Jess Kondas was home for the holidays in Calgary when the phone rang with the best early Christmas present she could have imagined.
After an entire calendar year on the Toronto Sceptres three-player reserve list, there finally was a spot on the roster for the 24-year-old defender to make her Professional Women’s Hockey League debut.
She didn’t waste time making an impact as she scored Toronto’s second goal in a 4-2 win against the visiting Boston Fleet on Friday.
“I don’t really have any words,” Kondas said. “But I just felt good to finally get out there, and lucky enough to get a shot on net. So I’m happy. No big deal.”
Kondas went home to spend time with her family and was initially supposed to return to Toronto on Saturday.
But when the Sceptres received word that rookie Rylind MacKinnon was to receive a one-game suspension for an illegal check to the head in a game against the Montreal Victoire last Saturday, Kondas was signed to a 10-day contract.
So she returned to Toronto on Boxing Day to prepare for her debut.
“I’m super happy,” said Sceptres captain Blayre Turnbull, who opened the scoring with her first of the campaign. “I don’t think people outside of our team understand how hard it is to be a reserve player and show up every day and work your rear off.
“I think it says a lot about who Jess is as a teammate, to show up every single day waiting for this opportunity. She wasn’t put in the game to score a goal, but for her to be rewarded that way, it’s very exciting.”
The Sceptres snapped a four-game losing streak. Head coach Troy Ryan liked what he saw in the team’s game and the newcomer.
“We thought she came in this year and had a great training camp,” Ryan said. “We know how difficult it is when we finalize our roster and know that we have to select three players as a reserve.
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“Jess went through it all last year as a reserve, so she knew what she was getting into when that reserve spot was offered to her. The one thing that’s so important is for her to continue to stay ready.”
Kondas honed her skills as a youngster in Calgary under two-time Olympian Carla MacLeod, earning a scholarship to Minnesota State.
A two-sport athlete, she also was one of the top softball shortstops in the country at the under-16 level. But her foray into hockey paid off as she was named to the conference all-academic team four years in a row at Minnesota State.
“We’re all hockey players, so you’re always hoping to actually be playing,” Kondas said. “But it’s just part of this league. It’s competitive. I dealt with it last year. You have to accept your role and always be ready.”
Rookie Toronto goalie Raygan Kirk stopped 26 shots to pluck her first PWHL win before 8,264 at Coca-Cola Coliseum.
Emma Woods and Kali Flanagan, with an empty-netter, put Toronto in front 4-1 late in the third period before Hannah Bilka’s late power-play goal for Boston.
Fleet forward Loren Gabel made it a 2-1 game with a power-play goal late in the second period.
