PWHL Ottawa: 5-1 over Toronto for first win in franchise history

Ottawa’s Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) team has won its first game in franchise history.

Ottawa won 5-1 over Toronto in front of 2,416 fans at the Mattamy Athletic Centre Saturday afternoon.

Ottawa’s Kateřina Mrázová opened the scoring nine-and-a-half minutes into the first period on the power play. It was followed up by another power play goal off of Gabbie Hughes’s stick. Daryl Watts scored again with 16 seconds left in the first to give Ottawa a 3-0 lead heading into the second period.

Natalie Spooner scored Toronto’s lone goal at 1:38 in the second, but she was quickly matched by Ottawa’s Natalie Snodgrass four minutes later, with an assist by goalie Emerance Maschmeyer.

Gabbie Hughes scored her second of the game in the third period. Mikyla Grant-Mentis had assists on both of Hughes’s goals.

Maschmeyer played the full game, stopping 23 shots. Toronto swapped out goalie Kristen Campbell for Erica Howe in the second period. Ottawa had 26 shots on goal compared to Toronto’s 24.

This game would have been Ottawa’s third of the season, but last Monday’s game in Boston was postponed until Feb. 19 because of inclement weather.

Ottawa hosts Minnesota at the Arena at TD Place on Wednesday, where they aim for their first at-home win after falling 3-2 in overtime to Montreal in their home opener. Minnesota is undefeated in three games and faces New York on Sunday before visiting Ottawa.

Toronto hosts Boston on Wednesday.