Vancouver Goldeneyes Outlast Seattle Torrent in Wild OT Finish to Open a New Era

Vancouver’s new PWHL team couldn’t have asked for a louder welcome. Nearly 15,000 fans packed into the Pacific Coliseum on Friday night for the Goldeneyes’ first-ever game, and they got a thriller out of it: a 4–3 overtime win over the Seattle Torrent that felt like the launch of a fierce west coast rivalry.

It was the debut for both expansion teams, and the energy in the rink felt almost too big to contain. Christine Sinclair handled the ceremonial puck drop, Meghan Agosta delivered the puck, and the crowd was already buzzing by the time the opening faceoff hit the ice.

Seattle struck first. Julia Gosling made history with the Torrent’s inaugural goal late in the opening period, then added a second minutes later. Vancouver replied quickly, with Sarah Nurse scoring the first goal in Goldeneyes history after picking off a turnover and snapping one home. She later said the whole night felt different with the arena, the atmosphere, the fact that this team finally has a place built for them.

Vancouver spent most of the night playing catch-up. They pushed early but couldn’t solve Seattle goalie Corinne Schroeder, who was sharp from the jump. It wasn’t until the third period that things cracked open again, when Gabby Rosenthal tied the game 2–2 less than a minute in. Seattle answered back with a goal from Hannah Bilka, putting the Torrent up again with just over six minutes left.

The Goldeneyes looked calm, though. Abby Boreen said the coaches kept things simple: don’t panic, just keep grinding. And that’s exactly what Claire Thompson did when she jumped up late, buried the tying goal, and sent the game to overtime. Thompson also picked up an assist earlier, giving her a two-point night and a big role in shaping the Goldeneyes’ first chapter.

Overtime didn’t last long. Tereza Vanišová tore up the ice and threaded a pass across the slot to Boreen, who shoveled it in just 1:46 into the extra frame. The building blew up. The Goldeneyes finally had their first win, and they did it without holding a lead during regulation.

Maschmeyer made 24 saves in the win, her first season-opening victory after back-to-back losses with Ottawa. Schroeder stopped 23 at the other end.

There were plenty of other pieces of history sprinkled throughout the night. Jenn Gardiner became the first B.C.-born Goldeneye to record a point. The starting lineup featured three local forwards: Gardiner, Hannah Miller, and Katie Chan. A handful of rookies made their PWHL debuts, including Vancouver’s Michelle Karvinen and Madison Samoskevich, and Seattle’s Jenna Buglioni, who grew up just across the border in Port Moody. Hilary Knight tallied her 20th career assist. Gosling posted her second multi-goal game in the league. And Vancouver became the league’s first team to play its home opener with its own logo painted at center ice.

But the biggest storyline was the scene inside the Coliseum. The Goldeneyes are the first PWHL team to anchor their own arena, and the place looked fully transformed: merch booths overflowing, fresh branding everywhere, and fans wearing blue in every direction. The attendance of 14,958 cracked the top ten in league history.

Head coach Brian Idalski said the atmosphere felt unreal and that the team’s resilience impressed him. There were mistakes, sure, but nothing he seemed too worried about for opening night.

By the time the players left the ice, people were still lingering in the stands. It felt like something had shifted for the sport in the city.

The Goldeneyes head out on the road next, facing Ottawa on Wednesday. Seattle returns home to host Minnesota on Nov. 28.

If Friday was any hint, this new west coast chapter is going to be fun.