3 Takeaways From Victoire’s 1-0 Triple OT Win Over Frost in Game 2

On Tuesday, May 5, the Montreal Victoire hosted the Minnesota Frost for Game 2 of their semifinal series in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) Playoffs. The Frost won the first game, so heading into this one, the Victoire had to even up the score. 

Both teams peppered the opposing goalie with shots throughout 60 minutes of gameplay. Each team also received two power-play opportunities, but neither could capitalize. With no score after three periods, the game went into overtime to decide the winner. Since it is the playoffs, play continued until a goal was scored. It took three rounds of overtime, but in the third round, the Victoire scored to even the series. 

Desbiens Was a Brick Wall

There is no denying that both Maddie Rooney and Ann-Renée Desbiens kept their respective teams in the game. Both goaltenders denied any shots within the first 60 minutes of regulation time and 40 minutes of overtime. It was Desbiens who recorded the shutout in the end, shutting out the Frost after 104:02. Desbiens stopped all 38 shots Minnesota took. 

This is not the first time in a playoff series that Desbiens had to keep the Victoire afloat. Last year in the semifinals, Game 2 between the Charge and the Victoire went to quadruple overtime, making it the longest PWHL game in history. This Game 2 between the Frost and the Victoire seemed to be trending in that direction, but fortunately for both teams, the game was called four minutes into the third overtime. 

During the regular season, Desbiens recorded seven shutouts. She was giving Aerin Frankel a run for her money, but the Boston Fleet goaltender recorded eight shutouts, earning the new single-season shutout record. Desbiens still had a solid performance throughout the season and was a big part of the Victoire’s success. Desbiens will continue to put up a strong performance throughout the playoffs, just like she did in this game, to give the Victoire a fighting chance at the Walter Cup. 

Poulin Called Game 

After 104 minutes of gameplay, who else would call game for the Victoire but Captain Clutch? Abby Roque skated the puck through the neutral zone and banked it off the boards. The loose puck found Laura Stacey, who passed it across the ice to Marie-Philip Poulin. She sent the shot past Rooney to win the game. 

This goal marked Poulin’s first of the 2026 Playoffs, but added to her point total. She recorded two assists in Game 1, bringing her point total to three. This is now her highest postseason point total, after only recording two points in both the 2024 and 2025 Playoffs.

Poulin suffered an injury in the 2026 Olympics, which kept her out of the lineup until March 1. She was then injured again on March 15, which kept her sidelined until the final game of the regular season on April 25. Poulin is a cornerstone of this Montreal team, serving as their captain both on and off the ice. As the Victoire make a push for the Walter Cup Finals, they will need Poulin healthy to try and make it there. 

Victoire Have Evened the Series

After two games played in Montreal, the semifinals are now even, with both the Frost and the Victoire earning a win. As the two teams head to Minnesota, the stakes are getting higher. The semifinals are played as a best-of-five series. The series will have to go at least to Game 4 to decide the winner. 

This puts even more pressure on Montreal, as they are now the away team. They will have to dig deep and make sure they don’t let the stress get to them; just play clean, strong hockey, and they have the chance of making it to the Finals.

Game 3 Heads to Minnesota

The two teams will travel to Minnesota, where the Frost will host Games 3 and 4 of the semifinal series. Game 3 will be played on Thursday, May 8, at 7 PM ET.