Vancouver Goldeneyes win sold-out opener

It was an electric home-opener for the Vancouver Goldeneyes as they took down the Seattle Torrent in a sold-out game at the Pacific Coliseum Friday.

The two new expansion franchises hit the ice in front of a sold-out crowd of more than 15,000 fans, who got to watch Vancouver’s new Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) team take the game 4-3.

The game was a pivotal moment for the city of Vancouver and for women’s sports as a whole.

It’s been a long time coming for the Goldeneyes, which was all made possible by the fans. When the league first announced that it was expanding, Vancouver showed up with a huge fanbase at Rogers Arena during the PWHL Takeover Tour. The Goldeneyes are also the first team in PWHL history to have their logo in centre ice, meaning this is their home and they are not sharing it with anyone else.

Many of the fans in the crowd were young girls who are hockey players themselves. For them, having a professional women’s hockey team in their hometown means their dreams of going pro themselves could also come true.

“It’s really nice to have someone to look up to,” one young fan told The Leader Spirit.

Many young girls in the stands wore their own hockey jerseys or new Vancouver merchandise, carrying signs saying “Future Goldeneye” and “Everyone watches women’s sports.”

Olympic gold medallist Sarah Nurse, who has long been a trailblazer for women’s hockey, scored the team’s first-ever goal.

Nurse says that despite playing many big hockey games, she had never felt emotional like she did in the first 20 minutes of Friday’s game.

Tickets for future Goldeneyes home games are selling out quickly, with prices ranging from $45 to $140.

Vancouver’s next home game is on Dec. 6 against the New York Sirens.

The Goldeneyes will be taking on the Ottawa Charge next Wednesday at TD Place.

— With files from The Canadian Press and Emma Crawford.