Two power-play goals and a 22-save shutout from Ann-Renée Desbiens lifted the Victoire over the Sceptres at Place Bell.
The Toronto Sceptres closed out the pre-Olympic break schedule with a 3–0 loss to the Montréal Victoire on Wednesday night at Place Bell, as Montréal’s special teams and territorial play proved to be the difference.
Toronto got off to a slow start and spent much of the opening period defending, managing just six shots. The Sceptres did kill off a 5-on-3 opportunity, but Montréal maintained the edge in chances and zone time. The Victoire opened the scoring at 16:33 of the first when Natalie Mlýnková knocked a bouncing puck home with a backhand past Raygan Kirk, sending Montréal into the intermission with a 1–0 lead. Montréal entered the night unbeaten at Place Bell this season and played with the pace and structure of a team comfortable on home ice.
The second period tilted further in Montréal’s favor. Toronto struggled with turnovers and had difficulty generating sustained pressure, while Montréal’s puck movement created repeated looks. The Sceptres had a power play midway through the period and generated four shots, but Ann-Renée Desbiens was solid in goal. At the other end, Kirk was Toronto’s best player, turning aside a breakaway from Laura Stacey and then stopping Marie-Philip Poulin at close range moments later to keep the game within reach.
Montréal eventually broke through on the power play at 14:25 when Poulin tipped a shot from the point that hit Ella Shelton's foot to make it 2–0. Later in the period, another Sceptres penalty led to Montréal’s second power-play goal, as Shiann Darkangelo capitalized on a loose puck following a shot from Maggie Flaherty to extend the lead to three.
Toronto was unable to mount a push in the third period, often relying on individual rushes rather than sustained offensive-zone time. Montréal protected the lead effectively, limiting chances and closing out the shutout. Desbiens finished with 22 saves, while Kirk stopped 28 shots in a strong performance despite the loss. For fans of Team Canada, Desbiens' performance was encouraging.
Montréal finished the night 2-for-4 on the power play and outshot Toronto 31–22, showing sharper legs and execution, while the Sceptres looked like a team ready for the break as the game wound down.