In front of 12,127 faithful Vancouver fans at the Pacific Coliseum, the Montreal Victoire handed the hometown Goldeneyes their first loss of the season on home ice.
The Pacific Coliseum was absolutely buzzing from puck drop, and the Vancouver Goldeneyes matched the energy right away. Despite a strong effort and long stretches of momentum, Vancouver ultimately fell 4-2 to the Montreal Victoire in a game that felt much closer than the final score suggests.
From the opening faceoff, the building was loud, and the pace was high. The Goldeneyes came out flying, generating early zone time and testing Montreal’s structure. Tereza Vanišová had a promising entry but was quickly surrounded by four Victoire defenders before she could get a shot off, a theme of Montreal collapsing swiftly and aggressively.
Katie Chan worked hard to keep pucks alive at the blue line, and although one attempt slipped past her, Emerance Maschmeyer was there with a beautiful save to calm things down. A strong sequence followed, with the Goldeneyes building momentum and rolling out what looked like an auspicious lineup combination, moving the puck well and keeping pressure on Montreal.
And then there was Maschmeyer.
She turned in an unreal stretch of saves, including stopping a small breakaway, denying the initial shot, shutting down the rebound, and then pouncing on the puck on the third chance. It was one of those sequences that makes you shake your head in disbelief; she was cool, calm, and completely collected.
Offensively, Vancouver had quite a few chances. Ashton Bell helped generate momentum, Abby Boreen was physical as always, and Michelle Karvinen nearly converted on a wraparound. Gabby Rosenthal had a perfectly timed shot that just wouldn’t go in, and Sophie Jacques stepped up with a key block at the other end. The Goldeneyes were clearly generating play, even if the finish wasn’t quite there yet.
That balance between skill and structure is something head coach Brian Idalski acknowledged post-game. “When we get loose, we create a lot of problems for ourselves,” he said. “We just need to be more structured and play a simpler game.”
The period ended 1-0, but Vancouver looked dangerous and engaged.
The Goldeneyes continued to battle in the second, with Claire Thompson delivering a strong poke check early and the defence working hard alongside Maschmeyer to keep pucks out. Montreal eventually broke through to make it 2-0, capitalizing on moments where Vancouver couldn’t cleanly exit the zone.
“When we’re not exiting clearly, we create problems that don’t need to be there,” Idalski explained. “Sometimes it just has to be pucks off the glass and out.”
Still, Vancouver didn’t fold. Boreen had multiple looks, though she held onto the puck a fraction too long on a prime opportunity. The pressure continued to build, forcing Montreal to defend, and eventually, the breakthrough came.
Sophie Jacques hammered a slap shot past the Victoire goalie, igniting the crowd and cutting the deficit. The building erupted, the loudest it had been all night, and suddenly the game felt wide open again.
Montreal earned a late power play, but Vancouver’s penalty kill held firm, keeping the score within reach heading into the third.
The Goldeneyes wasted no time starting the final frame. Just two minutes in, Michela Cava found the back of the net, pulling Vancouver within one and sending the Coliseum into another frenzy.
Momentum fully swung Vancouver’s way. Vanišová nearly tied it with a strong cut to the front, Karvinen and Chan continued to look like a solid pairing, and a crisp passing sequence through the Victoire defence ended with Boreen inches away from finishing.
Even with an extra attacker on the ice later in the period, Vancouver kept the pressure on, swarming Montreal and forcing rushed decisions. A late goal that appeared to swing the game was ultimately recalled, and Montreal added insurance shortly after to seal the 4-2 result.
Despite the loss, this was a promising performance from the Goldeneyes. The effort was there, Maschmeyer’s goaltending was outstanding, and stretches of play showed exactly what this group is capable of becoming.
Execution remains the difference. Cleaner exits, quicker decisions, and a higher shot frequency could have changed the outcome. As Idalski put it, “I’d like to see a higher shot frequency out of us, keep our feet moving and get to the dirty areas.”
The identity, though, is beginning to take shape.
“That’s a work in progress,” Idalski said. “We want to play a skilled game, but there’s also a time to make the simple play; put it behind their D and go to work.”
The Goldeneyes didn’t get the result they wanted, but they showed they can go toe-to-toe with one of the league’s most established teams, and that matters as the season continues to unfold.