TORONTO (AP) — Raygan Kirk stopped 33 shots for her first PWHL shutout as the Toronto Sceptres beat the Seattle Torrent 2-0 on Sunday.
Blayre Turnbull scored four minutes in on a 2-on-1 rush and Sara Hjalmarsson added an empty-net goal with 7.8 seconds remaining.
Kirk was at her best in the second half of the second period when Seattle (5-1-2-11) hemmed the Sceptres (7-1-5-8) in their own end. She made nine saves during this stretch. It was the seventh time this season Kirk made 30 or more stops.
The Sceptres (3-0-2-0) have earned points in each of their five outings since the Olympic break.
The Torrent outshot Toronto 33-25. Seattle’s Hannah Murphy made 24 saves, 11 in the final 20 minutes.
Daryl Watts did not suit up for Toronto. The Canadian Olympian has been unable to shake a lingering flu bug since returning from the Winter Games three weeks ago.
United States captain Hilary Knight (knee) and Olympic teammate Hannah Bilka (upper-body) did not play.
The Sceptres increased their goal total to 41 in 21 games. Only the expansion Torrent (40 in 19 games) and Vancouver Goldeneyes (35 in 19) have scored fewer times.
Sceptres: Visit the Boston Fleet on Tuesday.
Torrent: Visit the Montreal Victoire on Thursday.
AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey
Toronto Sceptres forward Natalie Spooner (24) shoots against Seattle Torrent goaltender Hannah Murphy (83) during second-period PWHL hockey game action in Toronto, Sunday March 15, 2026. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
Seattle Torrent's Danielle Serdachny (92) tries to control the puck in front of Toronto Sceptres goaltender Raygan Kirk, right, during first-period PWHL hockey game action in Toronto, Sunday March 15, 2026. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
Toronto Sceptres goaltender Raygan Kirk (1) makes a save in front of Seattle Torrent's Jessie Eldridge (9) during third-period PWHL hockey game action in Toronto, Sunday March 15, 2026. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
PARIS (AP) — French municipal elections Sunday gave political parties an early test of their electoral machines before next year’s presidential race to succeed President Emmanuel Macron, with a first round of voting for mayors and their teams across France, from small villages to the biggest cities.
Although largely focused on grassroots concerns, the voting was being scrutinized for hints of how parties might fare in the presidential election of 2027, when Macron's second and last term as president ends, and in particular whether the far-right National Rally party of Marine Le Pen is continuing to gain ground.
More than 904,000 candidates for municipal posts in roughly 35,000 villages, towns and cities were on the ballots Sunday. In places where the outcome remains undecided, a second round of voting next Sunday will determine final results.
Attention turned to races in key cities, including Paris, where polling agencies' projections pointed to a possibly suspenseful second-round runoff, with multiple candidates advancing. Official results were expected later Sunday night. Incumbent Socialist Mayor Anne Hidalgo, elected in 2014 and reelected in 2020, decided against seeking a third term, having steered the French capital through the trauma of extremist attacks in 2015 and the exuberance of the Paris Olympics in 2024.
Another uncertain second-round contest was shaping up in Marseille, France’s second-largest city, with incumbent left-wing Mayor Benoît Payan facing a stiff challenge from the National Rally's candidate, Franck Allisio.
Projections also pointed to a strong showing for the National Rally candidate facing a runoff in the Mediterranean port of Toulon, a major naval base. RN ally Eric Ciotti had a projected first-round lead in Nice, also on the Mediterranean.
The National Rally's president, Jordan Bardella, said voters expressed “a deep desire for change" and appealed for more backing in the second round.
“In 7 days, your vote can change the face of many French towns,” he said. “Change isn’t waiting for 2027. It starts next Sunday.”
Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure urged voters not to hand momentum to the National Rally as it gears up its effort to take the presidential Elysee Palace in next year's election.
“The march of the extreme right to the Elysee isn't inevitable,” he said. “As soon as next Sunday, we can — we must — create new hope for 2027.”
National Rally performances were also being studied for indications of whether the party has been hurt by the possibility that Le Pen herself might be barred from challenging again for the presidency in 2027.
Last year, a French court convicted Le Pen of embezzlement and prohibited her from seeking public office for five years. She is hoping that an appeals court clears her in a key verdict set for July 7. A ruling against her could derail her presidential ambitions.
In towns and cities where three, four or more candidates were projected as advancing from the first round, horse trading in the coming days could see some team up or drop out, narrowing second-round fields.
In the northern English Channel port of Le Havre, former Prime Minister and incumbent Mayor Édouard Philippe came out on top in the first round, official results showed. Winning the runoff against two other candidates who also advanced could give Philippe, who was Macron’s first prime minister, a platform for an expected campaign for the presidency.
The Iran war and its impacts, notably on fuel prices, and other international concerns somewhat drowned out campaigning.
Jérôme Fourquet, director of the opinion department at the IFOP polling institute, said U.S. President Donald Trump and other factors diverted the spotlight from mayoral races.
“We now live at the rhythm of announcements from Trump and of strikes in the Middle East. In this context, there has been very little bandwidth for the municipals,” he said in an interview with Le Parisien newspaper.
Oleg Cetinic in Garches, France, and Jeffrey Schaeffer in Paris contributed.
French socialist candidate for Paris mayoral election Emmanuel Gregoire smiles as he makes a statement after polls closed after the first round of France's municipal elections in Paris, Sunday March 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma da Silva)
Conservative candidate for Paris mayoral election Rachida Dati makes a statement after polls closed during the first round of France's municipal elections in Paris, Sunday March 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)
A woman castes her ballot during the first round of France's municipal elections in Henin-Beaumont, northern France, Sunday, March 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)
France's Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu casts his vote during the first round of France's 2026 municipal elections in Vernon, France Sunday March 15, 2026. (Martin Lelievre/Pool Photo via AP)
Ballots inside a box at a polling station during the first round of the municipal elections in Paris, France, Sunday March 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)
French President Emmanuel Macron leaves the voting booth before voting for the first round of France's municipal elections in Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, northern France, Sunday, March 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias, Pool)
