MONTREAL (AP) 鈥� Sarah Nurse scored twice, including in overtime, and Kristen Campbell made 37 saves as Toronto defeated Montreal 3-2 before a record crowd on Saturday.
The 21,105 attendance set a high-water mark for a women鈥檚 hockey game, exceeding the 19,285 met at Scotiabank Arena on Feb. 16.
The previous record of 18,013 at the 2013 world championship in Ottawa stood for a decade before the PWHL started this year.
Fans of all ages 鈥� some hoisting signs that read 鈥淕irls Hockey Rules鈥� and 鈥�2033 PWHL Draft Eligible鈥� 鈥� waved white towels, wore flashing bracelets and roared throughout the afternoon at the home of the NHL鈥檚 Canadiens.
Montreal captain Marie-Philip Poulin, one of hockey鈥檚 all-time greats, received a deafening standings ovation followed by chants of 鈥淧ou! Pou! Pou!鈥� when introduced in the starting lineup.
Toronto not only played spoiler, but also clinched a playoff berth with the victory.
Blayre Turnbull also scored for the league-leading visitors (10-4-0-7), who beat Montreal for a fifth time this season. Emma Maltais had two assists.
Erin Ambrose and Sarah Bujold replied for Montreal (8-3-5-5). Ann-Ren茅e Desbiens, who received a raucous ovation of her own, made 30 saves.
Nurse received a pass from Renata Fast before firing a shot over Desbiens鈥� shoulder 13 seconds into the 3-on-3 overtime period.
Montreal had a chance to win late in regulation, jumping on the power play with 2:55 remaining in the third after Jocelyne Larocque tripped up Poulin, but couldn鈥檛 convert to break the 2-2 tie.
Montreal moved into a second-place tie with Minnesota, which played Ottawa on Saturday night.
Montreal dominated the shots 17-8 in the opening period.
Montreal signed Mikyla Grant-Mentis to a standard contract before the game. The 25-year-old forward joined Montreal as a reserve player and later signed a 10-day contract after she was released by Ottawa on Feb. 18. She has played four games for Montreal.
UP NEXT
Montreal: Hosts New York on Wednesday.
Toronto: Visits New York on April 28.
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AP women鈥檚 hockey:
The Associated Press
