PWHL Montreal's first season didn't end as they'd hoped being swept by Boston in the playoffs, but they had many memorable moments in their inaugural season. Pat Laprade counts down ten.
Here’s an end-of-season review of PWHL Montreal's first season divided in 10 points.
- Marie-Philip Poulin is the heart and soul of this team. We saw how difficult it was for the team in her absence before the international break. However, she was overused in the playoffs.
- Ann-Renée Desbiens didn't have a season that lived up to expectations. She herself admitted that she had found her game after the worlds. Before you can find something, you must first have lost it. She is not in the three finalists for the prize given to the best goalkeeper, which is saying a lot. The team's number two goalie, Elaine Chuli, had better statistics.
- Kori Cheverie has won over the public and the media in Montreal, where speaking French is a key. From an austere-looking Anglophone at the beginning of the season, she proved to be very friendly and ended the season by doing interviews in French. Her playoffs’ strategy is overshadowing her season, but until then, it has been flawless for her.
- The defence is in dire need of strengthening. Erin Ambrose can't do it all alone. The absence of Laskova hurt, but the problem is deeper. If they don't draft a defender in the first round, something will be wrong.
- The injuries hurt the team, especially in the playoffs. This review could have been different with Kennedy Marchment, Dominika Laskova, Ann-Sophie Bettez, and Sarah Bujold in the line-up until the end.
- The acquisition of Mikyla Grant-Mentis was Daniele Sauvageau's home run of the season. Acquired at the trade deadline, she finished the year on the second line and twice, including the game at the Bell Centre, she was the best player on the team. Sauvageau also had a lucky hand with the acquisition of Amanda Boulier.
- As GM, Sauvageau comes out with a very positive record. In addition to the aforementioned acquisitions, her first three draft picks (Ambrose, O'Neill and Murphy) turned out to be very good. Ambrose has a good chance of winning best defense player while O'Neill came out of her shell offensively after the worlds and is a beast on faceoffs.
- The playoffs strategy will leave its mark. They'll remember this three-game sweep for a long time, which could serve as motivation for the team next year.
- The atmosphere created during the local games. When an intermission DJ is being asked about by high level directors of the league, it says a lot. From the MC to the DJ to every single bit on entertainment during TV breaks or at intermission, Christine Montpetit, who used to work for the Montreal Canadiens, and who is now in charge of ECHL’s Trois-Rivières Lions, and her team did a fantastic job.
- The fans. Last December, when individual tickets were still not on sale, it didn’t look like the team would be sold out for all of their games in Verdun, three times at Place Bell and once at the Bell Centre. Many experts had underestimated how much the fans wanted to see this team in action. A great success at this level.