporter)
TORONTO SCEPTRES
6-1-4-6 | 24 PTS | 3RD PLACE
Top Scorer: Hannah Miller – 17 GP, 8-7-15 PTS
Last Game: 3-1 W vs. BOS on Feb. 14
OTTAWA CHARGE
6-0-2-8 | 20 PTS | 4TH PLACE (TIED)
Top Scorer: Tereza Vanišová – 16 GP, 7-3-10 PTS
Last Game: 8-3 W vs. MIN on Feb. 13
2024-25 SEASON SERIES: TIED 6-6 IN POINTS (OTTAWA WON 9-6 IN 2024)
Dec. 3 at OTT: 3-2 OTT | Dec. 31 at TOR: 2-1 OTT | Jan. 14 at OTT: 4-2 TOR | Feb. 1 at TOR: 4-2 TOR | May 3 at TOR
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Edmonton is the fifth of nine stops on the PWHL Takeover Tour and Rogers Place is the 12th NHL venue and 21st venue overall to host a PWHL game all-time. Tour attendance has totaled 63,923 through four games.
Rogers Place hosted a pre-Olympic exhibition between Canada and the United States back on Dec. 17, 2017. Canada won 2-1 in overtime with Toronto’s Natalie Spooner assisting on the winning goal by Jennifer Wakefield before a crowd of 17,468. Ten players from that game are part of today’s teams including Spooner and fellow Sceptres Renata Fast, Sarah Nurse, Blayre Turnbull, and Hockey Operations Manager Lauriane Rougeau. Ottawa’s Emily Clark, Brianne Jenner, Jocelyne Larocque, and Assistant Coach Haley Irwin also represented Canada. Toronto’s Kali Flanagan played for Team USA.
Ottawa won the first two meetings between these teams this season (each time by one goal), while Toronto has won the last two (both by 4-2 scorelines). Captain Turnbull was held off the scoresheet in Ottawa’s two wins (four total SOG), but totaled four points (3G, 1A) on 12 shots on goal in Toronto’s two wins.
The Sceptres topped the Fleet, 3-1, at home on Friday, and have now won three straight (2-1-0-0) and earned points in six straight (3-1-2-0). It’s the first time they’ve won three straight (in any fashion) since they came out on top in their final four games last season.
Emma Maltais had a goal, assist and a penalty in Friday’s win over Boston. She’s the fifth Toronto player with such a game this season (also Emma Woods, Jesse Compher, Nurse and Fast). No other team has more than two such players, the only player with multiple such games this season is New York’s Jessie Eldridge (two).
Laura Kluge will make her Sceptres debut after signing with the team last Monday. She helped Germany clinch a spot in the 2026 Olympic Winter Games during the international break.
Ottawa snapped a three-game losing streak by scoring a PWHL-record eight goals in their 8-3 win over Minnesota at home on Thursday. The Charge had totaled seven goals across their first five home games this season. They scored multiple goals in all three periods on Friday (second PWHL team to do so; Toronto on Apr. 28) – they had done so in five total periods across their first 15 games this season.
Tereza Vanišová scored three of Ottawa’s eight goals on Thursday. It was her first hat trick at any level (national team, club teams, college) since she scored three for the Maine Black Bears in a 4-1 win against Boston University on Nov. 12, 2016. She had four total goals in her first 15 games this season.
Shiann Darkangelo recorded three assists on Thursday. She had one career PWHL assist in 39 games prior to that, and it came for Boston on Jan. 27, 2024. It was the third three-assist game in the league this season (Montréal’s Erin Ambrose on Jan. 17, Minnesota’s Claire Thompson on Dec. 19).
Gabbie Hughes also had a three-point night (2G, 1A), snapping a 15-game stretch without a goal by notching her first two of the season. The performance came during an emotional game for the Minnesota native who serves as a co-founder of Sophie’s Squad – a mental health organization that was part of the team’s awareness program.
The Charge will have lots of local support with forward Danielle Serdachny and defender Stephanie Markowski hailing from Edmonton. Emerance Maschmeyer is also from Bruderheim, just a 50-minute drive from the city. The National Team goaltender has played all four games of the season series to date against Toronto (2-2, 2.52 GAA, .941 SV%) and will be wearing her Bruderheim Bruins minor hockey jersey for motivation during her walk-in. All three players will play at Rogers Place for the first time, although they have playing experience at Rexall Place, the former home of the Oilers.
Sceptres defender Rylind MacKinnon is no stranger to Edmonton having played multiple seasons with the Northern Alberta Xtreme during high school. Nurse was at Rogers Place during last year’s Stanley Cup Final to watch her cousin Darnell play for the Oilers.
Calgary’s Carla MacLeod will also have lots of Alberta friends and family in the building. The Charge Head Coach is expecting a group of around 50 people for this pitstop in her home province.
Other Alberta ties include Toronto reserve Jess Kondas from Calgary, and former members of the Calgary Inferno who captured the CWHL’s final Clarkson Cup title in 2019 including Ottawa’s Jenner and Rebecca Leslie, Toronto’s Turnbull, and Kaitlin Willoughby who also won a Secret Cup with Calgary’s PWHPA hub in 2021-22. Larocque played for the Calgary Oval X-Treme of the former WWHL and the CWHL’s Alberta Honeybadgers.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
“We're really excited to bring the PWHL to Edmonton and play in front of a sold-out crowd! Edmonton has some of the most passionate hockey fans, and we know the atmosphere will be incredible. Whenever we face Ottawa, it's a fast, physical game, and we're ready to build on our recent momentum and apply pressure on the Charge from the opening puck drop.” - Sceptres defender Renata Fast.
“I grew up idolizing the Oilers. I watched them on television and have seen many games live, so to be playing in the same rink is really cool. Even getting a tour of their locker room on Saturday was very exciting. I know we are professional hockey players too, but it’s nice to see that side of the game. Everything has been exciting since we got here. This is a hockey city, and we can feel it loud and clear.” – Charge forward Danielle Serdachny.
SUNDAY’S GAME: Ottawa and Toronto will be wearing specialty jerseys 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. The jerseys debuted last season on International Women’s Day to launch Molson’s ‘See My Name’ campaign and were worn by the Sceptres during the Battle on Bay Street at Scotiabank Arena, and during the PWHL Takeover Tour in Vancouver. Ottawa also wore the jerseys during their last PWHL Takeover Tour game in Québec City. Canadian Tire is presenting a live recording of the Jocks in Jills podcast with hosts Tessa Bonhomme and Julia Tocheri in the concourse. Members of Canada’s National Women's Para Hockey Team will be in attendance, with coach Tara Chisholm and player Alyssa White to visit the Ottawa dressing room pre-game to read the starting lineup. Players Alicia Souveny and Mackenzie Spong will meet Toronto and read the team's starting lineup. O Canada will be performed by Karella Cummings. The ceremonial puck drop will be performed by women who are breaking barriers and empowering the next generation including Danielle Weller, Vice President of Human Resources for Oilers Entertainment Group, and Layla Matthew, captain of Junior Oilers Team White. Honourable Joseph Schow, Alberta’s Minister of Tourism and Sport, and his son Atlas, will be cranking the siren to get the game started, followed by members of the CFL’s Edmonton Elks and NSL’s Calgary Wild FC to start the second and third periods. In honour of the PWHL Takeover Tour, several City of Edmonton landmarks will be lit purple today including High Level Bridge, City Hall, Muttart Conservatory, Edmonton Tower and Rossdale Power Plant.