PWHL Montreal's national team stars continued to ride high from their gold medal performance with a comeback win over Minnesota to keep Minnesota from clinching a playoff berth.
PWHL Minnesota failed to clinch a playoff berth as Montreal pulled off an improbable comeback late in the final frame to upend Sophie Jaques’ sensational night with a 4-3 victory at the Verdun Auditorium.
Jaques’ trio of second-period assists were no match for the return of Marie-Philip Poulin and a couple of daggers from Montreal’s Kristin O’Neill Thursday night as they broke Minnesota’s five-game winning streak.
Both goalies came up big off of puck drop, with chances from either side getting Maddie Rooney and Elaine Chuli up-to-speed minutes into the opening frame.
Brittyn Fleming’s delay of game penalty six minutes into the first gave Montreal’s power play their first opportunity of the contest.
Montreal entered the night sporting an 8.1% power play. However, their percentage swiftly improved, in large part due to O’Neill.
Poulin fed a netside O’Neill from the point, and the Mississauga, Ont. product banged in the puck at the side of the net, scoring a seemingly rare Montreal power-play goal to the enthusiastic cheers of their home crowd.
Nearly 10 minutes following Fleming’s penalty, the referees sent Michela Cava to the box for slashing. On the ensuing opportunity, Poulin scored in her return to PWHL action following a month-and-a-half-long hiatus due to injury and the IIHF Women’s World Championship.
The captain gave her team a 2-0 lead entering the first intermission, while on Minnesota’s end, Kendall Coyne Schofield and Taylor Heise generated offense but couldn’t beat Chuli.
The second saw Minnesota climb out of their two-goal hole by rattling off three goals in six minutes to pull ahead of the home team.
Grace Zumwinkle unleashed a one-timer from the left hashmark on a power play opportunity, Kelly Pannek tipped in a Jaques point shot and Brooke Bryant buried a Heise cross-crease feed for her first of the season to cap off Minnesota’s trio of tallies.
The goalie duel continued following the flurry of goals, and Minnesota entered the second intermission with a one-goal advantage.
Rooney and Minnesota held the fort for most of the final frame, but Montreal found cracks in their armor late. Following a timeout and with Chuli pulled, Laura Stacey roofed a one-timer — from nearly the identical spot as Zumwinkle earlier in the game — and knotted the game at three apiece.
A late holding penalty against Maggie Flaherty under a minute after Stacey’s marker gave Montreal a late player advantage, and just as she opened the game, O’Neill ended Minnesota’s night.
Her shot fluttered past Rooney, sealing Minnesota’s fate as fans at the Verdun Auditorium celebrated.
Chuli made 25 saves on 28 shots — Rooney 33 on 37 — and Montreal sent Minnesota off with no points, preventing them from becoming the first team in PWHL history to clinch a berth in the Walter Cup Playoffs.
The regulation victory brings Montreal within one point of Minnesota in the standings and two of Toronto — all three teams have four games remaining.
Minnesota finishes its two-game Eastern Canada road swing with a pitstop in Ottawa on Saturday. Puck drop will commence at 7:00 p.m. ET, 6:00 p.m. CT.