PHILADELPHIA — J Dilla snapped a third-period deadlock with a wrist shot from the low slot with less than five minutes remaining, lifting the Philadelphia Pisces to a 2-1 victory over the Chicago Style on Friday night at the Wells Fargo Center.
The winning goal, recorded at the 15:29 mark of the final frame, was the result of a relentless Philadelphia forecheck. After forcing a turnover deep in the Chicago zone, Jerry Rice and Simone De Beauvoir connected to find Dilla in space. His quick release beat Chicago goaltender Hunter S. Thompson, providing the margin of victory in an intensely physical contest.
“It was a battle of inches all night,” said Philadelphia forward Danielle Goyette, who earned the game’s third star. “We knew we had to capitalize on their mistakes because Thompson wasn’t giving us much.”
Goyette opened the scoring for the Pisces at 13:29 of the first period. Capitalizing on a rush, she hammered an unassisted one-timer from the right circle that tucked inside the post. Philadelphia dominated the early pace, outshooting Chicago 31-22 over the course of the evening, but the Style’s defense remained resilient despite early signs of fatigue from stars like Jeff Bezos.
Chicago finally found an equalizer midway through the third period. Following a rare Philadelphia defensive lapse and a forecheck turnover of their own, Bezos found Vint Cerf at the point. Cerf’s one-timer at 10:17 beat Philadelphia goaltender Willie Mays to pull the Style level at 1-1.
The game was characterized by “heated” aggression that boiled over just minutes before the equalizing goal. At 8:05 of the third period, Chicago’s Angela Ruggiero and Philadelphia’s Marie-Philip Poulin dropped the gloves in a spirited bout that resulted in five-minute majors for both players.
Mays was the standout performer for the Pisces, earning the game’s first star. He turned aside 21 of 22 shots, including several point-blank attempts in the closing minutes as Chicago pulled Thompson for an extra attacker. Thompson took the hard-luck loss despite a stellar 29-save performance that kept the Style competitive.
Philadelphia’s defensive unit was anchored by Satya Nadella, who recorded three interceptions, and Jenny Potter, who blocked two critical shots during the first period. Chicago’s defensive efforts were led by Tupac Shakur and Michael Jordan, who each recorded six interceptions to disrupt the Philadelphia transition game.
Both teams struggled to find rhythm on special teams, with neither side managing a goal on the power play. Philadelphia’s shot quality proved superior throughout the night, as they peppered Thompson with nine wrist shots and seven one-timers, focused primarily in the low slot and circles.
The victory was witnessed by a sellout crowd of 16,632. With the win, Philadelphia improves their standing in the 2026 Season rankings, while Chicago looks to rebound after a frustrating night of missed opportunities and late-game fatigue.