Montreal 3, Ottawa 2

Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2023 — an historic night for hockey in Ottawa. The capital’s Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) team debuted on TD Place ice facing off against Montreal. And instantly a rivalry was born.

And despite Ottawa’s loss in overtime, players, staff and the stands full of fans all seemed to see the game as a net positive.

Jayna Hefford, retired Canadian national team hockey player and chair of the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association, told a packed media room that Tuesday’s match, following the league opener in Toronto, represented much more than a game.

“Every young girl who wants to see a future for herself in hockey can do that now.”

Jayna Hefford, chair of the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association

She said she was pleased “to see all the young girls and young boys that were seeing something for the first time, and they’ll never know women’s professional hockey didn’t exist.”

Hefford noted that past experiences and leagues were not failures, but steps toward the creation of the PWHL. The previous generation of women players didn’t have these opportunities, making it all the more important for the current and coming ones.

Jayna Hefford, chair of the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association, told the assembled media that she was pleased “to see all the young girls and young boys that were seeing something for the first time, and they’ll never know women’s professional hockey didn’t exist.” [Photo @ Devon Tredinnick]

“I’m proud of the journey I had and wouldn’t change any of it, but the pride I have now to know these women can step on the ice and be treated like professionals, be a hockey player every single day and that every young girl who wants to see a future for herself in hockey can do that now,” Hefford said.

While the teams don’t have names yet — a work in progress says Stan Kasten, who’s on the advisory board for the league — it didn’t matter to the crowd.

There were 8,318 fans in attendance, a world record attendance for women’s hockey.

With the crowd on their feet and the puck on the ice it was game on. And from the jump it was aggressive.

Players can body check each other when intending to play the puck or gain possession of it, according to the league’s rulebook. 

Montreal Captain Marie Philip Poulin and Ottawa’s Captain Brianne Jenner took the ceremonial first faceoff from Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and former uOttawa and Carleton University hockey coach Shelley Coolidge. [Photo courtesy PWHL]

And so they did. Players slammed their opponents into the boards and gave out more than a handful of crosschecks when trying to get back up. Gloves were reaching into players’ cages and there was plenty of jersey tugging too.

The rough stuff would eventually turn in Ottawa’s favour, with the first power play of the game.

Ottawa kept the puck in Montreal’s zone for almost the full two minutes, getting solid feedback from the crowd in return. But, even when they got a 5-3 powerplay, they couldn’t convert.

Ottawa had outshot Montreal 10-4 by the end of the first, butMontreal would get their bearings in the second.

A shorthanded effort from Montreal saw a breakaway chance with their star forward Marie Philip Poulin in on net. She was tripped and a penalty shot was awarded.

Montreal’s Ann-Sophie Bettez celebrates her game-winning goal. [Photo courtesy PWHL]

Watching from the bench, Ottawa’s head coach Carla MacLeod said later that she was accepting of the penalty shot call in part because it added to the excitement of the moment.

“I thought ‘how fun is this?’”

Meanwhile, on the ice, her netminder, Emerance Maschmeyer, stood strong and kept the puck out of her net. 

MacLeod added that she’ll remember this game for all its worth.

“I think I’ve actually been wiping away subtle tears in all honesty. It’s a moment that isn’t lost on me.”

Stuck in a tense scoreless game, the Ottawa fans rose to their feet in celebration of Maschmeyer’s efforts. Riding that momentum was Mikyla Grant-Mentis, who, at first, seemed to have scored Ottawa’s first-ever PWHL goal off a solo effort.

The play was reviewed and, and as it turns out, the puck went under a moving net.

After so many ups and downs, it was Hayley Scamurra’s honour to finally seal it with a slap shot from the face off dot. Uncontested. Undeniable. 1-0 Ottawa.

It had taken 20 shots to finally put one past Montreal, who had only had nine by this point in the game.

But it was the 10th shot that was the charm. A wrist shot from the slot by Claire Dalton would be her team’s first-ever goal, tying things back up only a couple minutes later.

Next Ottawa’s Kateřina Mrázová scored off a rebound, a tap in off a hard effort to take back the lead.

Last minute pushes are key in this and any league and it’s exactly what Montreal did. A turnover in the neutral zone gave Laura Stacey the puck. Charging down the right-wing, her shot deflected off Maschmeyer’s shoulder and into the net.

Both teams came together to mark the historic moment. [Photo @ Devon Tredinnick]

Tied at two with five minutes to go, a regulation win would give either team three points, whereas an overtime win sees one of those points transferred to the losing team.

But the teams were too evenly matched and the game went into three-on-three overtime for five minutes. During the three-on-three, Ottawa couldn’t move the puck out of the zone and after a scramble it landed on the tape of Ann-Sophie Bettez. Her quick shot sealed the deal — two points for Montreal, one for Ottawa.

It didn’t feel like a loss though, with the crowd on their feet in applause. As for Scamurra, she shared her thoughts on how it feels to make history. 

“To be able to score the first goal for this franchise is an absolute honour,” she said, adding how grateful she is to play alongside the talented teammates who had set her up.

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