Boston who scored first, with Hilary Knight making good on the first power play of the game, just three minutes into the action.

“I thought she was in the process of turning, so I was just trying to finish the play, pinch the puck off, and we just got caught up. You never want to see a player go into the boards like that” explained an apologetic Knight afterward. “She said she bit her lip, and she was up back in the play the next shift.”

It was the first contest of the year inside Toronto’s new primary home, Coca-Cola Coliseum. Toronto’s PWHL team needed to size into the 8,000 venue after outgrowing its 2,500-seat home of last year at Mattamy Athlete Centre.

Toronto’s goal came less than a minute later. The Sceptres made some havoc in front of the net to distract Frankel, including some commotion by Jessie Compher, and Miller rifled a shot in.

It was celebration for Toronto goalie Kristen Campbell, who turned 27 on Saturday and made 18 saves. Toronto allowed just a single shot in the third period.

With Daniels in the penalty box, Watts pounced on a puck in Toronto’s end, and send it way up ice to Nurse, who raced in and fired a wrister at Boston goalie Aerin Frankel. When the rebound bounced out, Nurse quickly buried it for Toronto’s first goal of the year.

Owing to another PWHL innovation – the “Jailbreak” rule – that short-handed goal freed Daniel from the box, where the rookie had been serving two minutes for tripping.

It was the debut of the new team names, logos and jerseys for all PWHL teams who skated with simply their city names in the inaugural season. Toronto donned its new blue and gold Sceptres look, while Boston wore its road white Fleet jersey, with green and aqua accents. The stands were filled with Toronto fans already sporting the new blue Sceptres gear.

“It was pretty much a wide open net, so I’m happy that I was able to put it in,” said Miller. “But I think a lot of things we do are as a present to Soupy, so happy to go to win on her birthday.”

Sarah Nurse, Hannah Miller and Emma Maltais all lit the lamp as the Toronto Sceptres beat the Boston Fleet on Saturday, to kick off Season 2 in the Professional Women’s Hockey League.

Toronto tied it up later in the period, thanks to arguably its most intriguing line. Nurse is centring two newcomers to the squad this year, Daryl Watts, a free agent pickup from Ottawa, and draft pick Izzy Daniel out of Ohio State.

Toronto Sceptres' Sarah Nurse celebrates her goal against the Boston Fleet with teammate goalie Kristen Campbell during first period PWHL hockey action in Toronto on Saturday, Nov. 30.Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press

Fans had every reason not to make it out to this game, given service disruptions on the GO Train and TTC lines that travel to Exhibition Place. But the venue was full anyway, with fans swinging white Sceptres rally towels and wearing coloured bracelets to light up the darkness.

“Being able to put 40-plus shots on goal, it’s hard not to think of the pucks that Spooner would collect in the position,” said Toronto Coach Troy Ryan. “We’ll learn as a group as well that if we’re putting that many pucks on net, if someone gets to that Spooner area, there’ll be some goals there for them as well.”

It was an example of the PWHL’s new “No Escape” rule working to give the power play team an advantage by preventing the penalized squad from subbing out players until after the ensuing whistle.

The Scepters toppled last year’s Walter Cup finalists, 3-1, despite a 38-save performance from Boston goalie Aerin Frankel.

Miller’s goal late in the third period was the game-winner, a rallying response from Toronto after one of their best players got crunched hard in the boards.

Toronto outshot Boston 41-19, lots of offense despite not having Natalie Spooner in the lineup, the PWHL’s scoring leader and MVP who is still recovering from a knee surgery.

While the PWHL launched a brand of fast and physical women’s hockey last year, allowing body checking, there are still some hits that fall outside the rules. Knight was penalized for a grizzly hit on Renata Fast and saw her go face-first into the board. Boston’s captain realized immediately she was in the wrong and helped the Toronto defender up after the whistle. Knight got a two-minute boarding penalty.