Les Canadiennes de Montreal vs. Brampton Thunder: Game two preview

Les Canadiennes de Montreal won their season opener against the Brampton Thunder yesterday evening. This afternoon, they look to maintain that perfect record.

Les Canadiennes played really well last night. Their high-powered offence scored four goals and could have added several more were it not for some big saves by Thunder goaltender Erica Howe. Montreal has some big-name Olympians up front, but other players to watch include Ann-Sophie Bettez and Noémie Marin, both of whom had great nights in the season opener.

They also look to have a solid blue line. The defence did a great job of breaking the puck out of the zone and moving play in the right direction. Their top-four is solid but keep an eye out for Karell Emard. She may not get a lot of ice time but she's a very good player.

As for the Thunder, their biggest strength is definitely their defence. They have an abundance of skill in Laura Fortino, Jocelyne Larocque, and Courtney Birchard, who will be anchoring Brampton's blue line. 2015 first-overall pick, Sarah Edney, rounds out their top-four. We'll see if they have more success shutting down Montreal's offence today.

On forward, their best players are Jess Jones and Jamie Lee Rattray. Both showed flashes of their talent last night but neither they nor the rest of the team could get any sustained zone pressure. If Les Canadiennes can shut down the pair of them again, they will have largely nullified Brampton's offence.

No word yet on who will be playing today but here were the lines from last night. There shouldn't be too much change. One or more of last night's scratches (Leslie Oles, Melinda Prévost, and Chelsey Saunders) may come in.

Caroline Ouellette - Marie-Philip Poulin - Ann-Sophie Bettez
Emmanuelle Blais - Noémie Marin - Kim Deschênes
Emilie Bocchia - Katia Clément-Heydra - Jordanna Peroff
Audrey Morand - Alyssa Sherrard - Sara Lachance

Cathy Chartrand - Julie Chu
Lauriane Rougeau - Carly Hill
Sophie Brault - Karell Emard

Charline Labonté

How to watch

The game starts at 1:30 PM EDT at Etienne-Desmarteau Arena. If you're in the city, there's still time to buy tickets. They cost $15 and can be bought at the door.

Not in Montreal? Not to worry! This game will be streamed by the CWHL, with colour commentary from EOTP's own Robyn Flynn. You can buy the streaming package, CWHL Live, which includes a total of 32 games, here, for $19.95.

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