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Victoire @ Sceptres recap & highlights: Laura Stacey’s OT winner leads Montreal past Toronto for the first time

Posted on by Jared Book
Laura Stacey celebrates her overtime goal to beat the Toronto Sceptres. (Photo Credit: PWHL)

Laura Stacey’s overtime goal just 15 seconds into the extra frame would normally be the story, especially given the fact that it sealed the Montreal Victoire’s first-ever win against the Toronto Sceptres. But it wasn’t. Not when hockey’s context was put opposite a bigger battle. The one that former Sceptre goaltender Erica Howe faces, as do so many others, against cancer.

“We came out with the win, but today was so much bigger than hockey,” said Montreal head coach Kori Cheverie.

Saturday’s 4-3 Montreal win came during Toronto’s Cancer Awareness game in support of all those affected by the disease. Howe, who retired from professional hockey after last season and then was diagnosed with breast cancer at 32 years old, was front and centre. She won a national championship with Clarkson University and a Clarkson Cup with the Markham Thunder and addressed the crowd after the game. She was also introduced in the game’s first period to a huge ovation from the sold-out crowd.

In addition to her former teammates on the Sceptres, Howe played in the CWHL with Stacey and played with Victoire defender Erin Ambrose at Clarkson, and has crossed paths with so many others through the collegiate, professional, and international ranks. Stacey, who scored the OT winner to clinch the 2018 Clarkson Cup at the same arena as Saturday’s game, was the first player to greet Howe following her address to the crowd. It was the first time she saw Howe since her diagnosis.

“I’ve talked to her a ton of times. To see her in that vulnerable state, it’s pretty tough to see,” Stacey said after the game fighting tears. “It’s emotional.”

“Sometimes there are bigger things in life than hockey and today was a perfect example of that. To have her in the building when she’s fighting one of the biggest fights of her life, for us to all be there to support her and come together with Toronto in that moment it really puts life in perspective,” Stacey said. “There are so many good things to say about her. She’s one of my best friends and I know she’s got this.”

Most Victoire players came into the arena wearing pink t-shirts with Howe’s name on them. Ambrose was the one to buy the shirts, and the rest of the team didn’t hesitate to support.

Stacey’s goal came after Marie-Philip Poulin caused a turnover in the Montreal end, and led her on a breakaway with a chip off the boards. Stacey went to her backhand, and put the puck past Toronto goaltender Raygan Kirk. Kirk, who was making her first PWHL start, made 35 saves in the loss.

Montreal was the team to force overtime, tying the game with just over seven minutes remaining in regulation, when Lina Ljungblom potted in her own rebound right in front of the net. It was Ljungblom’s first PWHL goal.

The goal came in a third period that saw Montreal pushing for the equalizer. They had two power plays before that goal, including a five minute major when Toronto defender Rylind MacKinnon hit Montreal defender Amanda Boulier in the head. Both players were going for the puck, but MacKinnon’s shoulder went right into Boulier’s head. Boulier left the game and did not return, while MacKinnon got a game misconduct. All PWHL hits to the head are automatically majors and reviewed, and if upheld players are given a game misconduct as well.

Toronto took a 2-0 lead in the first period in an opening frame that Montreal dominated most of. The shots were 14-9 in favour of the Victoire and that doesn’t include the three posts hit in the period by Poulin, Mikyla Grant-Mentis, and Jennifer Gardiner. Both goals came in a 42 second span in the final 1:30 of the period.

Jesse Compher opened the scoring when a loose puck came to her in the offensive zone, and she wired a wrist shot past Victoire goaltender Elaine Chuli while on her knees. Sarah Nurse scored the second goal, collecting a Renata Fast rebound and putting it past Chuli.

“Poor puck management on our part,” said Cheverie about the final part of the first period. “Both pucks ended up in our net because we didn’t put pucks where we needed them to go and Toronto, if you give them an inch, they’re going to capitalize and they certainly did on those two plays.”

“We were really positive,” Stacey said about the team’s mentality despite allowing the two goals. “I think out of those 20 minutes, 17 of them were awesome. Unfortunately, hockey’s a tough sport, if you have a few minutes that aren’t as great the other team can capitalize and that’s exactly what happened. We tried to forget about those three minutes, forget about those two goals, learn from them but move forward because we were happy with a lot of the things we were doing.”

Montreal fought back in the second period. Abby Boreen made it a 2-1 game just 3:52 into the frame with an incredible individual effort. She took the puck into the Toronto zone and faked Renata Fast one way and then the other before beating Kirk with a perfect shot to finish the play off. It was Boreen’s second goal of the season and an instant goal of the year candidate.

“I don’t even know where to start… That came out of left field, honestly,” Boreen said about the goal. “I don’t even know what happened. I flipped the puck through her and around her and got the shot off.”

In the middle of Boreen’s answer, Stacey made sure to chime in that it “was sick,” and then elaborated.

“Honestly everyone on the bench our jaws dropped and the whole next shift I was just trying to pick it up,” she said.

They tied the game midway through the period when Maureen Murphy, who returned to the lineup after missing the last two games, tipped a Boulier shot past Kirk. It was her first goal of the season.

The tie game was short lived as Toronto re-took a 3-2 lead with less than five minutes remaining in the period. Blayre Turnbull fired a shot on net, which was saved by Chuli, and rookie Izzy Daniel put the rebound past her as Chuli tried to get across to smother it.

That goal led to Montreal’s third period equalizer.

Montreal’s next game will be December 28 in Minnesota after a break for Christmas. They return home for a game on December 30 when they host the Boston Fleet at Place Bell. Then they will go on a three-game trip to three neutral site games as part of the PWHL’s Takeover Tour. After the New Year, they will face Boston in Seattle, Toronto in Vancouver, and Minnesota in Denver.

Notes: Montreal outshot Toronto 39-22 in the game. Neither team scored on the power play as Montreal went 0/4, and Toronto went 0/2. It was Toronto’s fourth straight loss after winning their season opener. Montreal has now won three of their four games, but only one has come in regulation, leaving them in third place. It was Chuli’s second straight start, and she moves to 2-0 on the season. She started Saturday’s game because Ann-Renée Desbiens was under the weather. Sandra Abstreiter was the backup. With Murphy’s return, Dara Greig was out of the lineup. This was Montreal’s first game back after a two-week break. Toronto last played on Wednesday following the league’s international break.

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