Cayla Barnes scored her second goal of the season 21 seconds into overtime as the Montreal Victoire defeated the Boston Fleet 3-2 on Saturday afternoon at Agganis Arena.
The win was a solid bounce-back performance from Montreal after what they considered their worst game in team history, a 4-1 loss to the Toronto Sceptres on Thursday night to start their season-long four-game road trip. The game extended Montreal’s lead in the standings to eight points.
Barnes was led on a two-on-one with Poulin after a long pass from Laura Stacey. The defence took the pass away, and Barnes put a backhand past Frankel to seal the victory.
Trouvez-vous une défenseure qui appuie l’attaque comme Cayla Barnes 🫡
— Victoire de Montréal (@PWHL_Montreal) March 8, 2025
Get yourself a D who jumps into the offense like Cayla Barnes! pic.twitter.com/neNfPEsxUn
Laura Stacey had two assists, extending her team-record points streak to six games.
Marie-Philip Poulin opened the scoring for Montreal 3:41 into the game with her league-leading 14th goal of the season. She was left alone in front after a dump-in hit off the end boards and put a backhand past Boston goaltender Aerin Frankel.
Avertissement: Ne la laissez pas seule comme ça
— Victoire de Montréal (@PWHL_Montreal) March 8, 2025
Warning: Don't leave her alone like that pic.twitter.com/c90C83euSE
Montreal doubled their lead early in the first period when they got a goal from their new-look fourth line. Claire Dalton took the puck to the net and put a backhand on Frankel. The loose puck ended up in the slot when Catherine Dubois drove the net and put the puck into the net for her third goal of the season.
https://t.co/9fbDv6OOpD pic.twitter.com/9bgUNNgTZk
— Victoire de Montréal (@PWHL_Montreal) March 8, 2025
Before the end of the first period, Boston pulled one back when Lexie Adzija set up Jamie Lee Rattray on a two-on-one that beat Ann-Renée Desbiens.
Boston tied the game in the second period when their fourth line struck again. Former Montreal player Jillian Dempsey started the play with a spinning backhand pass and Adzija put her shot off the post. While the red light was already one, Amanda Pelkey was at the back door to put the loose puck in the net for good.
Two of Pelkey’s three goals this season have been scored against Montreal, and five of her six career regular season and playoff goals in the PWHL have come against the team.
“I think after a goal scored there’s a lot of momentum that can be taken away,” said Montreal head coach Kori Cheverie. “I thought we got a little bit scrambly after each goal against, but then we settled down. Once they tied it up, I felt like we could then just almost play 0-0 hockey again. And sometimes when you’re playing with a lead, you’re playing with a little bit more hesitancy, and forgetting about the score. I thought our team settled well after the goals were scored against us, and then we just had to keep pushing till the end.”
The overtime goal by Barnes was Montreal’s second in overtime against Boston this month. Last Saturday, they beat Boston in overtime at the Bell Cente
Montreal’s road trip continues on Wednesday when they take on the last-place New York Sirens.
Notes
- Montreal outshot Boston 29-21 and is undefeated in nine games where they outshoot their opponent this season.
- Ann-Renée Desbiens allowed two goals, extending her streak to 14 starts where she hasn’t allowed more than two goals.
- This game was Boston’s first at Agganis Arena, the home of Boston University’s men’s team. Poulin, who played at Boston University has played five games in the arena in college, internationally, and now in the PWHL and has at least a point in all five. “It was very special to come back to Boston, and even more to play here at Agganis Arena. I’ll say, it brought back great memories. It was four years of my life that were some of the best. So, it was really special, and I’m really happy with the win,” Poulin said.
- Dubois’s goal was Montreal’s first in seven games that came from a line other than their top line. It was also her first game as centre on the fourth line with Dalton and Dara Greig as Cheverie continues to look for the right combinations.
- Eight of the 11 regular season and playoff games between Montreal and Boston have gone to overtime.
Standings
| TEAM | GP | GR | RW | OW | SW | OL | RL | PTS | GF | GA | MAX PTS | MAGIC | TRAGIC | #1 | HOME |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MTL | 22 | 8 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 43 | 60 | 50 | 67 | 12 | 35 | 17 | 17 |
| TOR | 22 | 8 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 35 | 59 | 56 | 59 | 20 | 27 | 25 | 25 |
| BOS | 22 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 35 | 58 | 51 | 59 | 20 | 27 | 25 | 25 |
| MIN | 22 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 33 | 63 | 59 | 57 | 22 | 25 | 27 | 27 |
| OTT | 21 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 27 | 47 | 58 | 54 | 28 | 22 | 33 | 33 |
| NY | 21 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 22 | 49 | 62 | 49 | 33 | 17 | 38 | 38 |
Montreal’s magic number (points won by MTL or lost by other teams) to clinch home-ice advantage and first place in the PWHL remains lower than any other team’s magic number to clinch a playoff spot.
The top four teams make the playoffs, and the first place team gets to choose which of the third or fourth place teams they play in the best-of-five first round. The team that finishes in second place is guaranteed home-ice advantage and plays the remaining team.
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