Reflecting on Opening Night: Where the Expansion Teams Stand After Game One

Opening night between the Vancouver Goldeneyes and the Seattle Torrent served as an early look at two teams beginning to shape their identities. The matchup introduced Vancouver’s first iteration in front of a sold-out Pacific Coliseum, while also giving Seattle its first opportunity to show what an expansion roster could look like under game pressure.

This game, which ended in a 4-3 Vancouver overtime win, didn’t answer every question, but it offered a strong first snapshot of what each team may grow into. Goldeneyes beat writer Maya Smith and Torrent beat writer Silvia Leija Rosas break down key takeaways from opening night across goaltending, defense, the top six, and special teams, and how both Vancouver and Seattle set the tone for their seasons.

Goaltending

Vancouver: Coach Brian Idalski said that Maschmeyer’s play in the game was “what I would come to expect from a veteran player that’s experienced internationally and in this league. She was steady, she was consistent.” 

I’m not going to disagree with Coach Idalski in this situation, other than to say that I think Maschmeyer did look a bit like it was her first game back from injury. There were times when I thought she bobbled a puck she otherwise would have had about five or six games into a season. Ultimately, though, she made saves when she needed to, and she helped to get the win. I think she’ll settle in more as the season goes on and get more comfortable with the players in front of her. 

Nothing in her game gave me enough pause to say that Campbell deserves a start over her on Wednesday against her old team. 

Seattle: Watching Corinne Schroeder in her first regular-season outing for Seattle, I came away needing to reiterate that she’s going to be the backbone of this team. I saw a goalie who absorbed pressure early, especially when Vancouver dictated the pace and forced Seattle into its own end. Even though she finished with 23 saves on 27 shots, I felt her performance was steadier than the raw numbers show. Whenever the game risked tilting out of control, she was the reason it didn’t.

I didn’t view any of the goals against as true goaltending failures. The first came off a neutral-zone turnover, and I could see immediately how little she could do once the play broke Seattle’s shape. The tying goal in the third came after a messy crease scramble where she never got the puck fully covered. And in overtime, it was again a turnover that created the chance, not a breakdown in her technique. What I take from this game is that Seattle can lean on Schroeder, even when the skaters in front of her aren’t clean. On opening night, she looked like the most stable part of their structure.

Defense

Vancouver: This was my biggest concern from the game. There were many times where the Goldeneyes got stuck in their zone or turned over the puck on their side of centre ice. I do think it’s something that comes with time and experience playing and practicing together, but it was clear that the team did not have a strong breakout plan in place. 

The other issue, and something that Coach Idalski stressed is both a blessing and a curse, is that Vancouver’s top defenders love to jump up into the play. In game one, they were jumping the zone too early, leaving multiple Torrent players behind them, with clear paths to the net. And yet, it was Claire Thompson jumping into the play and scoring that got the Goldeneyes back into the game and into overtime. 

Idalski addressed this in his post-game comments, saying, “Yeah, we’ll address that. That’ll be a little bit better. But you got to get those players, the freedom, a little bit. And so that’ll be fun because they can do things. So there’ll be some give and take as we go.” 

I’ll be worried if this is still happening in a few games, but for now, it seems like growing pains. 

Seattle: From my vantage point, Seattle’s defense felt like it was constantly trying to reset itself. I saw flashes of structure — especially when they were already set in-zone — but the transition game never clicked the way it needed to. The neutral-zone turnovers stood out immediately, and it was something head coach Steve O’Rourke mentioned during an in-broadcast interview. Vancouver’s first goal came off exactly that kind of miscue, and as I watched the play unfold, I thought, “This is the type of mistake that becomes a storyline if they don’t clean it up.”

What worried me more was how the game shifted after Aneta Tejralová left with a lower-body injury. I noticed the rotation tighten and the remaining defenders take on heavier minutes, and Vancouver tested them for it. The tying goal in the third, caused by a bouncing puck too close to the crease for comfort, reflected what I felt throughout the night: Seattle could manage the first layer of pressure but struggled with the second. The physical engagement was there. The timing wasn’t. And as I left my notes after the game, the defense was the one area I felt Seattle needed to stabilize fastest.

Top Six

Vancouver: I’ll say I was more impressed by the bottom two forward lines, rather than the top two. Abby Boreen, who had the game-winning goal, had seven shots! From the top two lines, Jennifer Gardiner stood out the most to me. It seemed like she had a lot of chances that she just couldn’t convert on. Another player that stood out to me, although she apparently only had about four minutes of ice time, was Katie Chan. Every single time she was on the ice, she caught my eye. 

I think the chemistry will come as the team spends more time together, but I’d like to see more from Karvinen, Miller, and Cava. 

Seattle: Seattle’s top six is already forming the heart of what Torrent hockey looks like, and Julia Gosling set that tone. Seeing her score the first goal in franchise history — and then add another — felt like a statement on how it’s not just about the team building an identity, but allowing players to create a new one as needed, too. Both goals came from the middle of the ice, created through effort rather than finesse, and I found myself writing “this is repeatable offense.”

Hannah Bilka’s goal only reinforced that feeling. When she buried that loose puck late in the third, I thought it was the perfect snapshot of what this group can be: opportunistic, aggressive around the crease, and unwilling to fade from contact. They kept it simple, got inside, and finished plays that don’t require perfect execution to generate. For an expansion team, that’s exactly the style I want to see from them early.

Special teams

Vancouver: Aside from defensive zone play, the power play needs the most work. But I’m also not worried. Special teams is something that comes with time and practice. With rosters not being finalized until two days before game one, it was nearly impossible for teams to practice with their final rosters before game day. I expect that as the team gets more time together, both on and off the ice, things like special teams will come. 

Coach Idalski echoed this, saying, “I thought our group did great under the circumstances of what these last few days have looked like coming out of training camp, to play a game and play at that level. Lots to work on still, but you have to be encouraged overall about how we’ve managed a lot of that stuff. So the power play will get there.” 

Seattle: I came away very impressed with Seattle’s special teams.  Holding Vancouver to 0-for-3 might sound straightforward, but watching the Torrent disrupt entries and collapse the slot made it clear the penalty kill was one of the most organized parts of their game. We only saw the Torrent power play in action once halfway through the third, but they did a great job of powering through Vancouver’s skaters and keeping it out of their own zone. It seems like they have a good communication system here and are willing to take the shooting opportunities when they come. 

Overall thoughts

Vancouver: I probably sound like a broken record by now, but I think the first few games will have a lot of growing pains for this team. Special teams, chemistry, and set plays will come with time. What was important to me was that we were able to see flashes of greatness and a system starting to form. We were able to see the way that Brian Idalski and Cara Gardner Morey built this team: speed, skill, and talent. It was especially evident against Seattle, who clearly built their team to be physical and chippy. 

From an off-ice perspective, I think the Vancouver Goldeneyes marketing and events team knocked it out of the park. The rink looks amazing, and they’ve truly leaned into being the only team that is the primary tenant in their building. When the Pacific Coliseum is full, the away teams had better watch out. 

Seattle: I find myself holding two truths at the same time after this first game: first, Seattle showed real pieces of what it can become. I saw a top six that plays with purpose, a penalty kill that already looks sharper than you’d expect from an expansion roster, and a goaltender who is ready to take on the aches and growing pains of this team. Those are foundational elements, and I felt them consistently throughout the game.

But I also couldn’t ignore how thin the margin is right now. Vancouver didn’t beat Seattle with overwhelming skill or systems play. They won because Seattle made the wrong mistakes at the wrong moments; neutral-zone turnovers, missed box-outs, and one puck Schroeder never fully smothered. 

For an expansion debut, I don’t view this as a discouraging loss. It actually left me with more conviction about Seattle’s identity than I expected. They battled, they generated interior chances, and they didn’t crumble when momentum swung against them. There’s plenty to clean up, but there’s also something here that feels sustainable.