The Montreal Professional Woman’s Hockey team was back in Verdun on Saturday February 24th for an afternoon game against Ottawa. Montreal took a 2-1 lead in the second period and went on to secure a final 6 to 3 win. The victory earned Montreal 3 points, placing them back at the top of the standings with 24 points.
The new league continues to build traction among Montrealers and the general public, with 3232 fans present in the auditorium. I found myself seated beside a family visiting from Vermont who, due to the geographical proximity, supported PWHL Boston, but had decided to support Montreal that night.
The first period showed a well contested matchup with both teams playing extremely well.
Ottawa’s Rosalie Demers received a penalty after falling into Montreal netminder Ann-Renée Desbiens. Minutes later Tereza Vanišová scored (9:12) with a wrist shot past Ottawa goalie Emerance Maschmeyer. A bouncing and juggling puck in the Ottawa zone would almost lead to a second scoring opportunity.
Soon after Montreal’s goal, Ottawa’s defenseman Ashton Bell (21) connected with forward Akane Shiga with a rink-long pass. After absorbing a clean hard check along the boards by Montreal’s Sarah Bujold (26), Akane Shiga scored on the pass and the play (10:45). The first period ended with both teams having scored a goal each.
The second period had a spotlight on the goalies with remarkable tracking and saves on both ends. A powerful drive from Montreal’s Claire Dalton would find a weak spot as she drove to the net and scored a goal for Montreal (18:12) while leaping over traffic in the blue paint.
The third period was where the majority of goals were attributed. Claire Dalton scored two more goals (8:30) and (15:25) earning herself a hat-trick! Montreal was able to consistently keep a two-goal lead over Ottawa with a final empty net goal scored by Maureen Murphy (16:44) to clinch the victory.
The Do-Si-Do would make another appearance as 4 players celebrated at center ice after the game!
Next Verdun Game: MONTREAL vs BOSTON Saturday March 2nd 2024 at 4pm
Carlo Primerano
Special collaboration
A resident of Ville-Émard, Carlo has always been interested in arts and media. As a hybrid hobbyist/professional he has worked with a variety of media formats, collaborating with both creatives and institutions. Academically, he has a bachelors from Concordia University in Urban Planning and a Minor in Film Animation.
The picture at the top of this article was taken by Carlo Primerano at the game on February 24th, 2024.
