By Canadian Press

After a long pandemic wait, puck finally drops on elite women’s hockey in Canada

May 24, 2021 | 6:23 PM

CALGARY — Marie-Philip Poulin scored short-handed to seal Bauer’s 3-2 win Monday over Sonnet to open the Secret Cup women’s hockey tournament in Calgary.

Rebecca Leslie and defender Erin Ambrose also scored for Bauer. Goalie Ann-Renée Desbiens made 29 saves for the win.

Defender Ella Shelton and Natalie Spooner scored for Sonnet. Shea Tiley stopped 35 shots in the loss in a Seven Chiefs Sportsplex devoid of spectators on the Tsuut’ina Nation.

Three teams of 20 players in the Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association’s three Canadian hubs of Calgary, Toronto and Montreal are playing for the Secret Cup to be awarded Sunday at Scotiabank Saddledome.

The women are playing their first meaningful games in over a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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The PWHPA is a movement arising from the collapse of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League two years ago. It includes members of the Canadian and U.S. national teams.

Their goal is a sustainable league with a living wage and the competitive supports the men’s professional leagues have.

The PWHPA previously played games in Toronto Jan. 11-12, 2020, as part of the Dream Gap Tour.

Of the 28 players invited to try out for Canada’s Olympic team starting this summer, 21 are playing in the Secret Cup.

Another half dozen have played for Canada on previous Olympic and world championship squads.

The cancellation of the 2020 and 2021 women’s world hockey championship in Nova Scotia also contributed to a Canadian women’s hockey desert in the pandemic.

Montreal’s Bauer and Calgary’s Scotiabank meet Tuesday at the Seven Nations Sportsplex followed by games there Wednesday and Thursday.

The teams play each other twice in a round robin with results augmented by a points system. A win is worth two points, an overtime win 1.5, a shootout win one point and .5 for an overtime or shootout loss.

A short-handed goal, hat trick, shutout, or scoring five goals or more in a game is each worth one additional point, so Poulin added an extra point to her team’s tally in Monday’s victory.

The two teams with the most points at the end of the round robin Saturday advance to Sunday’s final.

The round robin games Friday and Saturday, as well as Sunday’s final, will be played at the Saddledome. 

Sportsnet is streaming all games and broadcasting the final three.

Poulin intercepted the puck and scored on a short-handed breakaway at 13:24 of the third period for the eventual game-winner.

The 30-year-old from Beauceville, Que., is a two-time Olympic gold medallist and Canada’s captain.

With three seconds left in regulation, the puck deflected off Spooner’s skate and in for Toronto’s Sonnet.

Ottawa forward Leslie tipped in a shot from the blue-line at 9:48 for Bauer.

Ambrose scored a power-play goal at 6:12 of the second period to pull Bauer even at 1-1. 

The defender from Keswick, Ont., beat Tiley with a wrist shot far side. 

Tiley of Owen Sound, Ont., stoned Leslie on a two-on-zero with Bauer teammate Kristin O’Neill midway through the second period.

Shelton of Ingersoll, Ont., opened the scoring for Sonnet with a 4-on-4 goal at 12:51 of the first. 

Desbiens of La Malbaie, Que., got a piece of Shelton’s wrist shot, but not enough to prevent the goal. 

Canada’s Olympic team can take three goaltenders to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Desbiens will be one of them alongside Kristen Campbell of Brandon, Man., and Emerance Maschmeyer of Bruderheim, Alta.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 24, 2021.

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press