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Toronto’s PWHL entry has been the picture of persistence in the early stages of this first season but took it to another level in Verdun on Saturday night.
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The way things have gone so far this year it was hardly unexpected the way Toronto finally found its way back into the win column winning this one 4-3 in a shootout.
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Trailing for all but the final 1:24 of the game, Toronto appeared to put this one away with a Natalie Spooner goal, her third of the young season as she solved national team starting goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens who had her number all evening.
But continuing with that nothing-comes-easy narrative, Montreal had a response of its own in Marie-Philip Poulin who scored unassisted with just 18 seconds left in regulation to force overtime.
The three-on-three portion of overtime solved nothing, not even after Toronto spent two of the five minutes short-handed and this one went to the shootout where Toronto goalkeeper Kristen Campbell took over.
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Campbell faced six Montreal shots in the shootout, four of them by Poulin and stopped all but Poulin’s third attempt.
Desbiens was scored on by Hannah Miller in the first five shots and then in a bit of an unexpected move faced Toronto defenceman Lauriane Rougeau with the game on the line.
Rougeau, who is a Quebec native got one up and over the glove of Desbiens for the game winner snapping a three-game Toronto losing skid.
Trailing for the entirety of the game despite owning the majority of the play, Toronto tied the game early in the third period and then took their first lead of the game with just 1:24 to go in regulation.
Maggie Connors paid the price taking a huge hit along the boards but advanced the puck into the corner where Sarah Nurse retrieved it and hit an unmarked Natalie Spooner who went to the net unchecked and finally got one past Desbiens.
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Desbiens had Spooner’s number all night stopping all six shots from the Toronto forward, including some high quality chances.
Rougeau was named the first star of the game for her shootout heroics but the game belonged to Campbell in the Toronto net.
Poulin scored two on her in regulation and got one past her in four shootout attempts but was also stymied by Campbell in the three-on-three portion of overtime when Campbell flat out robbed the national team captain of the game winning goal with as good a save as you are likely to see in the league this year.
Poulin one-timed a perfect feed from the left hash marks and wired it towards the top corner only to have Campbell flash the leather for the stop of the game.
Toronto will have a little time to enjoy this one before taking the ice again Tuesday night in Ottawa.
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