Torrent Start Fast, Lose Inaugural Game to Goldeneyes 4-3 in Overtime
The Seattle Torrent opened their inaugural PWHL season with a dramatic, emotional, and ultimately frustrating 4–3 overtime loss to the Vancouver Goldeneyes on Friday night at the Pacific Coliseum.
In a game that swung back and forth from the first puck drop to the OT winner, Seattle showed tons of promise, flashes of high-end skill, and the kind of resilience that makes a new franchise instantly fun to watch — even if the ending stung.
Seattle wasted no time carving their names into the league’s history books. Julia Gosling scored the first goal in franchise history at 14:40 of the opening period, ripping home a shot to the back of the net that sent the Seattle bench into a full-on eruption. Gosling wasn’t done, either — she buried another one later in the first to give Seattle a 2–1 lead heading into the locker room. For a team playing its first-ever game, the Torrent looked confident and composed, moving the puck crisply and matching Vancouver’s pace stride for stride.
“I was super pumped to get one in. We were working really hard that period and battling our line, and then to get one in and realize it was the first Torrent goal was super special,” Gosling said after the game. “It’s so fun playing with this group. We had a blast that game even though we got the loss.”
The game tightened in the second, but it was the third period where the chaos kicked in. With the score tied 2–2 and time slipping away, Hannah Bilka delivered what felt like the dagger, finishing a slick play with 6:13 left to put Seattle ahead 3–2. The Torrent could practically taste a storybook debut.
But Vancouver refused to fold. With just 2:02 remaining, a loose puck slipped through traffic and off Corinne Schroeder’s pad, and Claire Thompson pounced to tie the game 3–3. The late equalizer deflated Seattle’s momentum and pushed the night into three-on-three overtime.
And in OT, it ended fast. Vancouver’s Abby Boreen cut through the zone and buried the winner just 1:26 into the extra frame, sealing a 4–3 finish and handing the Torrent a heartbreaking loss in their first-ever outing.
Even in defeat, the Torrent had plenty of bright spots. Gosling’s two-goal debut was electric. Bilka created chances all night and came through when it mattered. Schroeder made 23 saves and kept Seattle in control for long stretches. The team’s pace, forecheck, and battle level all looked like strengths they can build on, leaving coach Steve O’Rourke pleased with how his team handled the physicality despite falling in overtime.
“For us, that’s going to be a trademark,” O’Rourke said. “General Manager Meghan Turner has put together a good-sized team and we’re going to come out, play physical and grind some games out. Overall, we want an identity that’s hard to play against. I thought we established that tonight.”
For a franchise just beginning its story, this was a performance loaded with signs of what they could become — skilled, fast, and dangerous. The closing minutes will be a teaching moment, but the foundation is there early in Seattle’s inaugural season.
Now, Seattle gets a chance to reset and make new history at home. The Torrent host their first-ever game at Climate Pledge Arena next Friday, November 28, against the Minnesota Frost — a perfect stage to grab their first win in front of their own fans.
