Montreal earns a hard-fought 3-2 win over New York with the help of Poulin’s late decisive goal.
Marie-Philip Poulin was the difference maker on Tuesday night at Place Bell.
As she has done multiple times with Team Canada, the Montreal captain, known as Captain Clutch for her play with her national team, scored another clutch goal at 13:46 in the third period to lift her team to a 3-2 victory over New York.
A strong forecheck from Tereza Vanišová forced a turnover that allowed Maureen Murphy to find Poulin, who buried the feed with a tap-in at the far post. Poulin praised her linemates after the game as the three players continue to develop chemistry.
“It was a great play by Vanišová and Murphy,” said Poulin, who recorded all four of her PWHL goals against New York. “They played unbelievable tonight. I was just in the right place at the right time.”
Aside from scoring goals, Poulin was physically involved with New York forward Abby Roque. The players exchanged words and cross checks in the second period, leading to penalties for both.
“We’re both very competitive,” Poulin said. “She’s intense, she’s physical. We just got a couple words in, and went at it a little.”
Scrums, open ice hits, and net plow-throughs carried into the rest of the game as both teams worked to gain an edge over their opponent.
In her return to the lineup, Montreal forward Gabrielle David opened the scoring at 16:50 in the first period. David raced to beat icing before firing home a one timer in the slot. Seconds later, forward Leah Lum extended Montreal’s lead to 2-0 as she sailed in a wrist shot through traffic.
“I think our group gets pretty amped up to score,” said head coach Kori Cheverie of Montreal netting back-to-back goals in consecutive games. “We need to figure out a way to manage those momentum moments.”
A lone power play goal by New York defender Jaime Bourbonnais closed out the second period as her team entered the final frame trailing 2-1.
Only seconds into the third period, New York forward Jessie Eldridge roofed a snap shot past the shoulder of Montreal goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens to even the score.
Despite a late power play push by New York, Poulin and Montreal rallied together three points, improving their record to 3-1-1 and ranking second place in the league behind Minnesota.
Montreal returns to Verdun Auditorium to faceoff against Toronto in the final game of its three-game homestand on Saturday, Jan. 20. Puck drop is at 8 p.m.