Last week, we looked at the choices the Montreal Victoire have to make ahead of the PWHL roster deadline. Now let’s look at the timeline they are faced with. The Victoire held a practice on Monday, the last chance players had to convince coaches that they deserve an active roster spot.
The team has Tuesday and Wednesday off, and the waiver period begins at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Teams will have a chance to claim any player not offered a standard player contract. Drafted players from the 2024 Draft who are released and offered a standard contract by another team will be restricted free agents with the drafting team eligible to match the offer if they choose. The waiver period will end at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, and teams then have two hours to have their roster finalized. Players who clear waivers can be added to the team’s three-player reserve roster. Every team must have 23 active players and three reserve players by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
There is a bit more clarity on the Cayla Barnes injury. Montreal head coach Kori Cheverie heavily implied that they do not expect Barnes ready to start the season, and will use the defenders currently on the roster. The Victoire have the benefit of being patient with Barnes. They play three games in the season’s first week (Saturday Nov. 30, Wednesday Dec. 4, and Friday Dec. 6) but then don’t play again until December 21 due to an international break.
“From what I see on a daily basis from her, it looks like things are progressing well,” Cheverie said. “Happy about that and really we want to make sure that we don’t rush anything. She’s obviously a very important player to us and her health is number one. We want to make sure that she’s fully healthy before she comes back and after the two [preseason] games, what we were able to see on the back end, I’m confident that we can hold down the fort until she gets back.”
The performances from the returning core of Erin Ambrose, Kati Tabin, Mariah Keopple, and Amanda Boulier were coupled from strong performances from drafted players Anna Kjellbin and Anna Wilgren and invited tryouts Catherine Daoust and Kelly-Ann Nadeau.
Grant-Mentis shines against her former team
Last season, Mikyla Grant-Mentis was released by the Ottawa Charge. Montreal ended up signing her and she re-signed with the team this season. Last Friday, in the team’s pre-season finale, Grant-Mentis scored twice in a 6-3 Montreal win against Ottawa.
“I would definitely say that [I have a chip on my shoulder],” she said. “I totally forgot we were playing them until I stepped on the ice today. There is definitely a little something there every time I play them. The players on the team tell me that too, so I guess it’s a good thing.”
One of Grant-Mentis’s goals was scored on a breakaway, and the second was scored after a Kati Tabin shot rang off the crossbar, hit Grant-Mentis in the cage, and bounced in the back of the net.
Gabrielle David and Alexandra Labelle, both fighting for roster spots, scored in the game as well. The other goals were scored by Kati Tabin and Maureen Murphy. Erin Ambrose, Abby Boreen, and Laura Stacey sat out the game, as did Ann-Renée Desbiens. Elaine Chuli played the first two periods and made 17 saves on 19 shots. Marlène Boissonnault played the final 20 minutes, making six saves on seven shots.
Amanda Boulier, Jennifer Gardiner, and Kristin O’Neill all played their first games of the pre-season.
Montreal will return to practice on Thursday, when they will have their first practice as a group of 23 players and three reserve players. Due to the injuries, and pending any waiver activity, the group can look a lot like the group that has been practicing throughout camp, with the biggest questions being who the third goaltender will be, and which players will be on the 23-woman roster and which on the three-player reserve roster.
The season opener will be on Saturday at 5:00 p.m at Place Bell against Ottawa. It will be broadcast on TSN and RDS in Canada. Broadcast details in the United States are not yet known, but the game will be available on YouTube outside of Canada.
