3 standout players from Goldeneyes home opener vs. Torrent – The Hockey Writers – PWHL
The Vancouver Goldeneyes opened their first Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) season with a come-from-behind victory over the Seattle Torrent in front of a sold-out Pacific Arena on Friday. They didn’t take the lead in the game until the final buzzer, when Abby Boreen sent a Tereza Vanisova pass across the goal line behind Corinne Schroeder in overtime. The Rapids led 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2, and the Goldeneyes responded each time, tying the game and scoring a dramatic goal at the 1:36 mark of 3-on-3 overtime.
RELATED: Boreen’s overtime goal gives Goldeneyes 4-3 win over Torrent
The Goldeneyes had a lot of great players in their first win, and the speed and talent they displayed will have fans excited for the next 29 games. Let’s dive into three of them.
Jen Gardner
Surry native Jenn Gardiner was busy all night and nearly made history with the Goldeneyes’ first goal in the PWHL. She’s ready to go from puck drop on the opening tip, displaying incredible speed and skill every time she’s on the ice. If her first game is any indication, she’ll be one of head coach Brian Idarski’s go-to players as she’s second on the ice behind Hannah Miller.
While the post prevented Gardner from scoring her first goal in the Goldeneye sweater, she got her first point thanks to a second assist from Claire Thompson for a 3-3 score. She finished the game 1-for-3 in 20:30 of ice time and may have become a fan favorite.
Sarah Nurse
It would have been a cool moment to see a Vancouver or British Columbia native score his first PWHL goal at the Pacific Coliseum, but Sarah Nurse’s goal was the next best thing. The Canadian icon, who scored numerous key goals at the Olympics and World Championships, opened the game with a cheeky shot on the ice at 17:41 of the first period to tie the game at 1-1 after Julia Gosling made history for the Torrents.
Nurse has become a member of Vancouver’s leadership group and wears an A on his chest. It’s fitting that she was the first to cheer in the “Golden Eyes” colors, marking the first milestone on the ice at Pacific Coliseum. She now joins the likes of Barry Wilkins (Vancouver Canucks, October 9, 1970), Jim Adair (Vancouver Trail Blazers, October 10, 1973) and Tyson Mulok (Vancouver Giants, September 21, 2001) as players to score the team’s first goal at Pacific Coliseum.
Like the Canucks and Giants before them, the Goldeneyes call this arena their exclusive home – the only PWHL team to hold that distinction. Nurse commented on this before the game, and now she’s part of the event’s 57-year history.
“You know, when you walk into Pacific Coliseum and you see the Goldeyes, I think that’s something very special. I think that’s something that the fans really enjoy. Seeing the amount of jerseys and merchandise in the stands, I took a second to look around the entire stadium and it seemed like everyone had a piece of Goldeyes merchandise.”
abby boleyn
Of course, Boreen had to have her own section in this article. When Nurse made history by scoring the Goldeneyes’ first goal in the PWHL, Bolin joined her in scoring the first overtime winner. She also had a strong performance in the regular season, taking a game-high seven shots on goal and assisting on Gabby Rosenthal’s 2-2 goal early in the second period. The former Montreal Victor and Minnesota Frost forward is also tied with Nurse for second in ice time at 20:20, and like Nurse and Gardner, he appears to be an early choice for Idarski as a key player in the front six.
The trio may find themselves performing in almost every game as they attempt to lead the Goldeneyes to the Volta Cup in their inaugural season. They’ll be in the spotlight again in Ottawa, where the Goldeneyes begin their first road trip Wednesday, starting with the Chargers, goaltender Emerance Maschmaier’s former team. They will then travel to New York and Boston before returning to Vancouver for their first homestand, a four-game set against the New York Sirens, Charge, Victoria and two-time defending champion Frost.
