Montreal Reaches First-Ever Walter Cup Final

A sigh of relief for Victoire players and fans alike as Montreal takes down the back-to-back champion Frost 2-1 to punch its ticket to the franchise’s first-ever Walter Cup Final.

It took two years for Montreal to finally break its first-round curse, a win that already feels franchise-defining for Kori Cheverie and the Victoire. After falling short the past two seasons, Montreal finally found a way through in front of a loyal Place Bell crowd that had also waited two seasons for this. “It's our biggest win in our organization's history. We had to fight tooth and nail against a team like Minnesota. It wasn't easy,” shared Cheverie postgame.

“It feels so good,” shared Poulin with a grin up to her eyes. “You work so hard for these moments. To come up short the past two years and then win this Game 5 at home… we succeeded tonight, but we’re not done.”

The game, which was supposed to be played yesterday, ended up being postponed to today after five players reportedly caught an illness, rumoured to be a stomach flu. It was revealed that only five players, all from the Victoire, caught the bug, two of them being key defenders Nicole Gosling and Kati Tabin, but this did not stop them from putting up some of the biggest minutes of the game. It definitely was not the easiest 24 hours for Montreal heading into one of the biggest games of their season. “It was a big 24 hours, but the girls were never gonna use it as an excuse,” shared Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin.

A Team That Can Rely On Each Other

From puck drop, it was very clear that Ann-Renée Desbiens was going to do everything in her power to keep the puck out of her net. Making saves on her back, with her legs up in the air, and stopping the puck just millimeters from crossing the goal line, to name just a few. Every single time Minnesota looked like they had finally found a way through, Desbiens somehow shut it down again. In short, nothing was getting past her. The Victoire captain did not shy away from giving her goalie her flowers: “There’s moments when we let her hang dry and she’s always able to pull us out of those moments, she’s the backbone of our team.

Kori Cheverie started the matchup with a move that proved to be the right one, slotting Dubois on the first line. The Quebec forward has known success all season when she is placed on the first line alongside Poulin and Stacey, scoring all of her goals this season when paired with them. Before the faceoff where Dubois scored the first goal, Poulin seemed to tell her to move over a bit, and it clearly worked because right off the faceoff she beat Rooney with a shot over her head. A dream start for Montreal, and the crowd at Place Bell absolutely exploded. In a typical Dubois answer, she let out, “When Poulin tells you to do something, you do it,” she shared with a smile, sending Poulin into a good laugh.

Although Minnesota was able to tie the game in the second, Montreal’s Captain Clutch, always the one who steps up in the biggest moments, had the game-winning goal in the third period with a shot that she seemed to have no space for but, at the end of the day, it’s Marie-Philip Poulin. And honestly, it almost felt fitting that it was her. She’s gone through so much these past few months with the loss at the Olympics and the two injuries to her knee, and she is a player who has been waiting for this moment for so long. “She’s a player that is always doing the right things, even when the lights and the projectors aren’t on her. You do it for the person next to you, and I’m happy she’s on my team,” shared Desbiens, who has lived through so many big moments alongside Marie-Philip.

Till The Very Last Second

Up by one goal with two minutes left, Minnesota pulled their goalie and, in what felt like the longest stretch of the game for both the Montreal team and the 6,000 fans inside Place Bell, the pressure just kept building. Every blocked shot, every cleared puck, every rebound felt massive. “I was trying not to have a panic attack on the bench,” laughed Cheverie. “But at the same time, I felt calm.” A moment that felt like the biggest sigh of relief came after a solid push from the Frost trying to save their season. The Montreal roster desperately needed some fresh legs on the ice, and Murphy made a huge dive to move the puck out of the zone. “I knew in that moment, we’re going to close this out,” shared Cheverie confidently. The final 6-on-5 had every single player putting in the work and literally putting their bodies on the line to shut down the Minnesota offense. Every single person on the ice seemed fully committed, making Desbiens’ job easier. The netminder gave her team their flowers: “Blocking shots hurts a lot more for the players, so just knowing we can count on so many different players is important.”

A Familiar Rival

It will be a quick turnover for the Victoire, who will now face the Ottawa Charge starting on Thursday for a chance to win the Walter Cup. “We know Ottawa has a good goalie, we will have to put a lot of traffic in front of her, play physical, and play our game,” shared Poulin. The Charge were the team Montreal chose to face last year, and the same team that beat them in four games. They also took down a strong Boston team even though they were the last team to make the playoffs, proving they should not be underestimated. For Kori Cheverie, this new opponent will have some similarities to the team they just eliminated. “Minnesota was fast and physical. They moved the puck well, they transitioned fast. Their goaltending was great. I think if you take all of what I just said and put it in a red, grey, and yellow jersey, I think it’s a similar description.”

Game 1 of the Walter Cup Finals will take place Thursday, May 14, at Place Bell.