#1 Montreal Victoire vs. #3 Minnesota Frost
Game One (best-of-five)
Place Bell, Start Time: 2:00 p.m. Eastern
Streaming: Prime Video in English and French in Canada; YouTube outside of Canada)
TV: Scripps Sports Network – US)
There’s a certain feeling that creeps in before playoff hockey — a mix of excitement, nerves, and impatience. Around the Victoire locker room, that feeling has been building all week. Now, with Game 1 just hours away, it’s about settling in and being ready.
“It’s finally here,” head coach Kori Cheverie said. “We’ve known it for a long time, and now it’s here. I think it’s like Christmas Eve.”
That anticipation is shared across the roster, but it hasn’t turned into panic or overthinking. If anything, the message has been the opposite: don’t change what’s been working.
| Montreal | Statistics (Reg. Season) | Minnesota |
|---|---|---|
| 16-6-2-6 | Record (W-OTW-OTL-L) | 13-3-5-9 |
| 2.60 (2nd) | Goals per game | 3.03 (1st) |
| 1.37 (1st) | Goals against per game | 2.43 (T-4th) |
| 19.3% (2nd) | PP% | 23.0% (1st) |
| 91.8% (1st) | PK% | 78.3% (8th |
| 2-2-0-0 | Head-to-Head Record | 0-0-2-2 |
Staying Grounded
For rookie defender Nicole Gosling, that balance is key. While this will be her first playoff game at the professional level, she’s leaning on a simple approach. “There’s a lot on the line, but it’s just also another game of hockey,” she said. “Try not to put too much stress under the word ‘playoff.’”
At the same time, she knows exactly what makes this time of year different. “Every shift matters. You have to play a full 60,” she added.
That attention to detail is something the Victoire have built their identity around, especially against a Minnesota team known for its offensive firepower. Montreal’s confidence comes from structure and discipline, not from what happened earlier in the season; even though the team went 4-0 against their opponents. “It’s a whole new season now,” Gosling said. “Anything can happen.”
Embracing the Challenge
Veteran defender Erin Ambrose sees the matchup as an opportunity more than anything else. Facing one of the league’s most dangerous attacks is exactly the kind of challenge she embraces. “I get to play against the best players in the league,” Ambrose said. “That’s the part of my game I take the most pride in — shutting people down.”
For Ambrose and others who have been through playoff disappointments before, the focus isn’t on the past, but what it taught them. “You learn how to lose, and losing teaches you how to win,” she said. “Those years are in the past for a reason.”
Built for Playoff Hockey
Up front, Abby Roque believes this is where her game fits best. The intensity, the physicality, the small plays that often decide games — it’s everything she looks for. “It’s really meaningful hockey. Every game, it’s do-or-die,” Roque said. “That’s my favourite game to play.” She pointed to the little things as the difference in playoff hockey — the details that don’t always show up on the scoresheet but often decide who moves on. “It’s just as important to chip a puck out, get a hit, make a play at the blue line,” she said. “That’s the hockey I like to play.”
That style hasn’t suddenly appeared. It’s something the Victoire have been building toward all season, making the transition into playoff hockey feel more natural than forced. “We’ve been trying to play physical all year so that now it just comes naturally,” Roque said.
After two years of missing the playoffs with the New York Sirens, Roque will get her first taste of PWHL playoff action on Saturday.
Staying Level
If there’s one consistent message, it’s about staying level — not getting too high, not getting too low, and not letting the moment become bigger than the game itself. At the same time, players are being encouraged to appreciate where they are.
“Just take it all in,” Gosling said. “It’s such a cool experience — not everyone gets to be here. Four teams are out, four teams are still in — you kind of just have to know that it’s just a cool experience to be a part of, and not everyone is fortunate enough to experience it, so just own it.”
Montreal Potential Lineup
| FORWARDS | ||
|---|---|---|
| 11 ABBY ROQUE | 29 MARIE-PHILIP POULIN | 7 LAURA STACEY |
| 17 DARA GREIG | 16 HAYLEY SCAMURRA | 21 MAUREEN MURPHY |
| 96 NATÁLIE MLÝNKOVÁ | 27 SHIANN DARKANGELO | 25 LINA LJUNGBLOM |
| 28 CATHERINE DUBOIS | 13 ALEXANDRA LABELLE | 77 JADE DOWNIE-LANDRY |
| 88 SKYLAR IRVING | ||
| DEFENDERS | ||
| 9 KATI TABIN | 91 MAGGIE FLAHERTY | |
| 61 NICOLE GOSLING | 44 AMANDA BOULIER | |
| 22 JESSICA DIGIROLAMO | 23 ERIN AMBROSE | |
| GOALTENDERS | ||
| 35 ANN-RENÉE DESBIENS | ||
| 30 SANDRA ABSTREITER |
Extras: G 1 Megan Warrener, F 19 Kaitlin Willoughby
Reserves: D 12 Tamara Giaquinto, D 91 Nadia Mattivi, F 4 Maya Labad
Minnesota Potential Lineup
| FORWARDS | ||
|---|---|---|
| 71 KLARA HYMLAROVA | 27 TAYLOR HEISE | 6 KATY KNOLL |
| 26 KENDALL COYNE SCHOFIELD | 12 KELLY PANNEK | 13 GRACE ZUMWINKLE |
| 8 SAM COGAN | 77 BRITTA CURL-SALEMME | 74 ABBY HUSTLER |
| 91 PEYTON ANDERSON | 7 CLAIRE BUTORAC | 18 ELIZABETH GIGUERE |
| 24 VANESSA UPSON | ||
| DEFENDERS | ||
| 2 LEE STECKLEIN | 5 SIDNEY MORIN | |
| 21 MAE BATHERSON | 4 KENDALL COOPER | |
| 15 BROOKE BECKER | 22 NATALIE BUCHBINDER | |
| GOALTENDERS | ||
| 35 MADDIE ROONEY | ||
| 29 NICOLE HENSLEY |
Extras: G 1 Marlène Boissonnault, D 33 Jincy Roese
