Tag Archives: #PHNWomensHockey

Desbiens backstops Victoire to a return to the top of the PWHL ladder

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LAVAL, QC  – The Montréal Victoire extended its undefeated streak at Place Bell, and against the Minnesota Frost, this season with a 4-0 shutout win highlighted by Ann-Renée Desbiens’ 17 save performance in goal.

The Victoire’s seventh straight win at Place Bell came before a sold-out crowd of 10,172 that cheered the team into first place in the PWHL standings, while putting a halt to the Frost’s six-game point streak. After 13 minutes of back-and-forth chances to open the first period, Maggie Flaherty found the back of the net on a shot that lifted over Nicole Hensley’s blocker to put the Victoire up 1-0.

Just 1:11 later, Dara Greig capitalized on a rebound chance in front of the net at 14:12 to secure Montréal’s lead and close out the scoring in the first period. The middle frame featured a defensive battle where neither team made it onto the scoresheet.

Minnesota gained momentum in the third period with a 5-on-3 advantage where Sidney Morin had the best chance with a shot off the bottom of the crossbar that deflected away from the net. Maureen Murphy opened the third period offense with the Victoire’s third goal at 11:22, before Laura Stacey tallied her first career shorthanded ‘jailbreak’ goal from a Marie-Philip Poulin pass in the captain’s return from the Olympic break.

Desbiens picked up her fourth shutout and 11th win as the Victoire leapfrog Boston by one point. Hensley reached 29 saves in her first regulation loss this season in eight games played as the Frost remain in third.

Both teams will travel to Coca-Cola Coliseum to play Toronto for their next games, with Montréal seeking their sixth straight win on Tuesday night and Minnesota looking for their first win to start the second half of the season on Sunday, Mar. 8.

QUOTES

Victoire Head Coach Kori Cheverie on the team limiting the Frost’s chances: “It’s kind of nice when these things happen where we focused a lot on defense recently, just in our video sessions, and the structure that we want to have defensively, which will often create the offense that you want. And the players committed to it tonight, and if it wasn’t executed perfectly, we could see that they were trying to implement some of the things that we were talking about. Some of our players are tired, some are ready to go because they haven’t had games in a while, so we’re just doing our best to try to find the perfect recipe for everybody to have success and against Minnesota I think we’ve got to be proud to keep them off the score sheet and to keep them to the limited chances that they did have.”

Montréal forward Laura Stacey on the Place Bell crowd being the seventh player with the team still undefeated this season in its primary venue: “I mean, the fans are incredible here. We just talked about it, we’re looking onto that ice, and it’s a packed house, it’s loud. Sometimes you can’t even hear what Kori is telling us to do on the bench, but they really are that extra player for us. We have a shot on goal, and they’re lifting us up on the penalty kill. We get a huge kill in the five on three, and the crowd lights up and it’s electric in this building. Honestly, it’s those little moments that make a huge difference, and I think we all feel it, and we get fired up to come and play in front of our crowd and the people who support us.”

Frost Head Coach Ken Klee on the potential impact of Kendall Coyne Schofield’s absence in today’s game: “You’re not as good as you could be, but we have a lot of good players, so I think we’re confident that we can play without her. She’s one of the best players in the league, so when she’s absent it hurts us, as it would any team when they’re missing one of their top players. Again, that’s not an excuse we have. We have a really good team. I think our depth and the number of players that we have, you can look at the stat sheet to see how many we have in the top 10. I think we have a lot of really good players. We’re going to be okay. Today wasn’t our day.”

Minnesota Forward Élizabeth Gigùere on coming to play in Québec: “It’s always great to be back in Québec and [have] lots of friends and family in the stands. I was really happy to just get to play today, and unfortunately, it didn’t go our way. I think we stuck [together] as a team. We pushed back. They made great saves, but this one’s in the past, and we’re just going to keep moving forward.”

NOTABLES

The Victoire remain undefeated at Place Bell this season, extending their team record to seven straight wins at their primary home venue. Montréal leads the league in win percentage at home (.852) with a 7-1-0-1 overall record.

Montréal has won five straight games for just the second time in team history following a six-game streak from Jan. 17 to Feb. 15 during the 2024-25 season.

The Victoire recorded their fourth straight win with a margin of victory of multiple goals, improving upon their team record. This was just the third time in team history they have won by a four-goal margin, with both previous wins against New York at Place Bell on Nov. 25 in this season’s home opener and on Feb. 15, 2025, of last season.

Minnesota entered the game with a league-high 3.20 goals-per-game average but were shut out for the first time since Apr. 27, 2025 against New York. This was also the Frost’s largest margin in a loss since losing 8-3 to Ottawa back on Feb. 13, 2025.

The Frost recorded their lowest shot total of the season with just 17. Their previous low was 21, also recorded against the Victoire at Place Bell on Jan. 4.

This was the first game of the season series decided in regulation, with the previous two won by Montréal in overtime. Ann-Renée Desbiens tied a single season PWHL record with her fourth shutout of the campaign, significantly exceeding the one she and her team posted across the first two seasons. The Canadian Olympic silver medalist has won both of her starts since returning from Milan to bring her league leading total to 11 while improving her league leading goals-against-average to 1.06 and save percentage to .958.

Maureen Murphy recorded a goal and an assist for her second multi-point performance of the season after a two-goal game on Jan. 24 against Ottawa. She has four goals and two assists in 17 games this season to match her point total from the 2024-25 season (3G, 3A) in 28 games. The Victoire veteran sits two points shy of the 30-point mark for her career, ranking fourth in all-time scoring by players in a Montréal uniform.

Maggie Flaherty recorded her third goal and sixth point in 17 games played for the Victoire, matching her career high in 24 games as a member of the Frost during the inaugural season (1G, 5A). The Montréal defender tallied her first game-winning goal of the season and first points in back-to-back home games since the team’s first two games at Place Bell this season (1G, 1A).

Dara Greig notched a goal for the second consecutive game, recording the first goal streak of her career and extending her point streak to three (2G, 1A). The Victoire forward now has five points this season (3G, 2A), putting her one shy of doubling her point total from her rookie season (3A).

Laura Stacey snapped a career-high eight-game goalless drought with her third of the season and is now one away from reaching 25 for her career, a mark which only four players in PWHL history have surpassed. The Canadian Olympian and Victoire alternate captain extended her point streak to three games with one goal and three assists over that duration. She also led today’s game with eight shots on goal, tying a season-high, and leads the league with 78 overall.

Hayley Scamurra’s two assists were her sixth and seventh of the season, counting as her first career multi-point game and surpassing her previous career high of five assists in the inaugural season with Ottawa. The U.S. Olympic gold medalist eclipsed 20 points in her 66th career game with her first points against Minnesota this season.

Marie-Philip Poulin recorded an assist in her return to the lineup today after missing her first game of the season in Montréal’s 4-1 win over New York on Thursday. The Victoire and Canadian Olympic captain became just the third player in PWHL history to record at least 15 points in each of the league’s first three seasons, joining Minnesota captain Kendall Coyne Schofield and Ottawa captain Brianne Jenner. This was her fifth point (3G, 2A) in three games against the Frost this season.

Amanda Boulier became the 44th player in league history to reach 15 career assists. The Victoire defender notched her second assist in her last four games, after ending a 19-game pointless drought on Jan. 24 in Montréal’s 3-1 win against Ottawa.

Nicole Hensley suffered her first regulation loss in 11 games going back to Mar. 16, 2025, of last season. She sits fourth among league goaltenders with a goals-against-average of 1.85 and a .937 save percentage.

Élizabeth Giguère, who was activated from Minnesota’s Reserve Player list on Friday, made her season debut today in her home province. The Frost’s first player hailing from Québec recorded one shot on goal in 11:15 of ice time.

Coyne Schofield missed the first game of her PWHL career after being placed on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) from an upper-body injury sustained at the Olympics.

THREE STARS

1. Laura Stacey (MTL) 1G, 8 SOG
2. Maureen Murphy (MTL) 1G, 1A
3. Ann-Renée Desbiens (MTL) 17/17 SV

STANDINGS

Montréal: 33 PTS (9-3-0-5) – 1st Place
Minnesota: 28 PTS (7-2-3-4) – 3rd Place

UPCOMING SCHEDULES

Montréal: Tuesday, Mar. 3 at Toronto at 7 p.m. ET
Minnesota: Sunday, Mar. 8 at Toronto at 12 p.m. ET

Fleet sail to third straight win on penalties in Ottawa

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OTTAWA  – The Boston Fleet came out on top in the shootout for the first time in three tries against the Ottawa Charge this season, securing a 3-2 victory on Saturday afternoon at TD Place in the first taste of post-Olympic action for both teams.

The game featured the second goaltending battle of the season between Team USA’s Aerin Frankel and Gwyneth Philips facing off at either end of the ice, each now with a win. Frankel turned away 23/25 and 4/5 in the shootout to become the second PWHL netminder to reach 30 career wins, while Philips stopped 21/23 and 3/5 in the shootout.

Boston’s Abby Newhook was the lone scorer for the game’s first 40 minutes, reaching the back of the net at 14:52 in the first.

Ottawa entered the third period with 29 seconds remaining on the power play, but Rebecca Leslie needed just eight seconds to bring the Charge even at one apiece.

Leslie followed up less than two minutes later with her second goal at 2:04 to give Ottawa the lead, but Swiss hero Alina Müller played spoiler tying the game at 13:26 when her shot deflected off a Charge defender into the back of the net.

Müller and Hannah Brandt capitalized in the shootout for Boston over Brianne Jenner’s lone shootout goal for Ottawa to give the Fleet their third-straight shootout win, but first over the Charge.

A sold-out crowd of 8,572 took in the action, just four shy of the Charge’s attendance record at TD Place, set on April 26, 2025. The win extended Boston’s lead in the standings at 32 points before going to New York on Thursday to face the Sirens. Ottawa sits in fifth at 23 points, one point back from the Sirens, as they prepare to host Seattle on Wednesday.

QUOTES

Fleet forward Hannah Brandt on the team’s resilience to battle back from the 2-1 deficit: “Our team never gets too high or too low. We had the lead and unfortunately gave it up, but there’s no doubt on our bench that we’ll get the tying goal and hopefully get the next one as well. Whether we have the lead or not, we’re playing as hard as we can and never giving up.”

Boston Head Coach Kris Sparre on the team’s performance in the first game back: “It was nice to be back on the bench and great for our players to play a game. I think when you take that much time off, you never really know what to expect in the first game back. We certainly have things to clean up, but I liked a lot of things about our game tonight… Maybe we should just stop wasting everyone’s time and go right to a shootout to start.”

Ottawa Head Coach Carla MacLeod on Rebecca Leslie’s two goals: “Rebecca’s been phenomenal all year. She showed it again. She’s such a competitor. She got her game going stronger and stronger as the periods went on. We saw she was determined in the third period. She’s so composed with the puck. She lets the game come to her. She doesn’t force it. If the puck is on her stick, we know we are in a good spot. She’s also got that chemistry with Brianne Jenner and Sarah Wozniewicz. This line has been an important one for us this season. They’re fun to watch.”

Charge captain Brianne Jenner on the sold-out crowd after the Olympic break: “It’s really fun. We missed it a lot this past month. We’re now pretty excited for Wednesday when we host Seattle at home again.”

NOTABLES

All three games in the season series have gone to shootout, accounting for three of the league’s seven shootout games and 35 of the league’s 79 total shootout attempts.

Boston is the first team in PWHL history to play three consecutive games with shootout results, winning all three as part of a four-game winning streak and six-game point streak dating back to Jan. 7 (2-3-1-0). Four of their last five games have gone to a shootout, and they have now set a new team record with five shootouts this season.

Ottawa, who won the first two games of the season series by shootout, entered the game a perfect 5-for-5 this season in games beyond regulation, a PWHL record. The other three wins were each secured in overtime.

Both Ottawa and Boston continue their clean record in overtime this season, with neither giving up a goal in 3-on-3 action.

The Charge lost at TD Place for the first time since Dec. 2, ending a team record four-game winning streak on home ice.

The Fleet have played in eight straight games decided by one goal, dating back to their last shootout at TD Place on Dec. 27. Prior to that, each of Boston’s first seven games were decided by multiple goals.

Both teams scored a power play goal today and continue to lead the league in percentage of total goals scored with the player advantage with Boston at 29.4% of their goals and Ottawa at 27.5% of their total goals.

Aerin Frankel became the second PWHL netminder to win 10 games this season and reach 30 career regular season wins (also Ann-Renée Desbiens, 10 / 32, MTL), coming in her 54th career start. The newly minted Olympic gold medalist was between the pipes for her fifth shootout of the season, allowing just one goal to bring her season record to 3-2. She has now faced 30 shootout attempts this season, twice as many as the previous single season record of 15.

Alina Müller stayed hot coming out of an All-Star Olympic performance and bronze medal victory with a game-tying goal, shootout goal, and an assist for her third multi-point game of the season. The Swiss and Fleet alternate captain extended her scoring streak to four, dating back to Jan. 14 (1G, 4A), the longest active assist streak in the league and one game shy of her career-high point streak set last season from Jan. 11 to Feb. 12, 2025 (2G, 5A). Müller also had a pair of shootout goals in Boston’s last game on Jan. 28 to lead the Fleet over the Sirens.

Hannah Brandt recorded her fourth shootout goal of the season to tie Ottawa’s Brianne Jenner, who also scored in today’s shootout, for the league lead. The Fleet forward leads the league with two shootout winning goals and 10 attempts, while continuing to look for her first goal of the season in regulation.

Abby Newhook scored her fifth goal of the season to bring her into a tie with New York’s Casey O’Brien for second among the league’s rookies. She now has points in three consecutive games dating back to Jan. 28 (2G, 1A) matching her season high set from Nov. 29 to Dec. 7 in her second through fourth career PWHL games.

Rebecca Leslie has a pair of goals in each of her last two games, including a power play marker in both. The third year forward fired a career-high eight shots on goal and continues a breakout campaign that’s seen her score 10 goals (3PPG) across 17 games – including five in her last four games – and 16 total points on the season to tie for the league lead. During the Olympic break, Leslie won the Accuracy Shooting Contest at the Ottawa Senators’ annual Skills Competition on Feb. 22, hitting all four targets in 9.542 seconds.

Jenner scored in her third-straight shootout against the Fleet with her fourth shootout goal of the season, while also tallying a secondary helper on Leslie’s first goal. The assist was the Ottawa captain’s 16th point of the season, surpassing her 2024-25 total and moving into a tie for the league lead in scoring. As alternate captain for Team Canada, Jenner tallied three points (1G, 2A) for the silver medalists in Milan.

Gwyneth Philips recorded her first shootout loss of the season, after winning her last three starts against Frankel. The two U.S. netminders combined to produce an Olympic record shutout streak of 352:17, with Philips turning away all 26 shots she faced in two games. Philips 15 starts this season are the second most in the league, one fewer than New York’s Kayle Osborne.

Keller continued her feverish February with the primary assist on Müller’s game-tying goal, her team-leading 12th point of the season. The U.S. gold medal-winning goal scorer has yet to go more than one game without a point this season and comes off an Olympic tournament where she tied for the lead in scoring with nine points.

Hadley Hartmetz recorded her third assist of the season, playing on the first defensive pairing with Keller in her 12th game of the season. The blue liner played in just two games for Boston last year in an injury shortened rookie season.

Susanna Tapani broke a three-game PWHL scoring drought that lasted through the Olympics with the secondary assist on Müller’s game-tying goal. The Finnish forward has four goals and five assists in 15 PWHL games this season.

Emily Clark tallied the primary assist on Leslie’s first goal and has points in consecutive games for the first time this season with a goal and two assists dating back to Jan. 28. The Canadian Olympian and Charge alternate captain scored two goals and an assist across seven games in Milan.

Loren Gabel took the ice for her first game of the 2025-26 PWHL season after signing with the Fleet on Jan. 26 from the team’s Reserve Player List. The veteran forward has been a member of the Fleet since the inaugural season, contributing 10 points (6G, 4A) in 37 career games across her first two seasons.

Olivia Zafuto played in her second Fleet game of the season after signing from the team’s Reserve Player List on Friday. The defender played 13 games for New York during the inaugural season, contributing one assist.

Zoe Boyd and Olivia Mobley were placed on long-term injured reserve on Feb. 13 and 17 respectively, with upper-body injuries sustained during practice over the Olympic break. In Boston’s 14 games coming into today, Boyd played in 12 while Mobley played in 10.

THREE STARS

1. Aerin Frankel (BOS) 23/25 SV
2.  Rebecca Leslie (OTT) 2G
3.  Alina Müller (BOS) 1G, 1A, 1 SOG

STANDINGS

Boston: 32 PTS (8-3-2-2) – 1st Place
Ottawa: 23 PTS (4-5-1-7) – 5th Place

 

UPCOMING SCHEDULES

Ottawa: Wednesday, Mar. 4 vs. Seattle at 7 p.m. ET
Boston: Thursday, Mar. 5 at New York at 7 p.m. ET

 

CLICK HERE FOR STATS

Power play drives Finland to 3-1 win over Switzerland

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An eventful second period proved to be the difference as Finland dropped the puck against Switzerland in the final matchup of Tuesday. All four goals came in the middle frame, with Finland getting the better of the Swiss.

Special teams played a vital role, as three of the four goals were scored with a player in the penalty box.

Finland struck twice on the power play, with goals from Viivi Vainikka and Sanni Vanhanen, while Vancouver Goldeneyes forward Michelle Karvinen picked up an assist on the latter. Alina Müller scored shorthanded for Switzerland, registering their lone tally of the game.

Switzerland finishes group play at the bottom of Group A and will face whichever team finishes fourth in the group during the knockout stage. At present, that would set up a rematch between these two sides, though Finland still has one game remaining against Canada on Thursday at 8:30 AM ET after the matchup was rescheduled from the opening day of competition. With a regulation win over the Canadians, Finland could climb as high as second place in the group depending on goal differential.

The knockout stage begins Friday at 10:40 AM ET.

US drops another nickel, this time in a 5-0 win over Canada

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The much-anticipated meeting between the United States and Canada proved to be a one-sided affair, as the Americans held their longtime rivals scoreless while scoring five goals of their own.

It marked Team USA’s third consecutive shutout and the second of the tournament for Boston Fleet goaltender Aerin Frankel. It’s the first time Canada has been shutout in the Olympics.

The United States allowed just one goal throughout the group stage while scoring five goals in all four preliminary matchups.

Seattle Torrent forward Hannah Bilka led the way offensively with two goals, while collegiate standouts Caroline Harvey, Kristen Simms, and Laila Edwards each added a goal apiece. The dominant performance secured first place in Group A for the Americans.

Canada, playing without captain and Montréal Victoire star Marie-Philip Poulin, who suffered a lower-body injury in Monday’s win over Czechia, struggled to generate offense in a disappointing showing given the buildup surrounding the matchup.

Victoire netminder Ann-Renée Desbiens made her second start in as many days after backstopping Canada to victory on Monday but was unable to replicate that performance against the Americans. Vancouver Goldeneyes goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer relieved Desbiens in the third period, though the result was already decided.

Canada still has one preliminary-round matchup remaining, set for Thursday at 8:30 AM ET against Finland after the game was rescheduled due to illness.

The United States has now won seven straight games against Canada and will face third-place Group B finisher Italy in the quarterfinals of the knockout stage. Canada can finish no lower than third in Group A and needs just one point, or for Finland to drop points, to secure second place. Quarterfinal play begins Friday at 10:40 AM ET.

Germany tops Italia

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With Sweden having already locked up first place in Group B before the puck even dropped, Germany and Italy were playing for second place in the group. Italy entered the matchup holding that position, but Germany’s 2–1 regulation victory ensured they would finish above the Italians in the standings.

The teams were even in shots on goal, with both registering 24 apiece, but it was Boston Fleet forward Laura Kluge, off an assist from Vancouver Goldeneyes defender Nina Jobst-Smith, who scored the game-winner with just a minute and a half remaining. The goal marked Kluge’s third of the tournament and her Olympic Winter Games–leading seventh point.

Both teams advance to the knockout stage, with quarterfinal play beginning Friday at 10:40 AM ET. The final Group B standings see Sweden finish first, followed by Germany, Italy, Japan, and France.

Sweden tops Group B with win over Japan

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It’s four wins from four for Sweden as they finish the preliminary stage of competition perfect. The Swedes shut out Japan 4–0 in their final matchup before the knockout stage, with goals coming from four different Swedish skaters.

New York Sirens defender Maja Nylén Persson recorded two assists on the day, her first points of the tournament. Netminder Ebba Tärff Svensson earned the shutout, her first of the Winter Olympics.

Through four games, Sweden boasts a +16 goal differential, having conceded just two goals.

The Swedes will look to carry that momentum into the knockout stages, with their quarterfinal matchup to be determined later. Japan’s tournament comes to a close with three points, highlighted by a lone victory over France. Quarterfinal play in the knockout stage begins on Friday.