The Montreal Victoire are heading to their first Walter Cup final as they defeated the two-time defending champion Minnesota Frost 2-1 at Place Bell on Tuesday in the fifth and deciding game of their Professional Women’s Hockey League semifinal.
Marie-Philip Poulin scored the game-winning goal at 3:06 of the third period on the power play. The win sets up a best-of-five final against the Ottawa Charge, ensuring that the league will crown its first Canadian champion. It was Poulin’s second game-winning goal of the tight series.
It is the first time the Frost lost a game facing elimination, moving to 6-1. They have been in all of the league’s deciding fifth games.
Erin Ambrose made a cross-ice pass to Poulin, who beat Maddie Rooney on a sharp angle near the goal line.
Minnesota pushed hard after the goal, getting several chances in the Montreal end, but Ann-Renee Desbiens was solid in the Victoire net. Rooney made some big saves of her own, keeping the game at 2-1.
Sam Cogan scored for the Frost, while Rooney made 15 saves.
Catherine Dubois also scored for the Victoire, while Desbiens made 25 saves, including eight in the third period.
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Montreal opened the scoring when Dubois’ shot hit off of Elizabeth Giguere’s stick and tricked Rooney. Poulin moved Dubois right before the faceoff, and won it back to her in the shooting position. The goal came 12:18 into the first period, and was scored after Minnesota opened with a 9-2 shot advantage.
Dubois was moved to the top line for this game, and it was her first goal of the playoffs.
Desbiens had an eventful period of her own. A Mae Batherson shot deflected in front by Kendall Coyne Schofield and trickled through Desbiens, but she was able to turn around and use her stick to stop the puck from crossing the line before grabbing it.
Minnesota tied the game 1-1 with 11:45 left in the second period when Cogan tipped a Abby Hustler pass in the slot that beat Desbiens.
Up to that point in the second period, both goaltenders made big saves with Desbiens making a rolling two-pad stack save on Giguere, and Rooney stopping Laura Stacey and Kaitlin Willoughby on separate chances early in the frame.
The shots in the second period were 6-5 Montreal, but the Frost had most of the possession in the period, aided in part to the game’s first power play.
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