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PWHL: Claire Dalton’s hat trick takes Montreal to the top of the league

Posted on by Jared Book
Claire Dalton had a hat trick in Saturday's game. (Photo Credit: PWHL)

Claire Dalton couldn’t remember the last hat trick she had. On Saturday, she scored one she’ll never forget.

The 23-year-old in her first professional season led Montreal to a 6-3 win over Ottawa at the Verdun Auditorium. The win moved Montreal into sole possession of first place in the league. Dalton didn’t get a hat trick in four years at Yale University leaving her best guess as sometime in junior hockey when she played for the Toronto Aeros.

“It was crazy. I wasn’t expecting that,” Dalton said. “It’s great to play with [Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey], they inspire a ton of confidence in me and [head coach Kori Cheverie] does too with the positive affirmations after every shift, that makes you shoot on a three-on-one with Pou, stuff like that,” she laughed.

It was her second full game on the team’s top line with the two Olympians. Dalton first found out that she would be playing with them before a practice.

“We got the lineup with my roommate and I was like ‘this can’t be right’ but then they never fixed it,” she said with a laugh.

“I’m so proud of her, I’m so happy for her,” said Poulin. “She came right from university, was drafted here and she was ready. She took her chance on the top line and she deserves it. There aren’t a lot of players who could have contributed like she did today.”

Each of Dalton’s goals were significant but none more-so than her first. With under two minutes left in the second period, Dalton took a pass from Kati Tabin and drove into the offensive zone shorthanded. She drove to the net, and put the backhand past Emerance Maschmeyer while flying through the air.

Watching the goal, it was reminiscent of Bobby Orr’s famous goal in the 1970 Stanley Cup Final. Despite the goal happening 30 years before Dalton was born, the second-youngest player on the team was aware of the moment she invoked memories of.

“I know the photo you’re referencing,” Dalton said, although she didn’t really revel in how it was scored and what it meant, saying simply that anytime a goal it scores it changes momentum. Her teammate and captain Poulin, who was next to her during the post-game press conference, noticed.

“I don’t think she said enough but it was extremely important,” Poulin said. “The momentum changed, it was a really big goal and to score it on the PK, in that fashion, it makes [the goal] that much better. I went to her on the bench right after and called her ‘Claire Bobby’, it was incredible. It will be in the highlights for sure and it was huge for our team to be able to go into the intermission and third period with the lead.”

The goal made it 2-1, and it was a lead that Montreal wouldn’t relinquish.

Montreal opened the scoring with a power play goal when Tereza Vanišová pounced on a rebound and fired a shot past Maschmeyer for her second goal of the year.

Ottawa scored just 1:35 later when Natalie Snodgrass and Akane Shiga had a two-on-one. Snodgrass’s shot was stopped but Shiga made no mistake on the rebound. It was the Japanese player’s first PWHL goal. She is also the youngest player in the PWHL.

After Dalton’s goal gave Montreal a 2-1 lead heading into the third period, it didn’t take long for Montreal to build off of that momentum. Just 2:10 into the period, Sarah Bujold sprung Ann-Sophie Bettez on a mini breakaway, and she made no mistake on the shot past Maschmeyer to extend Montreal’s lead to 3-1.

That goal set off a wild period that saw six goals scored between the teams. Ottawa was never able to get closer than within one goal.

Daryl Watts scored on a rebound past Ann-Renée Desbiens to make it 3-2 just over two minutes after Bettez’s goal. Dalton’s second of the game four minutes after that made it 4-2.

Dalton tipped Erin Ambrose’s shot past Maschmeyer. It was her second tipped goal in three games, something that she says she has worked on.

“We always get free time at the end of practice and [Brigitte Laganière and Catherine Daoust] always shoot pucks for me to tip in so I’ll give them a shout out, so that’s something I have been working on,” Dalton said. “My dad, on the outdoor rink always flipped me pucks, it was called Flippy Puck, and I think that is translating 20 years later,” she said.

Montreal got into a bit of penalty trouble in the second half of the period. Catherine Daoust and Mariah Keopple were called for penalties within four seconds of each other. On top of being down two players, they were also down two of their penalty killers for 1:56.

On the five-on-three, Kateřina Mràzovà’s shot from the side of the net went in to once again cut the lead to one and make it 4-3, but once again Dalton was there with a response. Poulin, who had three assists in the game, made a great pass to spring Dalton on what became a partial three-on-one and her shot beat Maschmeyer to make it 5-3 and give her first career hat trick. She now has five goals on the season.

Maureen Murphy added an empty net goal and Montreal came away with the three points and the win. There were no lineup changes for Montreal. Kennedy Marchment and Dominika Lásková remain out.

Montreal now has a full week off before playing their next game which will be March 2 and the Verdun Auditorium when they host Boston for the second time this season.

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