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PWHL Boston Fleet Return Home but Fall Short in 2-0 Loss to Toronto Sceptres
Coming off of an incredible comeback win against Montreal, the Boston Fleet finally returned home and battled it out with the Toronto Sceptres in front of a sold out crowd at Agganis Arena. Fans showed out in a sea of green in honor of St. Patrick’s Day hoping for another Fleet win back at home but their home win streak would be snapped by Toronto, shutting out Boston 2-0.
This was Boston’s first home game in 48 days, since coming back from the Olympics. All of the Fleet’s Olympians were honored in a pregame ceremony highlighting their time in Milan. Team Team USA standouts Megan Keller, Haley Winn and Aerin Frankel, who had big roles in earning gold in Italy. Teammates Alina Müller (Switzerland) winning bronze, Daniela Pejšová (Czechia), Susanna Tapani (Finland) and Laura Kluge (Germany) were also recognized. There was a ceremonial puck drop as well featuring Haley Winn’s three brothers all decked out in USA onesies.
Energy was high throughout the entire game but in the end it simply wasn’t enough for Boston to grab 3 points at home. In fact this was their first loss at home all season, which is pretty impressive. It was a very hard fought game from both teams and for the most part was very tight almost until the final buzzer.
The first two periods saw a few penalties for both teams and both penalty kills were stellar. Both Frankel and Kirk in net were locked in and made some incredible saves to keep the game scoreless. Tensions rose throughout the game which saw some scrums in front of both nets as the teams fought to put the puck into the net, but defence was on another level this game.
Boston would then receive a pair of power plays but came up empty on both tries before heading right back to the penalty kill with 7:51 left in the second. Shay Maloney would make another shorthanded breakaway attempt but it was quickly challenged by Kirk, who was standing on her head all night, making some incredible saves. Going scoreless into the third there was talk of this game potentially going into overtime.
There wasn’t a goal scored by either team until around ten minutes left in the third period, when Toronto’s Daryl Watts made a swift move side to side to beat Frankel through the five-hole, to give Toronto a 1-0 lead. Boston would battle it out until the very end, having multiple scoring chances but just coming up short in the end. Toronto’s Turnbull put the finishing touches on the win with 26 seconds left with an empty net goal, to make it 2-0. Toronto’s Raygan Kirk would record her 2nd shutout in a row in a dominant win.
The Fleet still sit at the top of the PWHL standings while the Sceptres sit at 5th but with this win are now in a playoff spot. The Fleet will play the Seattle Torrent on Saturday at home at 4pm and then against Vancouver on Tuesday at 7pm.
You can find more info on the fleet on their socials // Website // Instagram // Facebook // X //
Check out our favorite photos of the game below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
PWHL BOSTON FLEET vs TORONTO SCEPTRES
All Photo Credit: Erin Crowley
Sport Photos
WWE Monday Night Raw Keeps the Momentum Rolling in Ottawa
WWE Monday Night Raw rolled into Ottawa on August 24 with plenty of moving pieces and a clear focus on building toward the next major chapters for both the men’s and women’s divisions. From LA Knight’s confrontation with Roman Reigns to Stephanie Vaquer’s return, a World Heavyweight Championship tournament, and a heated Oba Femi-Bron Breakker contract signing, the episode packed a lot into three hours without losing sight of its bigger stories.
This was a busy, storyline-heavy episode built almost entirely around momentum heading toward Sunday Night’s Main Event on September 6. LA Knight opened the show by calling out World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns, only for Solo Sikoa to interrupt and thank Knight for backing him up the previous week, before the Usos showed up and set a tag match in motion for later in the night. That opening angle paid off with a hard-hitting brawl, and the show closed with Knight, Sikoa, and both Usos left laid out while returning duo Royce Keys and OTM stood tall over the wreckage.
In the ring, the standout was Stephanie Vaquer‘s return match against Roxanne Perez, which saw Judgment Day interference from Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez met by a counter from Becky Lynch. Vaquer sealed the win by dodging a moonsault and connecting with a butterfly backbreaker into a lungblower combo, and the post-match staredown with Lynch added a nice extra layer of tension. It fed directly into the next chapter of her title chase, with Vaquer told backstage that she’ll get her shot at Liv Morgan‘s Women’s World Championship on the September 7 RAW.
The tournament for a World Heavyweight Championship shot also moved forward, with Penta defeating LA Parka and Rey Fenix defeating Dragon Lee to set up a Penta-vs-Fenix final. The Penta/Parka match got a nice reaction, as Parka survived a Penta Driver and answered with a top-rope Spanish Fly before Penta eventually got the win.
The other big story beat was the contract signing for Oba Femi vs. Bron Breakker. Breakker accused Femi of taking the spot he used to hold and vowed to make him live in his shadow, while Femi shot back that Breakker could’ve been the future of WWE in a different era, just not while he’s around. The segment boiled over into a physical confrontation, with Breakker jumping Femi before Austin Theory got involved, and Femi eventually powering back to put Theory through a table.
Overall, this felt like a well-paced go-home-style episode even though the pay-per-view is still two weeks out: hot angles up top and at the close, a satisfying tournament advancement, and a women’s division storyline that’s clearly building toward something bigger
Check out our favourite photos of both Monday Night Raw and Smackdown below or head to our Facebook page for the full galleries: Raw – Smackdown
WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW
All Photo Credit: Kieran Delport
Sport Photos
NSL Vancouver Rise FC Stun Halifax Tides FC With Last-Minute Winner
Drama took over Swangard Stadium on Saturday night as Vancouver Rise FC rallied from a 1-0 deficit to beat Halifax Tides FC 2-1, with Jessica De Filippo scoring the winner deep into stoppage time.
Rise nearly opened the scoring inside the first two minutes. De Filippo found herself at the edge of the six-yard box, but her first-time effort sailed over the bar.
Vancouver continued to create chances. Ten minutes later, Anna Bout slipped Anaïs Oularbi through on the left, with Oularbi cutting the ball back for De Filippo. Her sliding attempt just missed the pass.
Halifax had a chance of its own moments later, but Rise goalkeeper Morgan McAslan came up with one of the saves of the night. She stopped Julia Benati’s point-blank effort before quickly smothering the rebound.
The Tides eventually broke through in the 18th minute. Benati sent Rhodes in behind the Vancouver defence, and Rhodes finished past McAslan to give Halifax the lead.
Rise pushed for an equalizer before halftime. Bout tried her luck from distance in the 30th minute, but her shot skipped wide of the far post.
Vancouver‘s pressure picked up as the half progressed, with crosses repeatedly sent into the Halifax box. Just before halftime, Myla Ewasiuk met an Oularbi free kick with a header, but Tides goalkeeper Anika Tóth was ready for it.
Rise came out of the break with renewed pressure, bringing Latifah Abdu into the match to add another attacking option. Her impact was almost immediate.
Camila Reyes found Abdu behind the Halifax defence, sending the forward in alone against Tóth. Abdu slipped as she took her shot, though, leaving Tóth with an easy clearance.
The equalizer finally arrived in the 56th minute. Bout delivered a cross into the box, and De Filippo rose to meet it, powering her header past Tóth to make it 1-1.
Vancouver kept coming in search of the winner.
Josie Longhurst nearly put Rise ahead in the 74th minute when she popped the ball up just outside the box and launched an ambitious volley. She got plenty of power behind it, but the effort went just wide.
Abdu came even closer seven minutes later. After turning two defenders, she unleashed a volley that forced Tóth into a fingertip save.
De Filippo then came within inches of a second goal when her header was deflected onto the post and out.
With the match moving into stoppage time, the pressure from Rise finally paid off.
Abdu found space on the left and floated a cross toward the penalty spot. De Filippo brought the ball under control before firing it into the net, sending Swangard Stadium into a frenzy and completing the comeback.
The win gives Rise another dramatic result at home as the club continues its push through the season.
Vancouver Rise FC will return to action on Saturday, August 22, against Ottawa Rapid FC in Ontario. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. PT. The team then returns to Swangard Stadium on Saturday, August 29, to host Calgary Wild FC at 3 p.m. PT.
Tickets are available through Vancouver Rise FC.
Check out our favourite photos of the match below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
NSL VANCOUVER RISE FC v HALIFAX TIDES FC
All Photo Credit: Jason Martin