Game 10: Montreal (3-3-2-1, 17 pts, 2nd) @ Toronto (4-1-0-5, 14 pts, 3rd)
Scotiabank Arena
Start time: 7:00 PM EST / 4:00 PM PST
In Canada: TSN5, TSN4K (English), RDS (French)
Streaming: YouTube, TSN+
For the fourth time this season, Montreal will play in a game that will break an attendance record. Over 18,000 people are expected at a sold-out Scotiabank Arena as Montreal takes on Toronto which will set a world record for attendance at a women’s hockey game. It will also break the professional regular season women’s hockey record set by Minnesota and the Canadian record set by Montreal earlier this season.
“It has been amazing to see,” said Montreal forward Laura Stacey. “To play for Team Canada and having the Rivalry Series, and World Championships those sell out quite often but in my career I don’t think league games have ever sold out to the extent to they are now and making history in breaking record after record after record for a regular season game. Not for a championship game, not for playoffs, for a regular every day Toronto-Montreal game. That’s why we sat out for so long, that’s why all the people had a hand in putting this league together because there is something more and it’s here and it’s right now. We’re starting to realize it and we’re feeling it as players every game, new records, new firsts and the fans are also jumping right in and it’s great to see.”
The Ontario native also is excited for the chance to play at Scotiabank Arena.
“Having friends and family who are able to get tickets and fill that building and cheer Montreal on, obviously a lot of my family are pretty big Leafs fans but I know as soon as Montreal gets in that building, their alliances are shifting and they’re cheering on Montreal which is pretty special,” said Stacey
Stacey’s great-grandfather is King Clancy, whose banner hangs in the arena with the number seven, the number that Stacey wears.
“Obviously to have my great-grandpa’s banner hanging in Scotiabank Arena with number seven on it is pretty special to play under,” Stacey said. “Just the legacy that he has left on hockey, on Toronto, sports in general, and my family, every time I get to step out on that ice and see his banner it leaves a special place in my heart.”
| Montreal | Statistics | Toronto |
|---|---|---|
| 3-3-2-1 | Record (W-OTW-OTL-L) | 4-1-0-5 |
| 2.44 (T-2nd) | Goals per game | 2.30 (T-5th) |
| 2.11 (2nd) | Goals against per game | 2.70 (5th) |
| 3.8% (6th) | PP% | 9.7% (3rd) |
| 87.5% (4th) | PK% | 93.3% (1st) |
| 0-0-1-0 | Head-to-Head Record | 0-1-0-0 |
Montreal is expected to still be without Kristin O’Neill and Dominika Lásková, who both missed the international break with their national teams due to injury. Catherine Dubois is still eligible for this game as her second 10-day contract is set to expire.
Toronto is the league’s hottest team, and is on a run that has seen them rocket up from last place into third place. They have three straight regulation wins, including a 5-3 win on the road against Boston on Wednesday.
They are led offensively by Natalie Spooner. Spooner is playing the best hockey of her life, and leads the PWHL with 10 goals in 10 games. She also has one assist and is tied for the PWHL points lead as well. Spooner isn’t the only top talent on Toronto, who also have Sarah Nurse, Blayre Turnbull, Emma Maltais, Maggie Connors, Jesse Compher and Victoria Bach. Defensively they are led by the pairing of Jocelyne Larocque and Renata Fast who lead the PWHL with an average ice-time of over 28 minutes per game.
Kristen Campbell is their starting goaltender, and should be expected to get the start in the marquee game on Friday.
Montreal potential lineup
| FORWARDS | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 TEREZA VANIŠOVÀ | 29 MARIE-PHILIP POULIN | 15 MAUREEN MURPHY | |||
| 24 ANN-SOPHIE BETTEZ | 8 GABRIELLE DAVID | 7 LAURA STACEY | |||
| 16 SARAH LEFORT | 26 SARAH BUJOLD | 22 KENNEDY MARCHMENT | |||
| 28 CATHERINE DUBOIS | 14 JILLIAN DEMPSEY | 42 CLAIRE DALTON | |||
| DEFENDERS | |||||
| 2 MARIAH KEOPPLE | 23 ERIN AMBROSE | ||||
| 9 KATI TABIN | 4 CATHERINE DAOUST | ||||
| 12 LEAH LUM | 6 MADISON BIZAL | ||||
| 10 BRIGITTE LAGANIÈRE | |||||
| GOALTENDERS | |||||
| 35 ANN-RENÉE DESBIENS | |||||
| 20 ELAINE CHULI | |||||
Extras: G 1 Marlène Boissonnault, F 43 Kristin O’Neill, D 96 Dominika Lásková
Toronto potential lineup
| FORWARDS | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 EMMA MALTAIS | 20 SARAH NURSE | 24 NATALIE SPOONER | |||
| 34 HANNAH MILLER | 40 BLAYRE TURNBULL | 18 JESSE COMPHER | |||
| 22 MAGGIE CONNORS | 51 VICTORIA BACH | 19 REBECCA LESLIE | |||
| 17 SAMANTHA COGAN | 10 ALEXA VASKO | 41 BRITTANY HOWARD | |||
| 28 KAITLIN WILLOUGHBY | |||||
| DEFENDERS | |||||
| 3 JOCELYNE LAROCQUE | 14 RENATA FAST | ||||
| 76 MAUDE POULIN-LABELLE | 6 KALI FLANAGAN | ||||
| 18 ALLIE MUNROE | 5 LAURIANE ROUGEAU | ||||
| GOALTENDERS | |||||
| 50 KRISTEN CAMPBELL | |||||
| 27 ERICA HOWE | |||||
Extras: G 70 Carly Jackson, D 7 Olivia Knowles
