Toronto's Natalie Spooner (24) battles for the puck against New York's Jade Downie-Landry (27) during second period PWHL action in Toronto on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Lahodynskyj
TORONTO – Natalie Spooner scored the shootout winner to lead Toronto to its fifth straight win, defeating New York 2-1 on Friday in Professional Women’s Hockey League action.
Emma Maltais scored in regulation for Toronto (7-5-0), which has also won six of its last seven.
Kristen Campbell made 26 saves in regulation and overtime.
Ella Shelton scored for New York (6-4-2), which had its three-game winning streak snapped.
Corinne Schroeder stopped 29 shots.
Toronto went up 3-1-0 in the season series, having won three straight now against New York since a 4-0 home loss on Jan. 1 in the PWHL’s first-ever game.
The home side started fast with seven shots less than five minutes into the opening period. Spooner was closest to scoring with a shot in tight followed by a wraparound attempt that Schroeder just got across to stop at 1:02.
Campbell stood tall against a few strong chances from New York, including a Paetyn Levis shot in the slot after a Toronto giveaway at 10:27.
Both sides played a relatively even second period, with Toronto outshooting New York 11-9 to hold an overall 23-18 edge.
Campbell made her most impressive stop to that point when she slid across the crease for a pad save on a tap-in effort from a streaking Alex Carpenter at 9:01.
Brittany Howard broke out on a 3-on-1 and sent a cross-ice pass to Jesse Compher who fired away but was stopped with 1:45 left in the frame on Toronto’s best opportunity yet.
Maltais broke the deadlock 12:34 into the third period with an impressive effort. Blayre Turnbull sent a saucer pass on a 2-on-1 and Maltais tipped it past Schroeder after the puck first hit her shins.
Sarah Nurse crashed head first into the post after streaking down the ice for a scoring chance and knocked the net out of place with 2:18 left. She was down momentarily but got up under her own power and continued play.
Shelton tied the game with just 8.6 seconds remaining. She roofed it past a sprawling Campbell on a feed from Emma Woods to push the game to overtime.
With 1:42 left in overtime, Nurse took a hooking penalty in 3-on-3 play that was whistled seconds later as she almost went down the ice on a breakaway to a chorus of boos.
Campbell stonewalled Abby Roque in front with a pad save as 41 seconds remained in the frame and New York on the 4-on-3 power play to push the game to a shootout.
UP NEXT
Toronto heads south of the border to face Minnesota on Tuesday.
New York continues its road trip with a visit to Ottawa on Wednesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 23, 2024.
