Verdun-based PWHL Montreal got their first “home” win at Place Bell in Laval. A nearly filled arena of 6334 fans cheered as Montreal beat New York 3-2 in regular time on Tuesday January 16th 2024.
It felt as though a fight could have broken out at any moment, both teams showing true grit seeking a victory in Laval. Montreal established a late first period lead with a goal a piece scored by Gabrielle David and Leah Lum.
There were some brewing tensions between teams entering the second period, Poulin and Abby Roque had their own shoving match sending them both to the penalty box. Vanišová with a strong drive to the net toppled goalie Abigail Levy and players committing and finishing hits along the board. Among the penalties taken, New York’s capitalization of a power-play would mark the only goal of the period (Jaime Bourbonnais – 8:14) and get NewYork on the board.
0:11 seconds into the third period an early face-off win in the Montreal zone led to a goal by Jessie Eldridge that slipped by the glove of Ann-Renée Desbiens. A goal she would have surely wanted back. The ending was reminiscent of the game in Verdun against Boston but this time there was no disputing the game winning goal by Captain Marie-Philip Poulin with 6 min 54 sec remaining in the period! With the 3-2 lead PWHL Montreal’s defensive performance was able to keep New York at bay clinching their third win of the season. A win bringing them to 3-1-1-0.
There are numerous signs of teams growing chemistry, and fans were also able to see players congratulating not only Poulin after scoring, but also Ann-Renée Desbiens after the win, eliminating any irritation that may have arisen from the goal that tied the game.
For fans, it was an incredible experience witnessing the first of hopefully many home wins. The energy in the arena is something else.
Next game is a canadian classic MONTREAL vs TORONTO Saturday night at the Verdun Auditorium at 8pm
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 January 16th, 2024.
