In the second Professional Women’s Hockey League game of the night on Sunday, PWHL Boston hosted PWHL Montreal at the Tsongas Center in a battle of two of the biggest names in the league. Marie-Phillip Poulin and Hilary Knight have respectively been the faces of the Canadian and American women’s hockey programs for a decade and they faced off for the second time of the season. In the first meeting between these two teams, Boston spoiled Montreal’s home opener, defeating them 3-2 in overtime.
Two Players Return to the Lineup
Montreal had been without Tereza Vanisova and her absence was certainly noticeable in their most recent game against Ottawa. Although Montreal ended up winning, they’re undoubtedly a better team with the Czech forward in the lineup. She entered the night as Montreal’s third-leading scorer behind only Poulin and Murphy.
Meanwhile, Boston also had a return to the lineup. Taylor Wenczkowski was the first player in PWHL to be suspended and after serving her one-game suspension, she was back with the team on Sunday. While she’s not a high-level scorer like Vanisova, Wenczkowski’s name does get mentioned quite a bit throughout the course of a game. She makes an impact, mainly in the defensive zone and appears to be turning into an important part of the team even if she’s not on the scoresheet every night.
Montreal’s Stars Continue to Make a Difference
Montreal’s star power is well-documented, and it’s certainly a big part of the reason they currently find themselves at the top of the PWHL standings. Boston maintained some pressure early, but it was Montreal who got on the board first. Defender Erin Ambrose netted the goal, off of assists from Poulin and the player who scored the game-winning goal in Montreal’s last outing, Maureen Murphy. It’s no surprise that those are three of the four top scorers for Montreal this season, and they continue to push their team toward success.
Laura Stacey also helped Montreal walk out with a win, as she scored the overtime winner after Boston made a late push in the third period. The stars are making a major difference for Montreal, and although it would be ideal to see some depth players coming through in key moments, they know they have the talent at the top of their lineup who will find a way to get them a win.
Energy Picks Up in Second Period
During the first period, things seemed a bit slow-paced. Teams were getting opportunities but it was clear that neither team was playing their best. In the second period though, that definitely changed. Both teams had high levels of energy, and the game was very fast-paced from then on. Along with that, Boston also started applying quite a bit more pressure than we had seen from them early in the game. Montreal had been in control for most of the night until that point, but specifically, just before the halfway point in the second period, momentum seemed to swing in favor of Boston.
The returning Vanisova nearly helped out Boston in a big way, on a pass attempt the puck bounced off of a Boston player’s skate and almost went into the net while Montreal was on the power play. Not only would it have tied the game had it gone in, but with the “jailbreak rule” Montreal’s advantage would’ve ended as well. Luckily for Montreal though, Elaine Chuli was able to react quickly and make the save.
A Very Even Game
Both teams played a very even game. The only difference was the scoreboard, which had Montreal ahead 1-0 for a majority of the night. Boston was able to make it completely even, when they tied the game at one with Sophie Shirley’s first PWHL goal during the third period. Neither team would be able to break the tie in regulation despite end-to-end action and quite a few scoring opportunities late in the third period. Just like the game between PWHL Ottawa and PWHL New York earlier in the day, this game needed overtime to decide a winner. About halfway through overtime, Laura Stacey scored her fifth of the season to give Montreal a 2-1 win.
Related: PWHL Montreal Beats Ottawa in Overtime for Second Time
Although Montreal walked away with the win, Boston also got a key point which helped keep them in the fight near the bottom of the standings. They still have a couple of games in hand as well, which will be key in their push up the standings in the near future. The season series has been split so far, so it’ll certainly be an interesting night when these two teams face off again later this season. There are certainly the seeds of a rivalry, and it’ll only continue to grow the more they face off against one another.
