05/12/26 09:05:00
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05/12 21:04 CDT Poulin's power-play goal lifts Victoire past Frost, Montreal to
play Ottawa in final
Poulin's power-play goal lifts Victoire past Frost, Montreal to play Ottawa in
final
LAVAL, Quebec (AP) --- The Montreal Victoire are heading to their first Walter
Cup final as they defeated the two-time defending champion Minnesota Frost 2-1
at Place Bell on Tuesday night in the fifth and deciding game of their
Professional Women's Hockey League semifinal.
Marie-Philip Poulin scored the winning goal at 3:06 of the third period on the
power play. The win sets up a best-of-five final against the Ottawa Charge,
ensuring that the league will crown its first Canadian champion. It was
Poulin's second winning goal of the tight series.
The game, which was originally scheduled for Monday night, was postponed
because of player safety concerns related to an illness.
It is the first time the Frost lost a game facing elimination, moving to 6-1.
They have been in all of the league's deciding fifth games.
Erin Ambrose made a cross-ice pass to Poulin, who beat Maddie Rooney on a sharp
angle near the goal line.
Minnesota pushed hard after the goal, getting several chances in the Montreal
end, but Ann-Renee Desbiens was solid in the Victoire net. Rooney made some big
saves of her own, keeping the game at 2-1.
Samantha Cogan scored for the Frost, while Rooney made 15 saves.
Catherine Dubois also scored for the Victoire, while Desbiens made 25 saves,
including eight in the third period.
Montreal opened the scoring when Dubois' shot hit off of Elizabeth Giguere's
stick and tricked Rooney. Poulin moved Dubois right before the faceoff, and won
it back to her in the shooting position. The goal came 12:18 into the first
period, and was scored after Minnesota opened with a 9-2 shot advantage.
Dubois was moved to the top line for this game, and it was her first goal of
the playoffs.
Desbiens had an eventful period of her own. A shot by Mae Batherson deflected
in front by Kendall Coyne Schofield and trickled through Desbiens, but she was
able to turn around and use her stick to stop the puck from crossing the line
before grabbing it.
Minnesota tied the game 1-1 midway through the second period when Cogan tipped
a Abby Hustler pass in the slot that beat Desbiens.
Up to that point in the second period, both goaltenders made big saves with
Desbiens making a rolling two-pad stack save on Giguere, and Rooney stopping
Laura Stacey and Kaitlin Willoughby on separate chances early in the period.
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AP women's hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey
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