The top 2 teams in the PWHL faced off last night as the Montréal Victoire traveled to take on the Boston Fleet at the Tsongas Center in front of an enthusiastic crowd. The fans got what they paid for (and more) as this one couldn’t be settled in regulation or overtime; but the Fleet grabbed the extra point as they got the W 3-2 in a shootout.
The pace was uptempo as one would expect from any BOS/MTL game, and neither side could solve the other’s goaltending. In net for BOS was Emma Söderberg (26 saves on 28 shots .929%SV – not a big deal) and at the other end of the sheet was Ann-Renée Desbiens. It looked like it was heading to the first intermission knotted at gooses until The Captain entered the chat.
A late power play saw the Fleet get set up in the MTL end, and Hilary Knight did what Hilary Knight does with a ridiculous drop down tip from the high slot. Sidney Morin and Susanna Tapani played catch high in the zone before Morin put a heavy wrister on net from the top of the umbrella. Knight was facing the puck and knocked the chest high attempt down and through the wickets on Desbien to give the Fleet the lead. Pure unadulterated filth.
The Victoire tied it up early in the 2nd when Amanda Boulier put one past Söderberg. Lina Ljungblom circled the BOS defensive zone and showed off her edge work before laying the feed perfectly to Boulier parked at the crease for the re-direct. Ljungblom still hasn’t looked at that puck. Great poise and vision.
But Boston wasn’t laying down. Susanna Tapani put the Fleet ahead just past midway of the period when she tucked one top shelf over the shoulder of Desbiens. Hilary Knight corralled the puck in the neutral zone and found Tapani streaking into the MTL zone, a fortuitous bounce off a MTL stick put the puck right to Tapani and if there’s one thing #77 knows, it’s how to finish.
But Montreal didn’t get into first place by accident, and the Victoire tied it back up less than 5mins later. A power play possession in the Fleet zone saw the puck come to Anna Wilgren at the left point and she dropped down to the top of the circle before her shoulder shake froze the BOS defender. Wilgren’s wrister went bar down and once again, the game is tied.
That score held through the 3rd… and through overtime as neither squad could get the go-ahead (is it just me or would you love to see a series between these 2 teams?). And so we go… to the shootout.
Shootout:
BOS Susanna Tapani ❌
MTL Lina Ljungblom ❌
BOS Hilary Knight ❌
MTL Marie-Philip Poulin ❌
BOS Alina Müller 🚨
MTL Erin Ambrose 🚨
BOS Loren Gabel ❌
MTL Laura Stacey ❌
BOS Hilary Knight 🚨
MTL Marie-Philip Poulin 🚨
Susanna Tapani 🚨
MTL Marie-Philip Poulin ❌
Söderberg with the save and the fans go home happy! Pretty clear who the Fleet thought the player of the game was. I mean, how can you argue with those numbers?
Stick taps for Hadley Hartmetz who made her pro debut last night. Looked good in limited minutes. She could be a huge piece for the Fleet as they steam towards the playoffs.
If you’ve read this far (thank you), please check out our new podcast with myself, Linda Lundrigan and Kelly Dyer Hayes called Breaking The Glass Hockey Podcast where we talk all women’s hockey. NCAA, IIHF, PWHL: if there’s women playing, we’ll be talking about it. And my 2 co-hosts have insane contacts so you’ll see some excellent interviews as we move forward. As they say: please like, share and subscribe!
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The Morning Skate 