Toronto Sceptres have some decisions to make in the net

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Like many things in the upcoming PWHL season, changes are afoot across the Toronto Sceptres network.

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Gone is Kristen (Soupy) Campbell, who spent more time in goal for Toronto than anyone else before being traded to Vancouver on draft night.

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Also gone from goaltending is Carly C.J. Jackson, who signed with expansion club Seattle Torrent in the offseason.

However, there is Raegan Kirk, who had a solid rookie campaign behind Campbell last year before a season-ending injury sidelined her.

The goaltending room is rounded out by free agent Elaine Chuly, who joins the Scepter after two successful years as Montreal's No. 2 behind Anne-Renee Desbien.

Battle for goalkeeper No. 1

Chuli is no stranger to Toronto, having played and started for the PHF's Toronto Six and before that for the CWHL's Toronto Furies.

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Like Troy Ryan and Scepters The coaching staff's decision on goalies remains an ongoing question as training camp ends.

“I don't know how it's going to play out,” Ryan admitted after Friday's final practice of training camp in Toronto.

“The plan is to give both Kirky and Chuli a good opportunity to get the No. 1 job if they do well,” he said. “I have no preference as to who does it. If not, then hopefully they'll both get hot from time to time and we'll work through it. You just don't know how it's going to play out.”

Both goalies are competitors and both aim for the No. 1 job. In a strange twist of fate, they had known each other for some time.

“It’s a pretty cool story,” said Chuli, who has continued to work as an accountant since joining the PWHL. “(Ragan's mom and Chuli) worked together at the accounting firm LiveCA when Ragan was at Robert Morris University and then when that program closed at Ohio State. I mean, I was there the whole way. Now, of course, it's great to work with Ragan.”

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Kirk remembers following Chuli's career because of his connection to her mother, but until last season he only saw her during team calls with his mom.

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Family connections

“Elaine now works with me and my mom, it’s such a small world,” Kirk noted. “I heard a lot about her when she was playing for the (PHF) Toronto Six and I was in college, but we didn't actually meet until (Scepters) were in Vancouver last season (for the takeover game with Montreal). We were going to have coffee and I met her and said, “My mom is here.” Do you want to meet my mom? I mean it's a very small world.”

It may seem odd now that they're competing with each other for the No. 1 spot, but both have been doing it long enough to know how to walk the line between teammates and two players vying for the same minutes.

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“I think we all want to play, but the team is always important first,” Chuli said.

“I think it’s just part of the job,” Kirk said. “But we were both on teams, and that's always the case with every team. You always just push each other.”

“There was a period last year where maybe I didn't play as much, but Soupy played so well and the team did so well. So you just have to know, 'Yeah, I could go and win these games too, but we're getting points.' We're getting victories, so in that sense it's bigger than yourself.”

The Scepters made every effort to ensure that competition did not become any problem within the team.

“They both seem to understand the situation,” Ryan said. “(GM) Gina (Kingsbury) was very clear with them. I was very clear with them. They both said they understood the situation and seemed willing to do whatever it took to help us win.

“Neither of them, at least in recent years, have been ranked No. 1, they've both been kind of second and hoping to be No. 1, so you just see who's kind of up to the task,” Ryan said. “Hopefully they both do, and we have some really tough decisions to make.”

WHAT'S NEXT

The Scepter board the bus and head east to Ottawa for two exhibition games against the Ottawa Charge on Sunday and Monday. The Scepters open the 2025-26 season next Friday at Minnesota (puck drop at 7 p.m.) against two-time defending Walter Frost Cup champions.

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