Coming out of the Olympic break, the Toronto Sceptres know they have a lot of work ahead of them in the second half of the PWHL season. The team lost its last three games and was shut out in the last two. Currently, the Sceptres are seventh in the league with 17 points and a league-low 27 goals-for.
“All of us are super excited to get back here to Toronto and to play with the girls here,” said Sceptres defender Anna Kjellbin in a media call Wednesday evening. “We do know what situation we’re in, and I think coming from the Olympics hopefully brought a good confidence for us all.”
Forward Sara Hjalmarsson echoed similar thoughts.
“It was nice to see the puck go in the net a couple of times and get some points, although obviously that’s not all that hockey is about,” she said. “I’m happy with my performance at the Olympics, and hopefully I’ll be able to bring that game to Toronto now.”
While the Olympics brought confidence for many, the tournament now being in the rearview mirror brings a different sense of relief and a chance to focus solely on the PWHL tasks ahead.
“I think heading into the Olympics in the first half of the season, there was a lot on a lot of our minds—staying healthy and making sure we were at our best hockey arriving at the Olympics,” said defender Renata Fast. “I think that took a big load on a lot of us in the first half of the season.”
“We closed the page on the Olympics, and now it’s focusing on the Sceptres and this back half of the season,” Fast added. “It’s a big transition and we’ve all gone through a lot in the last couple weeks. We’re all looking forward to this fresh start.”
A Sort-of Break
For some, the Olympic break offers just that: a break, and a chance to reset as a team and focus forward.
“The way that half of the season ended before the break, we weren’t really happy with it,” said forward Daryl Watts. “To have a month away from the PW just to kind of mentally reset a little bit… most of our teammates were here working.
“There’s a lot of excitement about this next half, and the drive and hunger to get into a playoff spot is as big as ever.” —Daryl Watts
The Sceptres are in a bit of unique position, as six players were a part of the silver medal-winning Team Canada, alongside head coach Troy Ryan and several members of the team’s staff. While they may have had a break from PWHL action, they didn’t have a break from one another.
“Having that chemistry is something that you strive for at the beginning of your season to help build on, and then continue through the whole time you’re playing games,” said defender Ella Shelton.
“Having the time away and being at the Olympics at a different level, you kind of learn a different style of play, obviously, with Team Canada; but then being able to still do all the amazing things that you did individually, and as a line or as a D pairing, and then bring that bake to the PW… just amplifies your team’s game,” Shelton added.
“And then, I think it spreads like wildfire. When one line or one D pairing sees a D or a forward do something, you get a lot of praise, and hopefully people just follow suit and do the same,” she added.
The Mindset
Sceptres captain Blayre Turnbull said that in order to turn the season around, it’s about getting into the mindset of playoff hockey.
“Leaving it all on the ice, every game from here on out, is the only way for us to get in a spot that we’ll be happy with at the end of the season,” she said. “We understand the importance of every game and the importance of every point. I think we’re up for the challenge.”
In the end, she said the mindset going forward for the Sceptres isn’t very difficult from the mindset the Team Canada players had going into Milan.
“The mindset between competing at the Olympics and now where we’re at in our Sceptres season is sort of similar,” Turnbull said. “During the Olympics and leading up to the Olympics, there were a lot of people out there who didn’t believe that our team had what it took to win a gold medal and to put on a good performance. I feel a lot of people think that right now with the Sceptres too, where they think, we’re in second-to-last place and we’re not going to make it into the playoffs, and we’re certainly not going to win a Walter Cup.”
“The belief in the locker room for Team Canada was the complete opposite of what a lot of people on the outside thought, and it’s a similar feeling for us here in Toronto,” she added. “We understand that we’re not in a great position right now, points-wise, but we all believe that we have what it takes to make the playoffs and to see what happens from there.”
“Instilling belief and making sure that every shift is important, every play is important, every game matters, every point matters from here on out,” Turnbull added. “We’ve got to do whatever we can to get in a playoff spot here as quickly as possible. I think we’re all up for the challenge, and I think the biggest thing for us is understanding how important it is to believe in our group and to silence the outside noise.”
Moving Forward
While the non-national team players continued skating and working out during the Olympics, the team has now reconvened as a whole. After practice earlier in the week, the team traveled to Seattle for the first of two road games this weekend. The Sceptres face the Torrent on Friday, February 27 at 10 PM EST before heading to Vancouver. Puck drop against the Goldeneyes is set for 4 PM EST on Sunday, March 1.
“We realize the opportunity in front us,” Fast said. “We have 14 games and anything can happen. Three points for a win can change the standings really quick. We understand the importance of every single point, and it gives us another chance to turn around the start of the season.”
The travel out west, and subsequent practice in Seattle, have allowed the group to reconnect both on the ice and socially.
Head coach Troy Ryan said he feels that both the Olympians and non-national team players on the Scptres seem to be in a good place heading into the second half of the season. Regardless, the point is clear: there’s no time to waste.
“The difference for us right now, [compared to] some other teams in the PWHL, they can probably ease back into things a little bit more,” Ryan said. “They have the luxury, where we have to flick the switch and be more in a playoff kind of mindset if we’re going to string some games together and give us a fighting chance to end the season.”