Campbell’s stellar play has PWHL Toronto feeling confident
Shutout victory in playo opener vs. Minnesota
Since January, it has become apparent scoring against PWHL Toronto is going to be a tough task.
It starts with a scheme that requires forwards to be as defensively responsible and aware as the blueliners and ends with a single-minded goaltender whose only focus is the next shot.
Toronto officially began its quest to engrave their names on the still unmarked Walter Cup on Wednesday, posting a tidy 4-0 shutout over Minnesota to take a 1-0 best-of-five series lead.
The way Toronto defends as a team in front of netminder Kristen Campbell, who keeps starring as the final line of defence, makes scoring against Toronto when the core is healthy bordering on the impossible.
Consider that since a 4-3 shootout win in Montreal — a game in which Campbell stopped five of six shootout opportunities, three of four by the most clutch player in the game, Canadian star Marie-phillipe Poulin — opponents are scoring just more than 1.5 goals a game against Toronto.
Campbell has started all but two of those games, including Wednesday’s win.
It was Campbell’s fourth shutout in the past 19 games, a span in which Toronto has allowed more than three goals just once and more than two goals just four times.
In the aftermath of Wednesday’s complete effort, Minnesota players sounded relatively happy with the way they defended. But they continually came back to the fact they have to find a way to put pucks in the net.
But Campbell and Toronto’s defensively sound fiveman units in front of her refuse to make that easy.
It doesn’t seem to matter who opposes them — and don’t kid yourself, this Minnesota team has plenty of offensive options, from the likes of Taylor Heise, Grace Zumwinkle, Kendall Coyne Schofield, Michela Cava and Kelly Pannek up front, to say nothing of what Toronto native Sophie Jaques brings offensively from her blue line position — Campbell and her teammates just don’t budge.
It’s almost laughable that head coach Troy Ryan has to come to Campbell’s defence when the Toronto season as a whole becomes the conversation.
Through the first five games of the year, the team that would go on to claim first place overall in the league’s first regular season was just 1-4. Campbell seemed to bear most of the blame for that start.
“She has had an incredible year,” Ryan said post-game, with Campbell sitting right beside him on the podium. “A lot of people want to talk about the start of the year and she definitely can’t wear the start of the year. That was definitely a team thing where we had to straighten out a few things as a group. As she got her feet under her and our team got their feet under them, she has been outstanding.”
As it turned out, all Campbell needed was some time in the net to reacquaint herself with the job of starting goaltender.
During her final three years at Wisconsin, Campbell started a total of 110 games. In the three years that overlapped the COVID-19 pandemic, she started a grand total of 14 games.
The PWHL gave her the opportunity to see consistent game action again and she has thrived.
It’s to the point now where even when opponents are peppering the Toronto net and the puck seems stuck in their own end for consecutive shifts at a time, Ryan is at ease knowing Campbell is there to hold them off.
“Even at times tonight, I mean, I thought we controlled the play in general, but there was a big spell in the second period where they were all over us. But at no point did I feel we were in danger because of the control that Soupy (Campbell’s nickname) was playing under,” Ryan said.
“It’s a good feeling when someone has had such a consistent year and her demeanour has remained the same (throughout). It gives us (coaches) confidence, the organization confidence and the players confidence. She has had a great year.”
Team captain Blayre Turnbull, a player who sets the tone for defensive responsibility among Ryan’s forwards, concurred with that thought.
“She just gives us so much confidence,” said Turnbull, who also led the team offensively Wednesday with a pair of goals. “The best part about Soupy is she has figured out how to stay calm regardless of what is happening on the ice. She has been really stable for us in her emotions. As players, when a goalie gives you that calmness and that sense that everything is under control, you feel really good no matter what is happening on the ice. It’s something that is a strength of hers and it’s something that gives us a lot of power when she’s in a zone like that.”
Right now, Campbell and the women playing in front of her are in that zone and until, or if, an opponent can shake them out of it, a scenario when any team other than Toronto is hoisting Walter in a few weeks seems unfathomable.
SHE HAS BEEN REALLY STABLE FOR US IN HER EMOTIONS.