Tapani nets winner as Fleet overcome offensive struggles with 3-1 win over Sceptres

Susanna Tapani scored the game-winning goal with 9:40 remaining as the Boston Fleet spoiled the Toronto Sceptres' home-opener with a 3-1 win in Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) action Saturday.

Abby Newhook, with a goal and an assist, and Alina Mueller, with an empty-netter, also scored for Boston (2-0-0-0). Aerin Frankel stopped 24 shots.

Blayre Turnbull scored for Toronto (1-0-0-1). Raygan Kirk made 10 saves.

"We just we gotta be better offensively and we're not gonna solve this in five or six games," Ryan said. "It's probably gonna take a while, but a team that generally has a lot of physicality or aggression or plays an energy game, sometimes the composure to stay off to the weak side and watch things unfold and join offensively can benefit you."

"I don't think we did a great job on the weak side of the ice."

Turnbull opened the scoring when she took the puck off the side boards and roofed it for a short-handed goal at 6:26 of the opening period.

Newhook outhustled a Toronto defender for the puck, resulting in a 2-on-1 rush with Jill Saulnier. Saulnier's shot off a Newhook pass was stopped by Kirk, but the rebound went off Newhook's skate and in at 14:12 of the second period to tie the score.

Midway through the third period, Jamie Lee Rattray won a puck battle at the end boards and shoved the puck into the slot from behind the goal with one hand on her stick. The puck found Tapani who fired it past Kirk to silence the home crowd.

With 49.2 seconds left, Natalie Spooner was stopped on a wraparound shot and Turnbull had a chance in front while Frankel's head was turned but failed to score.

Moments later, Muller sealed the win with her first goal of the season.

The Sceptres dominated possession but continuously had passes intercepted when trying to create high-danger chances, or Frankel shut the door.

"You allow them to linger around, that sometimes it comes back to bite you, and I thought that was the case," Ryan said.

"They played us hard on the walls and they made it difficult to get to the middle," Turnbull added. "We'll be working on figuring out ways to get more scoring chances."

The Sceptres were missing star forward Daryl Watts, who has proven to be a gamebreaker that brings both speed and composure to the team's offence, due to injury.