Goldeneyes Fall 2-1 In Return From Olympic Break

The Vancouver Goldeneyes dropped a 2-1 decision to the Toronto Sceptres on Sunday at Pacific Coliseum, falling in their first game back following the Olympic break.

The team opened the evening with a moment of silence to honour the victims and survivors of the Tumbler Ridge tragedy.

Toronto struck twice in the opening seven minutes and held on the rest of the way in front of 13,264 spectators. 

With the loss, Vancouver remains seventh in the Professional Women’s Hockey League standings with 17 points.

Raygan Kirk opened the scoring for Toronto in the seventh minute, beating Goldeneyes goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer to give the visitors an early edge. Less than a minute later,

Lauren Messier doubled the lead, scoring her first career PWHL goal to put the Sceptres ahead 2-0 before the midway point of the first period.

Toronto’s early surge proved decisive.

Kirk was steady in net, stopping 25 of 26 shots to earn the win. Maschmeyer turned aside 22 of 24 shots for Vancouver, keeping the Goldeneyes within reach despite the quick deficit.

Vancouver found its breakthrough in the third period. Izzy Daniel fired a shot from the slot that beat Kirk, igniting the home crowd. 

Fans rose to their feet in celebration, though the goal was briefly reviewed by the officials who confirmed the puck had crossed the line, cutting the deficit to 2-1.

Daniel said the team emphasized getting more traffic to the net and generating additional shots following the intermission.

“We wanted to get more pucks on the net, that was something we were talking about, especially with traffic in front,” Daniel said. “I would say for myself, I’m a passer, so not always looking to shoot, but when you get the puck in the slot, I think that’s the time when you have to bear down and fire it on net. That’s something I continually try to work on, is being more shot ready. I’m just looking for the right play and that was the right play there.”

Despite a late push, Vancouver could not find the equalizer.

Injury concerns remain for Vancouver. Defender Claire Thompson is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury sustained during the Olympics, while forward Katie Chan is also day-to-day.

Head coach Brian Idalski said the team must add a greater physical edge moving forward.

“As much as the game is involved with individual skill and ability, hockey still at its core is a one-on-one physical competition,” Idalski said. “Having a little more of a chip on your shoulders, having a little more grit sandpaper to go along with our skill to get to the inside, to battle to get net front presence and to be heavier to play against, specifically offensively, that’s the missing piece for me. I think we start stringing some of that together – we’re a good hockey club, and we still have faith in that.”

The loss marked Vancouver’s first of a five-game homestand that has them return to action March 10 when they host the Boston Fleet at 7 p.m. PT.