Vancouver Goldeneyes Making History

Locally we’ve been waiting for far too long for a pro Women’s hockey team to hit the ice in the area and since the announcement earlier this past summer it was all that many young girls were talking about.

The wait is over and not only did the excitement fill the parking lot it carried over when the team hit the ice.

I can’t remember the last time the city was filled with as much excitement other than when the Canucks made it to the Stanley Cup finals which turned into a riot on the city streets.

Pro sports continue to put the City on the world stage and now Vancouver is home to the new PWHL Vancouver Goldeneyes hockey club who are playing out of the former home of both the Canucks and Vancouver Giants.

Some were questioning how the team would draw for the first game and to no surprise they had a record 14,958 watching the Vancouver Goldeneyes skate to a 4–3 overtime win over the Seattle Torrent. 

The game was itself historic given that both Seattle and Vancouver were making their official debuts as the two newest teams in the PWHL. 

In conversation with some they mentioned that it was only fitting that the game went to O/T setting  up the game winning goal at 1:46 that saw a cross-ice pass to Abby Boreen for the Vancouver win.  

Seattle forward Julia Gosling opened the scoring in the first for Seattle at 14:40 which was her first of two making history for the Seattle Torrent being the first ever goal for Seattle in their team history. 

Sarah Nurse capitalized on a Seattle turn-over for a two-on-one chance putting Vancouver in the history books at 17:41 for the Goldeneyes for their first goal in team history bringing the sell-out crowd to their feet that was the most noise in that building in years.

With Sarah Nurse scoring Vancouver’s historic first goal of the season after opening the 2024-25 campaign with Toronto’s first goal. 

The teams battled hard that saw a third period marker as Vancouver’s Gabby Rosenthal’s third-period goal as well as Seattle’s Hannah Bilka’s trade goals with over six minutes left in the third.

Vancouver’s Claire Thompson who notched her second point, and first goal, with just over two minutes remaining in regulation to tie the game at 3-3 and send the contest to overtime. 

Bruderheim Alberta’s Emerance Maschmeyer picked up the victory for the Goldeneyes, making 24 saves, while Corinne Schroeder turned aside 23 shots for the Torrent.  

The game was like Christmas came early for the Goldeneyes and after the game Sarah Nurse mentioned “You know that when you walk into the Pacific Coliseum, you’re coming to see the Goldeneyes, and I think that’s something that’s so special. I think it’s something that the fans have really embraced.

To see the amount of jerseys and merch in the stands—I took a second to look around the entire arena and it just seemed like everybody had a piece of Goldeneyes merch.” 

Seattle’s forward Julia Gosling was asked about scoring the Torrent’s first goal told the media “I was super pumped to get one in. We were working really hard that period and battling our line, and then to get one in and realize it was the first Torrent goal was super special. It’s so fun playing with this group. We had a blast that game even though we got the loss.” 

Seattle Head Coach Steve O’Rourke was asked about the physical play mentioned “For us, that’s going to be a trademark and General Manager Meghan Turner has put together a good-sized team and we’re going to come out, play physical and grind some games out. Overall, we want an identity that’s hard to play against. I thought we established that tonight.” 

Post Game Comments  

Vancouver’s Abby Boreen said the coaching staff message was “The message was: don’t panic, we’re fine. Just keep going out there shift by shift. 

Good things happen when we work hard. Claire (Thompson) getting that goal was huge for us and I think going into OT the momentum was in our favor.” 

NOTABLE INFO

The sold-out crowd of 14,958 at Pacific Coliseum goes down as the PWHL’s eighth largest attendance in league history making it the largest for any team in their primary home venue and the first time in league history a team has played its opening game with the logo painted on center ice. 

Vancouver became the first team to win its inaugural game on home ice at the start of the inaugural season marking all three road teams earning victories in the league’s first three games between the original six teams. 

Abby Boreen has recorded a goal and an assist in back-to-back season openers with tonight’s overtime heroics for Vancouver and her performance last season with Montréal. 

Her overtime winner was scored on her game-high seventh shot on goal to match her career-high. 

Julia Gosling recorded her second career multi-goal game for Seattle with the goals were also her first even-strength goals in regular-season play scored on career-high six shots giving her five goals in her last five games dating back to the 2025 PWHL Playoffs with Toronto. 

Claire Thompson became the first Vancouver defender to score a goal and first to record an assist as well as adding an assist in her PWHL debut last season with Minnesota now having points in four straight games back to the league Walter Cup finals. 

The ceremonial puck drop was taken by Burnaby’s Canadian three-time Olympian soccer icon Christine Sinclair and delivered to her by Meghan Agosta, a four-time Olympian with Canada’s National Women’s Hockey Team, now a member of the Vancouver Police Department. 

THREE STARS 

1. Sarah Nurse (VAN) 1G 

2. Abby Boreen (VAN) 1G, 1A 

3. Julia Gosling (SEA) 2G 

UPCOMING SCHEDULES 

Vancouver: Wednesday, Nov. 26 at Ottawa at 4 p.m. PT 

Seattle: Friday, Nov. 28 vs. Minnesota at 1 p.m. PT