Excitement Grows Around Toronto Sceptres as Team Achieves Five Consecutive Wins
Toronto Sceptres secure their fifth consecutive win, showcasing dominant performances by Hannah Miller and Daryl Watts, as well as solid goaltending and a strong power play.
The multiple good vibes around the Toronto Sceptres these days are making it impossible to determine which one factor is the biggest reason to get excited about this team right now.
Toronto's 4-1 win on Wednesday in Newark, N.J., against the New York Sirens was its fifth in a row, and eighth consecutive game in which the team earned points in the standings.
Certainly a good reason to get excited.
Then there's the continued dominance of Hannah Miller, who had two goals and two assists, allowing her to take over sole possession of the league scoring lead.
The four points in a game also tied a league record for the 13th-round draft pick in the inaugural draft, a factoid that tends to garner attention.
And don't sleep on Daryl Watts, who had three assists and is now up to 18 points, tied for second overall with New York's Sarah Fillier and Minnesota's Kendall Coyne-Schofield in league scoring. Eleven of those 18 points have come in the past eight games.
But those are just the first factors that come to mind.
Throw in the best power play in the league operating at a 34.5% success rate, including three goals against the Sirens in four opportunities, putting the Sceptres' power play success rate to well above 50% in the past eight games.
Then there's the goaltending which has gone from an issue earlier in the year to a strength with both Kristen Campbell and Raygan Kirk providing solid to outstanding netminding. Campbell was on the outstanding end of that spectrum on Wednesday, giving up just one goal to the Sirens.
It doesn't stop there.
The rookies -- first-round pick Julia Gosling and second-rounder Megan Carter -- are both rounding into form, the former with two goals Wednesday to give her four on the year and the latter establishing herself as a defender no opponent is happy to see on the ice.
With the win, the Sceptres are tied with Minnesota for second place in the PWHL as both attempt to chase down the league-leading Montreal Victoire.
