Business as Usual at Place Bell

The Montreal Victoire remains undefeated at Place Bell, moving up to second place in the league with a 3–1 win over rival Ottawa Charge.

On a very cold Saturday afternoon, 10,172 fans gathered at Place Bell to witness the Ottawa–Montreal rivalry. The Ottawa Charge had eliminated the Montreal Victoire in four games to move on to the Walter Cup Final. Every game in this playoff matchup had been decided by one goal, including the infamously historic fourth overtime.

The Charge faced the Victoire at Place Bell not long ago (MTL win 2–1), but there were a few new faces this time around. In one of the biggest PWHL trades ever, Ottawa sent McMahon, Meixner, and Shokhina to Vancouver in exchange for McQuigge, Greco, and two-time Walter Cup champion Micheala Cava. In my opinion, Ottawa has the stronger side of this trade.

A Different Montreal Team Shows Up

Montreal is known to have very slow and disorganized first periods, but in the first 20 minutes of this game, the Victoire were dominating all parts of the rink.

Montreal’s Maureen Murphy took advantage of an important rebound in the first period to score her second goal of the season. But don’t let that number fool you, she’s been a pillar in the team’s success all season long, creating opportunities in pivotal moments. As head coach Kori Cheverie said after Murphy’s first goal last game against Minnesota: “She’s doing everything but actually scoring.”

On the power play, Montreal had been known to struggle, but was able to extend the lead with a beautiful goal, once again by Maureen Murphy. “To get rewarded five-on-five, but then also on the power play, it helps our game all around,” shared Cheverie.

Murphy added: “It’s obviously gonna feel awesome no matter what, but just trying to enjoy that with them [the team], because that doesn’t happen without them.”

Ottawa Regroups

While Montreal had control in the first period, Ottawa came back stronger in the second. Ottawa made it 2–1 at 14:14 of the second as Michela Cava’s slot shot, set up by Kateřina Mrázová, deflected off Fanuza Kadirova. When Ottawa head coach Carla MacLeod was asked if there was something said in the locker room during the first intermission, she disclosed that there was no “Disney-inspired speech.” She went on to give flowers to her players and expressed their ability to echo what they know is working for them and not get caught up in outcomes.

The Wall of Charlevoix

With the game sitting at 2–1 heading into the third period, it was crucial for Montreal to extend their lead, as Ottawa was heating up and riding a strong wave of momentum.

In the dying minutes, Ottawa was unable to produce a goal due to the brick wall that is Ann-Renée Desbiens, and Montreal was able to capitalize with an empty-net goal scored by Abby Roque.

When you have a goalie like Desbiens on your team, you have a serious shot at winning every single game.

Not Just a First Line Effort

What stood out today is that we finally saw the depth that this team has the potential for. It was mentioned many times in the preseason, but it had not been evident so far. Rookie Natálie Mlýnková was moved up to the trio of Poulin and Roque, while Stacey was moved down to the second line alongside Darkangelo and Downie-Landry. Today, all lines were producing real opportunities. It wasn’t just the “first line” show.

“I felt very confident being able to put out different line combinations tonight. So, as a coach, it feels great to be able to say anybody can go out there at any moment, and we know that we have the depth to shut down an offensive Ottawa team when they’re putting the pressure on in the last 10 minutes of the third.”