Raygan Kirk shines in Toronto net as Sceptres start hot

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Starts haven't been the Toronto Scepter's strong suit, and while it started out that way in Season 3, they found a way to turn things around this time.

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Thanks to a stellar performance from Ragan Kirk in goal for Toronto, the Scepters spoiled the winning night for two-time defending champion Minnesota Frost, 2-1.

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Perhaps what stood out most about this matchup was the tenacity of the Scepter, led by a pair of new faces in veteran guard Ella Shelton and newcomer Kiara Zanon, who were eager to put this player in the win column.

Here are some early takeaways from the first game of the 2025/26 season.

KIRK GETS THE GIVEAWAY

Head coach Troy Ryan and his staff had to make a choice. The homegrown talent returning from injury to start the year in goal for the Scepter, or the shiny new penny they acquired as a free agent from the Montreal Victoire.

Ryan and his group chose the face they knew best in Ragan Kirk, and she did not disappoint.

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Kirk started with veteran support from Elaine Chuley, and Kirk had a strong game to earn the No. 1 honor.

With Toronto showing plenty of nerve in that first period, it was Kirk who kept the game within reach, especially when she stopped a Kelly Pannek penalty midway through the period that seemed to push Toronto to find their feet and get fully into the game.

For the game, Kirk stopped 30 of the 31 shots she faced, the only one that went past her was a Kendall Coyne Schofield tip-in that she had no chance on.

Ryan made it clear from his very first media appearance that both Kirk and Chuli would have the opportunity to get the No. 1 role.

Kirk has set the bar extremely high.

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THE HARD WAY TO START

The only sign that something was amiss with the Toronto Scepter's health heading into the season was when Ryan mentioned on a midweek conference call that Renata Fast would not be participating in today's practice but should be ready for the season opener.

But there was no Fast after the puck drop, as the reigning league Defensive Player of the Year missed the game with an undisclosed upper-body injury.

This is a big blow for any team, but especially for a team that has come to rely on a versatile player like Fast.

She sets the physical tone for this team every night, plays more minutes than anyone in the league, and is as valuable to herself as she is to others.

The Scepters must be hoping her absence won't last long.

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A YEAR AGO IT WAS HURTING HURTING

Losing to the Fasts last season even in a game would have been a much tougher scenario than the one the Scepters faced last night.

And this was directly related to the appearance of Ella Shelton in the Toronto hall. Acquiring Shelton in the draft for the Scepter's first-round pick (third overall) who would become Casey O'Brien was a move that didn't get the attention it probably deserved.

Shelton's impact was felt throughout the game, from the game-tying goal in the first game to her strong play in her own side and the physical presence she displayed throughout the match.

Fans in Toronto are sure to be salivating over Shelton and Fast sharing the blue line on the Scepter power play. The Scepters were a force on the power play a year ago, but these two playing together could take the game to another level.

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SPOONER SIGNALS BIG EVENTS

Natalie Spooner has been a pretty big topic for the Scepters in pre-season and even for her fellow Canadian teammates this summer.

All the talk was about a fully healthy Spooner and what she could do in third grade after a torn ACL and subsequent rehab cost her half of last season. Even the second half she played brought in only a fraction of the fans the Spooner Sceptres enjoyed the first year, when she won the league's first MVP award.

But now, with the offseason full of time to train rather than just rehabilitate, Spooner has made a leap back, and it was evident in the first game.

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Spooner had a hand in both of the Scepter's goals, making a primary assist on Shelton's goal and a secondary assist on Zanon's goal.

She returned to her office in front of the network, causing chaos for most of the evening. The only thing that went wrong was the few times she got to the goal with the puck on her stick and saw it roll away. Let's call it first night nervousness and leave it at that.

QUICK HITS

A scary moment when Scepter's leading scorer Daryl Watts needed help getting up after being hit hard on a snatch. Watts missed several shifts, including the one in which Zanon scored the winning goal, but returned to the ice after attracting some attention in the Toronto locker room… PEI's first woman in the PWHL, Abby Hustler, made her presence known in her first game in Frost colors. The brash Hustler was extremely physical in the film, trading trouble with Savannah Harmon at one point and delivering a potentially gruesome blow to Watts at another. Zanon's goal was her third in three games for the Scepter, a second-round draft pick last season… Kelly Pannek's first-period penalty was only the fifth in league history, and Kirk became the fifth goalie to win those one-on-one contests.

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