I did not squeegee. I used Ilfotol wetting agent and hung to dry.
After closer inspection the film feels very smooth, so I don't think it is a physical scratch, at least not a deep one. I can't determine if it's on the emulsion side or not. However, because the negatives are especially clear at these blemishes I'm tempted to say the emulsion was physically harmed. The color in the images is due to my light box. The film base is almost perfectly clear, just like my first roll of ATP.
Also, I noticed there are a few other streaks that are less pronounced. Some are above, others below the big nasty one, and they are much shorter and thinner.
I suppose some oil from my fingers could have found its way onto the film when loading, or perhaps on the cartridge, but the harshness of the streak in several places (somewhat visible in the loupe image) also makes me think scratch. I'm using the Paterson Super System 4. Considering the big streak is 18 frames long I'm going to look very closely at the cartridge, and then clean my camera again.