Toronto Sceptres pull away from Boston Fleet to win PWHL opener
CBC
The Toronto Sceptres produced their version of Miller Time in the Professional Women's Hockey League season opener on Saturday.
Second-year centre Hannah Miller scored the game-winning goal on a power play with 98 seconds remaining in the third period, lifting the Sceptres to a 3-1 victory over the Boston Fleet.
"It was pretty much a wide-open net, so I'm happy that I was able to put it in," said Miller, who knocked in a rebound after her teammate Daryl Watts' shot from the far side bounded right to her at the side of the goal.
The 28-year-old Miller from North Vancouver has played for Canada at the under-18 level, in leagues in China and Sweden, and for the Chinese national team at the Beijing Olympics where she scored China's first goal of the 2022 tournament.
But how did Saturday's game-saving moment — played in front of 8,089 fans at Coca-Cola Coliseum — compare?
"Any time you can contribute and score a goal, it's exciting," Miller said. "I'm just happy to get the win tonight and keep building."
Special teams were a significant factor for the home side.
WATCH | Miller buries winner:
The Spectres fell behind three minutes into the first period thanks to a Hilary Knight power-play goal.
Toronto tied the game halfway through the opening frame when Sarah Nurse scored short-handed.
Watts sprung Nurse for a breakaway and she slammed home her rebound.
Watts, signed as a free agent in the off-season after her rookie season in Ottawa, then registered her second assist on Miller's tally.
Emma Maltais added an empty-net goal to seal the score at 3-1.
Toronto was awarded the late-game power play after Boston standout Knight was called for a vicious boarding penalty on Sceptres defender Renata Fast.
Canadian Paralympic Committee CEO Karen O'Neill acknowledges the team’s showing at the Milano-Cortina Winter Games wasn't the same as past years.
Canadian Para alpine skier Kalle Eriksson and guide Sierra Smith capped their memorable Paralympic debut with bronze in the men's visually impaired slalom on Sunday at the Milano-Cortina Games.
Canadian skip Kerri Einarson looked up Saturday and saw real people, instead of cardboard cut-outs, in the stands at Calgary's WinSport Event Centre. She heard the roar of the crowd instead of the sound of flushing toilets piercing the silence.
Aaron Judge doubled and Pete Crow-Armstrong and Brice Turang each had two hits as the United States beat Canada 5-3 on Friday night in Houston to reach the World Baseball Classic semifinals.
Canada's Natalie Wilkie captured her second biathlon gold of the Milano-Cortina Paralympics on Friday, winning the women's standing sprint pursuit for her fourth medal in as many events.
Canada made wheelchair curling history on Thursday as the first team at any Paralympics to complete round-robin play without a loss.
The winningest men's ski cross racer in history added to his total on Thursday.
Canada's Mark Arendz collected his 14th career Paralympic medal while teammate Brittany Hudak earned her fourth in Wednesday's standing cross-country skiing races at Milano Cortina.
Alphonso Davies covered his face with his shirt as he left the field with an injury in Bayern Munich's game against Atalanta in the Champions League on Tuesday in Bergamo, Italy, raising questions about the Canadian star's availability for the World Cup.
Canadian Para nordic skiing star Natalie Wilkie has now won a medal of every colour at the Milano-Cortina Paralympics, adding bronze in the women's standing sprint classic on Tuesday in Val di Fiemme.
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Canadian Para alpine skier Kalle Eriksson and guide Sierra Smith continued their impressive Paralympic debut on Monday by racing to bronze in the men's visually impaired super-G for their second medal.