Vancouver Goldeneyes continue search for away wins on extended road swing

By Canadian Press on December 30, 2025.

It’s another week, another rink for the Vancouver Goldeneyes.

Between an extended series of away games and the PWHL’s Takeover Tour, life on the road has become somewhat routine for the expansion club.

“It’s totally a bonding moment,” defender Mellissa Channell-Watkins said. “It sucks not being at home, but that’s just the name of the game. Especially being an expansion team from out West, you have to go on these long road trips.

“But I think that just kind of makes us better as a team. We learn how to jell with each other on and off the ice, work through adversity.”

The Goldeneyes (2-4-1-1) last played at their home rink, Pacific Coliseum, on Dec. 22. They won’t host another opponent there until Jan. 11 when the Toronto Sceptres visit.

In between, Vancouver will play five games across North America, including three at neutral sites as part of the league’s Takeover Tour.

The team’s first Takeover game saw the Goldeneyes drop a 2-1 overtime decision to the Walter Cup-champion Minnesota Frost on Dec. 27 at Rogers Place in Edmonton.

Now Vancouver is preparing to take on the New York Sirens (3-5-0-0) at their home in Newark, N.J., on Wednesday before battling the league-leading Boston Fleet (6-1-0-1) at another Takeover game in Detroit on Saturday.

A tilt against the Charge in Ottawa will follow on Jan. 9 before the Goldeneyes face the Montreal Victoire in Quebec City on Jan. 11.

For rookie Anna Segedi, the extended road swing has provided a chance to get to know her teammates.

“It’s nice being able to be in the hotel with all the girls,” she said. “When we’re back in Vancouver, I know some people live in different areas so it’s harder to see people outside of the rink. But having this time to be together and go for walks around the new cities or spend time in each others hotel rooms, it’s been a good opportunity to come together as a group and really get to know each other.”

Segedi is expecting lots of familiar faces in the crowd in Detroit on Saturday.

The 25-year-old defender hails from Commerce Township, Mich., northwest of the city, and is expecting to have more than 80 friends and family to fill the stands at Little Caesars Arena.

“It’s going to be a really special opportunity for me personally,” she said.

Channell-Watkins, who’s from Plymouth, Mich., had a chance to play in front of loved ones last season when she played for the Frost at the Detroit stop of the Takeover Tour.

“Honestly, it’s really fun,” she said. “When you go out for warm-ups, you see all the girls wearing jerseys that you wore growing up and how they’re able to kind of dream about being in your shoes instead of going to a Red Wings game and hoping they have something to play in. Now they do.”

Saturday’s game could be just the beginning, too, Channell-Watkins said.

“I know the Takeover games kind of helped the league expand to Vancouver,” she said. “Fingers crossed maybe Detroit would be next.”

Winning in Michigan will be a tough task, though.

The Goldeneyes have struggled on the road in their inaugural season and don’t have an away win ahead of their Wednesday contest against the Sirens.

Vancouver may be coming off an overtime loss to Minnesota, but there were positives to take from the performance, Segedi said.

“I think one thing we really learned from last week is just playing simple and not being too fancy or whatever, not trying to make the extra play,” she said. “Just kind of playing our game and knowing what works.”

The Fleet, meanwhile, have dominated early in the campaign, killing off 100 per cent of the penalties they’ve faced and earning shutouts in three of their first eight games.

Goalie Aerin Frankel has been stellar and leads the PWHL in wins (five), save percentage (. 963) and goals-against average (0.99).

Since training camp, the team has worked to up its pace of play, said captain Megan Keller, now in her third season with Boston.

“I think, from the get go, that’s something that we wanted, to play fast. We wanted to be hard to play against and I think that’s shown throughout,” she said.

“Obviously, you’re going to have highs and lows throughout a season. You’re not going to win every game, as shown. But how can you get better each game? How can you get better each shift? And how can you be at your best at the end of the season. And that’s what we’re looking to do. Winning’s fun right now, so we’d like to keep it that way.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 30, 2025.

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press