On Tuesday, in Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) action, New York visited Montreal at the Place Bell in Laval for their second meeting in a week. In their last meeting, Montreal walked away with a 5-2 win thanks to a hat trick from Marie-Philip Poulin. Last night, New York was looking for revenge, while Montreal hoped to become the first Canadian team to win a PWHL home game.
This game featured two of the league’s three stars of the week, as Poulin was named the first star after earning a hat trick, and New York’s Ella Shelton was named the second star with a goal and four assists in two games.
Montreal Takes Control Quickly
Montreal seemed to control the game early, which became more prevalent when they got the first power play after Olivia Zafuto tripped up Montreal defender Laura Stacey. Montreal sustained pressure for most of the power play. However, their best chance came from a cross-crease pass that Stacey failed to connect with despite the wide-open net. New York successfully killed off the penalty, but Montreal continued to pressure, while New York countered with some pressure of their own.
New York got their best scoring opportunity of the period when Montreal turned the puck over in their own zone and Elizabeth Giguere was all alone in front of Ann-Renee Desbiens. Giguere ran out of space and was unable to convert on the chance. Montreal got on the scoreboard first when Gabrielle David scored her first in the PWHL with just over three minutes remaining in the frame.
Only a few seconds later, Leah Lum scored to record not only her first goal in the PWHL but her first point in general following a strong forecheck battle by Tereza Vanisova. Although New York kept the first period even for about 17 minutes, it took just 30 seconds for them to fall behind by two goals.
Montreal vs. New York Rivalry
Following Montreal’s second goal, tempers started to flare. The game became more physical heading into the second. About six and a half minutes into the second period, New York’s Abby Roque started a verbal altercation with Poulin before a faceoff. After the puck was dropped, the two started a skirmish that saw them both head to the penalty box, Roque for roughing and Poulin for cross-checking.
After about a minute of four-on-four play, Vanisova got a breakaway scoring opportunity, which she missed before colliding with New York’s goaltender Abigail Levy. Although the collision seemed unintentional, as expected, the players on the ice were not happy with it and started going after Vanisova as she skated to the penalty box for goaltender interference.
The game became even more physical late in the second, with both teams throwing big hits, including a hip-check by Catherine Daoust on Paetyn Levis, which put Montreal on a short advantage, while Levis tried to regain the air that had been knocked out of her to get to the bench. Kati Tabin threw a hit on Jessie Eldridge, which was called for roughing. Although Tabin didn’t like the call and argued that Eldridge embellished, Montreal went back on the penalty kill.
Vanisova nearly collided with Levy for a second time in the third period, but this time, she drew the penalty rather than take one. Taylor Baker was called for holding, but the physicality was far from over. Alexandra Labelle collided with Desbiens in another run-in with a goalie when she crashed the net. Desbiens seemed a bit shaken but remained between the pipes.
New York’s Special Teams Kept Them Alive
New York’s penalty kill in the first kept them from trailing less than five minutes into the game. While they absorbed all of Montreal’s pressure during that kill, the biggest play by their special teams came in the second when they were trailing 2-0. New York got a 4-on-3 power play after Vanisova collided with Levy, while a player from each team was already in the box. After the initial penalties expired, New York finally beat Desbiens when Jaime Bourbonnais and her teammates took advantage of the extra ice, and she netted her first goal of the season.
Converting on that power play gave New York a burst of energy and they tied the game 11 seconds into the third period when Eldridge found the back of the net for the third time this season. Their penalty kill was tested heavily in the third – Baker and Roque were both sent to the box, one after the other, forcing New York to kill off a 5-on-3, which they did successfully.
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New York’s special teams kept them in the game, especially when they were trailing, and were crucial in giving them a chance to win. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the outcome.
Poulin Puts the Game Away
Poulin scored with roughly six minutes remaining in regulation to give Montreal the lead once again. However, New York went on the power play with just over two and a half minutes remaining, and they pulled their goaltender for a 6-on-4 advantage. However, Emma Woods took an interference penalty in the middle of the power play, which not only put the game back at even strength but brought the puck back to New York’s defensive zone for the faceoff with just over a minute left.
New York wasn’t able to tie it, making Poulin’s goal the game-winner. It was a storybook ending for the captain, as the greatest player in women’s hockey was the one to hand Montreal their first home win of the season and the first Canadian home win in PWHL history.
