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Breanne Wilson-Bennett nets go-ahead goal in second, powering Toronto Six to series sweep over Force
On February 12, at Canlan Sports – York, the Toronto Six (women’s pro hockey team) defeated the Montreal Force by a final score of 2-1 in the fourth and final meeting on the 2022-23 PHF calendar.
“I think it was great to rebound and come back off of that loss yesterday,” said Geraldine Heaney, Head Coach of the Toronto Six. “I thought we played pretty good yesterday as well, but we were rewarded today a little bit. It was a grind out there. In the third period there, they were blocking shots, doing everything they had to do to keep the lead and get the win.”
Quick to break the ice in the PHF’s All-Canadian rivalry rematch, captain Shiann Darkangelo found a loose puck from Michela Cava hovering around the Montreal crease following a one-on-three toe-drag attempt, and buried the puck on the rebound, tallying her eighth goal of the season to put the hometown Six up early.
“We [Michela Cava] and I have been playing together, and I feel like we can read off of each other pretty well,” Darkangelo remarked after the game. “She did all the work to be honest, but I know where to sit, and I thought that went into the net to be completely honest. I just followed up the play, the whistle didn’t blow, so I just put it in again. I don’t really think, I just let her drop me pucks and we’re able to read off of each other, so it’s a lot of fun.”
Biting right back to tie the game just under a minute later, Montreal’s Kim Deschenes connected with Alexandra Labelle from below the goal line, who beat Six backstop Elaine Chuli to even the score in the opening period.
Deadlocked at one apiece after the first twenty minutes of play, forward Tereza Vanisova connected with Breanne Wilson-Bennett finding space around the high slot, who buried the puck top shelf past Tricia Deguire for her fifth goal of the season, which capped a big afternoon and powered the Toronto Six en route to a triumphant 2-1 victory.
“I stepped off the bench there, right place, right time, and Tereza Vanisova slipped it [the puck] through someone’s legs, put it right on my tape, so I threw a fake shot, the defender bit, and I walked around and shot and beat Tricia Deguire top shelf. It was a nice pass by T.”
“It was awesome to come back and fight like that,” Darkangelo remarked after sweeping the season series. “I’m really proud of the group, they came back and answered, so there’s nothing bad to say about that. I’m happy that we came out with a win.”
“Every point is important, so you’re playing for points at this point,” Darkangelo continued. “Every game, we want to be the highest seed we can be going into playoffs, so we can’t take anything for granted. Every team the second time around is going to be tougher, so it’s going to be a battle every single game building here on-on-out. I’m really proud, just one period at a time, one shift at a time, and that’s what happened today.”
“We’re happy to get the points,” exclaimed Wilson-Bennett after the game. “I think we still have some areas to clean up in our game, but it was a full-team effort today and we’re happy to be taking home some points.”
“I think it’s always great to pull out a win, especially after a Saturday loss,” said Saroya Tinker after the game. “It was a tough loss for us yesterday, but at the same time, we came out, did what we had to do today, and proved that we’re the better team.”
Making her thirteenth start of the regular season in the series finale, Elaine Chuli made 23 saves between the pipes in the winning effort.
The Toronto Six look to keep rolling offensively on Saturday, February 18 when they hit the road for a two-game series against the Connecticut Whale at the International Skating Center of CT. Both games will be available for viewing on ESPN+ in the United States, and on TSN Direct for viewers tuning in across Canada.
For standings or more information visit: https://toronto.premierhockeyfederation.com/
About The Toronto Six
The Toronto Six (The 6ix) is a professional women’s hockey team. As girls and Women’s Hockey registration in Canada continues to grow, The 6ix are on a mission to drive change for women (players, fans, and sponsors) by offering an elevated experience on the ice, in the locker room, and throughout our communities. The 6ix aims to be the gold standard in women’s hockey, and to create the model for a sustainable sports organization that also serves as a platform for gender equity in sports and beyond. The 6ix aim to do this by EDUCATING about a new way to look at, consume and support women’s professional sports, EMPOWERING women to take risks, skate outside the lines, and build meaningful confidence in sports and beyond, and INCLUDING people of diverse backgrounds and opinions.
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