Something has been happening with the Montreal team for four games.
Before the Women’s World Cup, Montreal had lost four consecutive games, including three without Marie-Philip Poulin in the lineup. Since the Canadians’ return from the World Cup, the team has won three of its four games, including Saturday’s game in Ottawa by a score of 2-0.
Not only are Poulin, Laura Stacey, Kristin O’Neill and Erin Ambrose operating at full capacity, but the rest of the team also seems to be playing with more confidence, especially offensively.
During the last three games, head coach Kori Cheverie played a lot with her lines. Sometimes Stacey, O’Neill and Poulin were together, sometimes they were scattered. Saturday’s match, the penultimate duel of the season, could have allowed the coach to crystallize her combinations a little more.
While the Canadians were reunited on the first line, we found Claire Dalton, Maureen Murphy and Mikyla Grant-Mentis on the second. Grant-Mentis has been one of those who has been surprising for a week, since the clash at the Bell Centre, creating a lot of plays for her teammates.
PHOTO ADRIAN WYLD, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Emerance Maschmeyer blocks Kristin O’Neill’s shot.
After a rhythmic but difficult first period for the Montreal team, these two trios completely changed the sidewind in the second period, notably thanks to their forecheck. Stacey gave Montreal a 1-0 lead by scoring with one of her powerful one-timers.
In the third period, it was Ann-Renée Desbiens who stood up to allow Montreal to maintain its slim lead. In this third alone, she blocked 21 pucks, while Montreal only shot five times.
It’s a first shutout for the Charlevoix native this season.
It was truly playoff hockey. It was physical, it was intense. They really wanted to do everything to put it in the net.
Ann-Renée Desbiens, speaking to the media present in Ottawa
A goal was denied to the Ottawa team for obstruction against the goalkeeper – it was Desbiens herself who told her coach to contest the goal – then Maureen Murphy scored her fifth of the season thanks to a nice pass from Mélodie Daoust to make it 2-0 at the end of the match.
First row
While Ottawa came into this duel looking for a playoff spot, Montreal is fighting to finish in first place and choose its opponent for the first round. This victory allows the team to take temporary first place, with three points more than Toronto, but two games in hand.
Once again, this meeting demonstrated one thing very clearly: when Poulin, Stacey, O’Neill and Ambrose go, everything goes. The four players were once again the most used on the Montreal side. Erin Ambrose alone spent more than 31 minutes on the ice…
PHOTO ADRIAN WYLD, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Erin Ambrose blocks a shot.
For those who were wondering if the coach intended to rest her best players for the playoffs, the answer is no. We prioritize the first place within the coaching staff.
“You, ask them [de moins jouer] ! », Exclaimed Kori Cheverie when asked about it last Wednesday, after the victory against New York in Verdun.
This is a conversation I don’t want to have. We have to keep all our players ready [sharp]. […] I think it would be worse for them to rest them. We’ll see how it goes with the minutes, but I don’t think I’m going to tell Pou not to play.
Kori Cheverie, head coach of the Montreal team
Either way, based on their performance on Saturday, the tank still looks full of fuel.
Montreal has only one game left in the regular season, next Saturday in Boston.
“I think every game from now on will be close,” Stacey said. It is going to be difficult. It won’t always be beautiful. […] Honestly, I wonder how it would be possible to have even more intense games in the playoffs, because it’s already incredible. »
The draft will take place in Minnesota
The Professional Women’s Hockey League announced Saturday that the next draft will take place in June in Minnesota. It will include 7 rounds and 42 selections in total. The first draft in the history of the circuit took place in Toronto. In June, the team that gets the first pick will be the one that has amassed the most “draft points” after being eliminated from the playoff race. Currently, only the New York team is out of the picture. Picks three through six will be determined based on the usual format, i.e. regular season rankings.