TORONTO — Toronto Sceptres goaltender Kristen Campbell hopes her first win in a month and only her third of the season is a sign she's in for a second-half turnaround in the Professional Women's Hockey League.
Campbell stopped 16 shots in the Sceptres' 3-1 win over the Boston Fleet on Friday in front of 8,124 fans at Coca-Cola Coliseum.
The 27-year-old Campbell was a big reason Toronto claimed the inaugural regular-season title a year ago. She led the league with 16 victories that included a personal 11-game win streak.
But in the first half of the 2024-25 campaign, she lost her No. 1 status to Raygan Kirk.
"It's been a challenge this season," Campbell, from Brandon, Man., said.
Boston's lone goal came from Megan Keller's high pinpoint shot early in the second period to tie the game at 1-1.
"This was a great team win," Campbell said. "I haven't been happy with my play this season. I wanted to keep it simple."
The Sceptres will play their third game in six days with an afternoon outing in Edmonton at Rogers Place against the Ottawa Charge on Sunday. They then will endure three more road games to finish out February.
"Soupy was confident and composed," Sceptres head coach Troy Ryan said.
"With the busy schedule, you want to be able to tap both goalies. It's a good situation to be in."
With the crowd chanting, "Pizza, Pizza," Emma Woods fired home the eventual winner with 20 seconds remaining in the second for the surging Sceptres' third straight win and sixth consecutive game gaining at least a point.
Toronto has a promotion for home games that if it scores a goal in the final minute of the second period, each fan can show their ticket at a local pizza chain the following day for a free slice.
"They deserve it," Woods said. "They show up every game."
Toronto (6-1-4-6) was in last in the six-team league three weeks ago but now occupies third place, four points ahead of the Fleet (4-3-2-6).
Jesse Compher and Emma Maltais scored the other Toronto goals.
The Sceptres outshot the visitors 28-17, holding Boston to only three shots in the third period. Campbell's Boston counterpart, Aerin Frankel, made 25 stops.
Frankel, the goaltender for the United States' national team, entered the game on a five-game win streak with a 1.16 goals-against average during her stellar run.
Maltais scored first, dribbling a shot over Frankel's pad early in the opening period.
Fleet defender Keller drifted a pinpoint shot into the top corner to pull her club even 4:58 into the middle frame.
Keller's second-period goal was her fifth, pushing her into the goal-scoring lead among PWHL defenders.
Compher scored a late-game power-play marker.
Daryl Watts saw her five-game point streak come to an end. But her game-high six shots on goal increased her lead-leading total to 58 in 17 outings.
"She was dangerous every time she touched the puck," Ryan said.
Watts's best opportunity came 18 seconds after Woods's critical goal when off the rush and from in close with two seconds remaining in the second period Frankel made a massive stop on the Toronto forward.
The home team has won the last seven meetings between Toronto and Boston.
"Next time we're back here in the playoffs we'll take one," Boston head coach Courtney Kessel said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 14, 2025.
Tim Wharnsby, The Canadian Press
