A home opener brings a kind of electricity sports fans yearn for during the offseason, and you could feel it radiating a block away from the Coca-Cola Coliseum, where the Toronto Sceptres home opener was about to begin.
The air was more than cold, with Toronto Sceptres fans lined up outside, patiently waiting for the doors to open.
The atmosphere was lively. Felt alive, the contrast between the cold outside and the warmth inside served as a tangible symbol of home and community. As pucks cracked off the glass during the warmup and fans shuffled into their seats, the buzz of the crowd was unmatched.
The Coca Cola Coliseum was alive. The opening minutes were fast-paced and tight in the best way. Both teams had the same goal: to set the tone.
Quickly enough, the momentum shifted towards the Sceptres; the opening goal, a shorthanded jailbreak goal from Blayre Turnbull, blew the game wide open. It felt like the air was sucked out of the building, as everyone took a breath when Turnbull got a shorthanded breakaway and within seconds, the puck was in the back of the net.
The captain had put the Sceptres up, erupting in absolute chaos across the entire arena.
The home confidence seemed to ebb towards the Sceptres as they controlled puck possession for the vast part of the first period. However, hockey being hockey, missed opportunities started to pile up during the second period.
A couple of rebounds just out of reach, a few posts, and a near miss had everyone frustrated. Then the game flipped.
A scramble in front of Sceptres goaltender Raygan Kirk and a weird bounce by Boston Fleet forward Abby Newhook tied the game with her first career PWHL goal. The disappointment rippled through the seats, a feeling familiar to all sports fans.
When the third period started, fans from both sides felt the same hunger for a win. Every shift meant a little bit more.
A single mistake, an opening, and Susanna Tapani capitalized for Boston, making it 2-1. Nothing dramatic, but a play that developed slowly and surely within the ebbs and flows of possession.
The final minutes were adrenaline-packed; the goalie pulled for the Sceptres, with everything being thrown at the net, the crowd rushing and falling with the waves. The Sceptres pulled their goalie attempts. When Fleet forward Alina Müller scored the empty-netter, the story ended.
The Sceptres didn’t get the win, but it’s only the second game of the season. They gave their fans memorable moments and more to look forward to for the rest of the season.