The Montreal Victoire scored three third period goals to defeat the New York Sirens 3-1 on Saturday afternoon at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
The win extends Montreal’s point streak to 11 games, tying Toronto’s league record from the inaugural season. Montreal won nine of the games, with two overtime wins and two losses in extra time.
It did not start off well for the Victoire, who started the game with perhaps their worst period of the season. The team took three minor penaties and were outshot 11-2. They also allowed the game’s first goal.
With 12:04 left in the second period, New York appeared to go up 2-0, but Kristin O’Neill’s power play goal was reviewed and disallowed for a high stick, giving Montreal a reprieve.
The Victoire outshot New York 27-13 over the final two periods, but trailed 1-0 heading into the third period.
Catherine Dubois got Montreal on the board, finishing a zone entry from Natálie Mlýnková with a shot past Sirens goaltender Kayle Osborne. Less than five minutes later, she gave Montreal the lead firing a one-timer past the New York goaltender. After going 13 games without a goal to open the season, she now has four goals in her last four games playing top six minutes in the absence of Marie-Philip Poulin.
Fourty-nine seconds after Dubois made it 2-1, Laura Stacey tipped a Kati Tabin shot past Osborne to make it 3-1.
Even when New York did break through and create chances to get back into the game, Ann-Renée Desbiens stood tall. She made 23 saves and now has allowed two goals or less in 19 of her 20 starts this season.
”The players asked not to re-watch the video from the first period,” said Montreal head coach Kori Cheverie. “We’ll see how that goes. I just love the response from our group. I thought the first 40 weren’t us as a team, and I think the players decided that they were going to play our style of game in the third and it’s a hard style to play against. At the end of a road trip like this, I think to have that type of response in the third, I give a lot of credit to them, the positivity on the bench and just the will and desire to get it done.”
Montreal’s three game road trip that saw them go from Winnipeg to Minnesota to Detroit ended with a 2-0-1 record, earning seven of a possible nine points. They are now four points ahead of third place Minnesota, who play their game in hand on Sunday.
The Victoire return home and play their next game on Wednesday against the Vancouver Goldeneyes at Place Bell. It will be Vancouver’s first visit to Montreal. The two teams have previously played in Quebec City and in Vancouver this year.
Notes
- Dara Greig missed her first game with an upper-body injury. Maya Labad took her spot in the lineup.
- Montreal’s magic number to clinch a playoff spot has dropped to 7 as they look to become the first team to make the playoffs in all three PWHL seasons. Minnesota and Toronto are also attempting to accomplish that feat. They remain two points behind first-place Boston, who can clinch their spot as early as Sunday.
Standings
| TEAM | GP | GR | RW | OW | SW | OL | RL | PTS | GF | GA | MAX PTS | MAGIC | TRAGIC | #1 | HOME | GOLD | PT % | GF/G | GA/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BOS | 23 | 7 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 48 | 55 | 34 | 69 | 5 | 39 | 20 | 19 | – | 0.696 | 2.39 | 1.48 |
| MTL | 23 | 7 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 46 | 59 | 33 | 67 | 7 | 37 | 22 | 21 | – | 0.667 | 2.57 | 1.43 |
| MIN | 22 | 8 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 42 | 67 | 45 | 66 | 11 | 36 | 26 | 25 | – | 0.636 | 3.05 | 2.05 |
| TOR | 23 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 31 | 43 | 59 | 52 | 22 | 22 | 37 | 36 | – | 0.449 | 1.87 | 2.57 |
| OTT | 22 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 30 | 53 | 61 | 54 | 23 | 24 | 38 | 37 | – | 0.455 | 2.41 | 2.77 |
| NY | 23 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 27 | 51 | 64 | 48 | 26 | 18 | 41 | 40 | – | 0.391 | 2.22 | 2.78 |
| VAN | 22 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 24 | 41 | 53 | 48 | 29 | 18 | 44 | 43 | – | 0.364 | 1.86 | 2.41 |
| SEA | 22 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 22 | 45 | 65 | 46 | 31 | 16 | 46 | 45 | – | 0.333 | 2.05 | 2.95 |
Highlights
