Abby Roque never quite lived up to her potential in two seasons with the New York Sirens. Facing her former team, now as a member of the Montreal Victoire, Roque showed the best for her in the PWHL may be yet to come.
There were big expectations placed on Abby Roque when she signed as one of the 18 foundational players across the league. After two seasons with the New York Sirens however, things hadn't gone as planned for Roque, nor her team. It was clear both needed a change.
That opportunity came at the 2025 PWHL Draft when the Sirens shipped Roque to Montreal in exchange for Kristin O'Neill and a draft pick, while retaining a chunk of Roque's salary.
It was the change of scenery both the Sirens and Roque needed, and playing alongside Montreal's Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey on their top line, Roque has already shown the change is paying off.
Playing her first game in front of 8,392 home fans on Tuesday, Roque scored a goal and added two assists. In some ways, it was a first for Roque to be on the receiving end of such ovations in Montreal. Coming from New York, a loud and full arena like players experience in Montreal wasn't reality. The Sirens averaged only 2,764 fans last season, significantly lower than any other team in the league. With the crowd on her side, it was a moment Roque let sink in.
“It was a really fun game," said Roque. "Even from the starting lineup, especially for our rookies looking at me when everybody is getting announced, and they're like ‘This is crazy’, and I was like ‘Yeah, it's pretty cool’. So it's really fun to be able to play in front of this market.”
Head coach Kori Cheverie praised her new forward, who not only dominated the scoresheet, but also found herself in physical confrontations defending linemate Laura Stacey, killing penalties, and winning puck battles. The highligth grabbing moment however, was when Roque streaked in on a breakaway, and went between her legs to beat New York netminder Kayle Osborne.
“We're able to use Abby in a lot of different situations. And the fact that her and Pou (Marie-Philip Poulin) kind of switch off at the center position, depending on who's winning against certain centers, is really helpful too," said Cheverie. "Her goal was outstanding, just to create something with the limited space that she had, but that's the type of player that she is. She's very cerebral. She's got a very high IQ, and she's constantly thinking about the game and strategizing, and she's the one pulling people in to talk about different ways to handle certain situations. And I thought she did really well on the kill as well. For us to keep adding power play players, but also killers, is really helpful for our overall game.”
On the other side of the coin, it was also a return for the other half of that draft day trade in Kristin O'Neill. She received a warm welcome, including a tribute video, and you could see the lingering camaraderie in the post game handshake line.
“My welcome was great. I think playing in Montréal is always very exciting, especially with the fans, whether you're the home team or the away team," said O'Neill. "Every athlete feels the energy that the fans and the crowd bring. It was definitely weird being on the other side, but I'm happy to be with the teal and orange and I'm really excited to see what this group has next in store."
Montreal is now entering a long break as the team will not play again for two weeks until December 7, which will be immediately followed by another 10 day break for the Rivalry Series and Women's Euro Hockey Tour which will see the Victoire return to action December 17. Both games are against Toronto.