TORONTO — Ella Shelton scored the opening goal, Corinne Schroeder earned the first shutout and New York beat Toronto 4-0 in the inaugural Professional Women’s Hockey League game Monday.
Alex Carpenter had one goal and one assist, Jill Saulnier and Kayla Vespa also scored and Schroeder made 29 saves.
Kristen Campbell stopped 24 shots for Toronto in front of a sellout crowd of 2,537 at Mattamy Athletic Centre, the former home of the NHL’s Maple Leafs.
Tennis great and PWHL board member Billie Jean King performed the ceremonial puck drop alongside PWHL senior vice president of hockey operations Jayna Hefford. Each Toronto player was introduced to the crowd pregame. All received standing ovations as lights flashed from fans’ mobile phones recording the historic moment for the six-team league that has a collective bargaining agreement with its players in place through 2031.
New York and Toronto met Dec. 7 in a preseason scrimmage in Utica, New York, with New York winning 6-4.
Having outshot Toronto 13-8 in the first period on New Year’s Day, Shelton opened the scoring for New York 10:43 into the period. Shelton beat Campbell with a wrist shot from the left faceoff circle through some traffic.
Toronto had numerous scoring chances of its own in the period but didn’t capitalize.
Sarah Nurse beat her defender with a toe drag only to be stonewalled by Schroeder with 1:57 left. Emma Maltais faced the same fate shortly after on a one-timer.
The second period was scoreless, with Toronto outshooting New York 16-4, but Schroeder continued her impressive play.
Maltais was stopped point blank on a rebound off a Hannah Miller shot with just under five minutes to go, while Natalie Spooner’s wrist shot from the slot was kept out soon after.
Carpenter doubled New York’s lead 2:53 into the third period. She streaked down the left side and roofed the puck over Campbell’s left shoulder.
Saulnier made it 3-0 at 4:57. Jade Downie-Landry picked up the puck by Toronto’s blue line and sent in a cross-ice pass while driving toward the net. A streaking Saulnier tipped it in.
Vespa furthered New York’s edge at 7:42. She took a pass in front from Alexandra Labelle and swept the puck in past Campbell.