It may not have been the biggest crowd PWHL Toronto has played in front of, but without question, it was the loudest.
A sold-out crowd of 8,473 at Coca-Cola Coliseum was able to see the first playoff game in PWHL history, with Toronto winning 4-0 and taking a 1-0 series lead in their best-of-five series.
ONE DOWN, TWO TO GO.
PWHL Toronto x @UPS pic.twitter.com/ljoPgVRhZW
— y – PWHL Toronto (@PWHL_Toronto) May 9, 2024
Captain Blayre Turnbull scored twice and Natalie Spooner, the league’s Top Goal Scorer (20) and Points Leader (27) in the regular season, scored the opening goal 10 minutes into the game. Renata Fast also had two assists on the night.
Goaltender Kristen Campbell made 26 saves to earn the shutout, the first playoff shutout in PWHL history and her fourth total shutout of the season.
Right off the bat, Toronto utilized the energy from the crowd and put the pressure on Minnesota, attacking them in their zone and taking every opportunity to make Minnesota netminder Nicole Hensley uncomfortable.
The home team opened the scoring midway through the first period when Spooner took a pass from Hannah Miller and wired home a wrister from the slot, giving Toronto a 1-0 lead.
Emma Maltais scored less than a minute into the second period to make it 2-0, and Turnbull scored her first of two near the end of the frame. The captain scored her second with less than a minute left in the game, sealing the 4-0 victory.
“I think the whole season we’ve been building and building, waiting to get into playoffs and trying to find our game every week and get better,” Turnbull said after the game. “When our players arrived, we are ready to go.”
Including regular season, Toronto has now won 10 straight home games, while Minnesota has now lost six straight.
Game 2 is Friday at Coca-Cola Coliseum. Puck drop is at 7 p.m.