TORONTO (AP) — Julia Gosling scored twice in a 1:55 span in the second period and the Toronto Sceptres beat the defending champion Minnesota Frost 3-2 on Wednesday night in Game 1 of the PWHL semifinal series.
Gosling made it 2-0 at 7:47 and struck again at 9:42 on a power play.
“Just the way we were playing and the way our lines were changing, I think it just put me in a great spot to get that opportunity and then just use my shot,” Gosling said. “It was just super fun to get it done at home.”
Game 2 of the best-of-five series is Friday night in Toronto.
Blayre Turnbull opened the scoring midway through the first, and Kristen Campbell stopped 24 shots for Toronto.
“I think the biggest takeaway for us is if you play the right way, chances are you’ll get rewarded,” Sceptres coach Troy Ryan said. “I thought we played responsible defensively, responsible physically, and some timely offence as well.”
Britta Curl-Salemme scored for Minnesota on a power play with 6:04 left in the second, and Katy Knoll made it a one-goal game at 2:33 of the third. Nicole Hensley made 34 saves for the Frost.
“We knew they were going to come out with a lot of energy and play hard,” Minnesota coach Ken Klee said. “And obviously, spotting them a 3-0 lead is a tough spot to be. But I loved the way our team responded. We didn’t quit.”
Minnesota won its final two regular-season games to take the fourth and final playoff position.
Curl-Salemme received a game misconduct for hitting Toronto defender Renata Fast in the head with 5:23 ;eft. Fast remained in the game.
“I thought it was a pretty ugly hit and I think the refs made the right call,” Turnbull said.
___
AP Women’s Hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey
