Montreal Victoire Tops Toronto 2-1 in PWHL's Halifax Debut

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — Ann-Renée Desbiens stopped 35 shots and Marie-Philip Poulin scored the only goal in a 10-round shootout as the Montreal Victoire defeated the Toronto Sceptres 2-1 on Wednesday night in the Professional Women's Hockey League's first game ever played in Halifax.

The victory came before a sold-out crowd of 10,438 at Scotiabank Centre, where fans cheered enthusiastically for players from both teams. The matchup marked the inaugural event of the PWHL's Takeover Tour, a series of 16 neutral-site games designed to expand the league's reach. Halifax will host a second game this season on Jan. 11, when the Ottawa Charge face the Boston Fleet at the arena, home to the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League's Halifax Mooseheads.

The game remained scoreless until early in the first period, when Toronto forward Anna Kjellbin opened the scoring at 3:26, assisted by Clara van Wieren and Emma Woods. Montreal responded in the second period, with Maya Labad tying the score at 12:16 on assists from Kaitlin Willoughby and Kati Tabin. The teams traded chances through the remainder of regulation, including a close call in the final seconds when Toronto captain Blayre Turnbull, a...