Natalie Spooner’s hat trick sparks PWHL Toronto past Boston, 5-3
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BOSTON — Natalie Spooner scored a hat trick, Kristen Campbell earned her fourth straight win in goal and Toronto returned from the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s 10-day break on Wednesday night to pick up a 5-3 win in its first trip to Boston.
Spooner has five goals and an assist in her past two games, scoring twice with an assist in a 4-1 win over Minnesota in Toronto’s final game before the break for national team play. She now has 10 goals, the most in the PWHL, and her 11 points ties her with New York’s Alex Carpenter for the league lead.
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Natalie Spooner’s hat trick sparks PWHL Toronto past Boston, 5-3 Back to video
Sarah Nurse got Toronto on the board in the first period, beating Boston’s Emma Söderberg at the 14:13 mark.
Spooner scored on a Toronto power play at the 11:49 mark of the second period, making a deke on front of Söderberg before beating her glove-side. Nurse jumped on a loose puck in the slot and steered a pass directly behind her to an open Spooner, who punched the puck home with three minutes left in the period to carry a 3-0 lead into the third.
Jamie Lee Rattray got Boston on the board six minutes in to the final period, poking home a rebound from a crowd in front of Campbell, but Toronto answered when Kal Flanagan rocketed a screened slapshot from the point home to push it back to a three-goal lead. Hannah Brandt scored a minute later to get Boston back within two.
Alina Muller had a chance to make it a one-goal game on a Boston power play with six minutes left, but her shot glanced off the post. Boston pulled Söderberg to gain an extra skater with just under three minutes left, but Spooner picked up her third goal, poking the puck into an empty net at 17:32. Taylor Girard picked off an errant Toronto pass and fired it into the top left corner with just over 90 seconds left to set the final margin.
Campbell is 5-4 in goal for Toronto after stopping 32 of 35 shots.
Söderberg (2-2) made 13 saves on 18 shots for Boston.
Toronto next plays Montreal on Friday night in front of what is expected to be a sold-out crowd at Scotiabank Arena.
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