Victoire Interrupts Win Streak Record With Loss Against Boston

Summary:

• Boston defeated the Victoire with a 3-2 victory during the PWHL’s Takeover Tour. 
• Montréal ended their four-game winning streak, a club record while the Fleet stopped a three-game losing one. 
• Desbiens stood out for Montréal with 28 saves

Aerin Frankel‘s stellar shootout performance on Sunday helped the Boston Fleet secure a 3-2 victory over the Montréal Victoire during the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s Takeover Tour. 

The Fleet’s success led to the end of Montréal’s four-game winning streak, a club record.

Frankel Stood Firm

Aerin Frankel (25) only allowed one goal in the shootout at Climate Pledge Arena. The goaltender, considered one of the best in women’s NCAA history, stopped three consecutive attempts following Montréal’s Marie-Philip Poulin’s (33) opening try success. 

In total, she stopped 23 shots. Her stellar performance didn’t take any of the 12,608 fans in attendance by surprise. 

In 2021, the player was handed a prestigious Patty Kazmaier Award and was the recipient of the WHCA National Goalie of the Year award twice as well as the inaugural winner in the same year. 

Two years later, in 2023, the New Yorker won gold with the US women’s national ice hockey team at the 2023 IIHF Women’s World Championship held in Brampton, Ontario.

Montréal Took Early Control

Montréal took control early, building a 2-0 lead in the opening period. Mississauga native Laura Stacey (30) capitalized on a power play at 6:28, assisted by 23-year-old Jennifer Gardiner from Surrey, BC, and Cayla Barnes (25). 

Abby Boreen (24) added her third goal of the season 10 minutes later, with helpers from Ontarinian Erin Ambrose (30) and Oakville, ON-born Kristin O’Neill (26).

Boston’s offense came alive in the shootout, with centre Hannah Brandt (31), forward Hannah Bilka (23), and three-time Olympian who grabbed a pair of bronze medals with her native Finnish team in 2018 and 2022 Susanna Tapani shining bright on ice. 

All three players had no problem finding the back of the net against Montréal’s La Malbaie-born Ann-Renee Desbiens (30). 

The two teams battled to a 2-2 stalemate through regulation and a five-minute overtime period in front of an attendance that consisted of 12,608 fans.

Boston initiated its comeback in the second period when Bilka scored a power-play goal at 12:45, assisted by Megan Keller (28) and Amanda Pelkey (31).  

The momentum carried into the third period as Tapani netted the tying goal at 10:58, with assists from Keller, who marked her sixth of the season, and Bilka, who recorded her fourth.

Despite the loss, Desbiens was a standout for Montréal, making 28 saves and shutting down several late-game chances, including a 2-on-1 break with 20 seconds left in regulation and a last-second save to force overtime. 

As Montréal bid farewell to its record-breaking winning streak after losing their opening match of the season, the Fleet stopped a three-game losing one, improving to 2-1-1-4 on the season. 

The two teams have a history of closely contested matchups, with three of their four meetings last season requiring overtime, including one that went into triple OT. 

Montréal had previously defeated Boston 3-1 in their first meeting this season.

Looking ahead, Boston heads to Minnesota for their next game on Wednesday, while Montréal will face Toronto the same evening. 

Both teams aim to build on their strong starts to the season in what promises to be an exciting week of PWHL action.