On Sunday, March 15, the Seattle Torrent took on the Toronto Sceptres for their fourth and final meeting of the 2025-26 Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) season. Heading into this game, the Torrent had two wins in the season series while the Sceptres had one.
This game started out strongly in the Sceptres’ favor, as they scored just four minutes into the first. There was no change in score after the middle frame, keeping Toronto’s one-goal lead in tact. The Torrent tried to get on the board, but they had no success. A Sceptres empty-net goal cemented the 2-0 victory and earning them a split in the season series.
Murphy Had Another Strong Game
Everyone is quick to blame the goaltender if a team doesn’t win, but Hannah Murphy had another strong game, making 24 saves on 25 shots and earning a save percentage (SV%) of .960, her third-highest SV% this season.
Murphy was selected in the second round by Seattle in the 2025 PWHL Entry Draft. She was a great complement to an already strong goaltender, Corinne Schroeder, who Seattle selected from the New York Sirens in the 2025 PWHL Expansion Draft.
This is just Murphy’s first season in the PWHL, and she was off to a strong start, winning her first three starts. Unfortunately, the last six games she has played have all resulted in losses, but this is the first of the six losses where she has only let in one goal. Murphy should not blame herself for the Torrent’s loss; she did all she could to keep her team in the game.
Torrent Didn’t Quit
The Torrent were down by one early in the first, but they didn’t stop trying to get on the board. It was a full team effort.
Danielle Serdachny recorded an ice time of 19:05 and had a career-high seven shots. Alex Carpenter spent a team-high 24:41 on ice; she took 22 face-offs and won 12 of them, giving her a win percentage (WF%) of 54.5. Her line partners, Julia Gosling and Lexie Adzija, spent a total of 23:09 and 19:57 on the ice, respectively.
Related: 3 Takeaways From the Sirens’ 4-3 Loss to the Frost
Head coach Steve O’Rourke relied heavily on the top line, while the three players on the third line — Jenna Buglioni, Marah Wagner, and Jada Habisch — only spent five minutes on the ice each. He needs to put a little more trust in these players. Yes, they are rookies, but they were selected by Seattle for a reason. Maybe it’s time to change some line combinations so these fourth-liners are playing with a veteran presence.
Although the Torrent lost, they put in the work to try and get on the board; they just fell short.
Torrent Can’t Afford Any More Injuries
In the Torrent’s last game, Mikyla Grant-Mentis went down hard on the ice after she was boarded by Britta Curl. She needed help off the ice and didn’t return to the game. She was ruled out with an upper-body injury and missed this game against Toronto.
Unfortunately, the injuries keep coming for Seattle. Defender Cayla Barnes had an awkward crash into the boards and had to be helped off the ice. She returned to the bench, but didn’t see any ice time in the third period.
The Torrent are also without Hilary Knight with a lower-body injury while Hannah Bilka is out for the rest of the season with an upper-body injury.
Hopefully Grant-Mentis, Barnes, and Knight can healthy soon so the Torrent can get back in the win column.
Torrent Continue on the Road
The Torrent will be back in action on Thursday, March 19, when they take on the Montreal Victoire.
