The Montreal Victoire visited the Minnesota Frost on Wednesday night (Jan. 21) at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota. This was the second matchup this season between these two teams, with Montreal taking the first one 3-2 in overtime on home ice.
The Victoire came in looking to bounce back from a hard-fought 2-1 loss on Sunday (Jan. 18) to the New York Sirens. They trailed the Frost in the standings at the start of this game by just two points for third place, so this was a big one at the outset for both sides.
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Montreal got their goals from Maureen Murphy and Marie-Philip Poulin. It was a grind, but the Victoire were able to stave off a tying goal late from Kelly Pannek and pull out the extra point. They took this one 2-1 in overtime.
Poulin Thaws the Frost Again
A nasty overtime winner from Poulin against the Frost? We’ve seen this one before.
This is the second time this season the Victoire captain has sunk Minnesota in extra time. She first did it in their only other meeting back on Jan. 4. The goal she scored on Wednesday was a filthy backhand that fooled just about everyone in the arena.
PARDON ?! ???? @pou29 pic.twitter.com/ADjTpZEmZo
— Victoire de Montréal (@PWHL_Montreal) January 22, 2026
That goal puts Poulin up to six goals and 13 points in 13 games this season. One of the league’s finest doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon, especially when it’s the Frost on the other side of the ice.
Murphy Pots First of Season, Continues to Heat Up
It was a tough beginning of the season for Murphy, but things are really looking up as of late for the veteran forward. She redirected a Nicole Gosling shot past Frost goalie Nicole Hensley for the first goal of the game. It was also her first of the season, which is a great sign for her and the Victoire.
Murphy’s goal makes it two points in her last three games. She has been playing good hockey with a few different combinations in the team’s middle-six. She even saw some important minutes late in the game and in overtime. As she continues to dial things up, Murphy presents a solid option for her team moving forward.
Defense and Goaltending Are King
They may have allowed a late goal, but the defence corps and goaltending of the Victoire have been stellar, and it showed through most of the game. The Frost had not been held scoreless through two periods this season until this game, a truly impressive feat for Montreal given the high-powered offence they were facing. Ann-Renée Desbiens and her defence kept it locked down, and that’s nothing new for this team lately.
In the previous three games Montreal has played since their last matchup against the Frost, they allowed just three goals total in that stretch. Desbiens is playing like the best goalie in the world right now, and the defenders in front of her are doing a bang-up job as well in keeping pucks to the outside. Defence wins championships, so look out for this Victoire team post-Olympic break.
Montreal has a couple of upcoming home games as they will host the Ottawa Charge on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 24) and the Toronto Sceptres next Wednesday night (Jan. 28). Both games will be at Place Bell in Laval, Quebec with puck drop set for 12 p.m. MDT Saturday and 4:30 p.m. MDT Wednesday.
