Montreal Victoire Defeat Minnesota Frost 4-2 – The Hockey Writers PWHL Latest News, Analysis & More

On Jan. 17, the Montreal Victoire hosted the Minnesota Frost for their third meeting of the 2024-25 Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) season. The Victoire were able to win this matchup, defeating the Frost 4-2.

Game Recap

The action kicked off in the first few minutes, with Montreal going to the box. Cayla Barnes had to sit for two minutes, but the visitors were unable to take advantage of the extra player on the ice. At 6:57, the Victoire were back to full strength. At 8:05, they scored their first goal of the night. Jennifer Gardiner received a pass from Erin Ambrose. Gardiner drove the puck up to the net next to the boards. As she cleared the faceoff circle, she passed to Abby Boreen who was right in front of the net. She took a shot while Nicole Hensley still had her eyes on Gardiner. Boreen’s shot hit the back of the net to put the Victoire on the board. Six minutes later, Marie-Philip Poulin was sent to the box after an illegal body check. The Frost were once again unable to score on the power play, and the period came to a close with a score of 1-0.

In the first two minutes of the second, Montreal was able to extend their lead. Alexandra Labelle took a shot on net that Kinsley was able to block. Claire Dalton recovered the rebound in front of the net and took a shot, scoring the second goal of the night. Two minutes after the second goal, the Frost earned their first penalty of the night. Kelly Pannek sat for boarding at the 4:14 mark. Maggie Flaherty got caught in the action, having to sit for delay of game at 5:08.

The Victoire had a two-player advantage, and they took advantage of it. Poulin took a shot on goal that was blocked by Hensley. She was able to recover the puck, sending it to Labelle. She passed it over to Ambrose. From here, she passed to Poulin, who then passed to Barnes. Poulin skated up a little closer to the net and was able to get the puck back from Ambrose. She took a shot and scored the first power play goal of the night, the third overall for the Victoire. Mae Batherson sat for interference at the 12-minute mark, but no goals were scored while she was out. With three minutes left in the period, the Frost were able to earn their first of the night. Pannek won the faceoff and Sophie Jaques caught the puck. She passed to Kendall Coyne who was right in front of the net while Ann-Renee Desbiens was far out of the crease. The Frost were on the board, but the Victoire were still up by two.

Once again, in the first few minutes, a penalty was earned. Clair Degeorge was sent to the box for tripping. The penalty was killed and play continued normally until the eight-minute mark. The Frost were sent to the box, this time it was Katy Knoll for kneeing. The Victoire made the most of this penalty though. Ambrose was part of the action once again, taking a shot at the net. It deflected off the goal post and Boreen was able to recover the puck. She scored the fourth of the night for her team and her second of the game.

Things were getting tense for the Frost. With not a lot of time left and three goals behind, it was down to the wire. Montreal earned their final penalty of the night with four minutes left in the game. Boreen was called out on throwing equipment, and she was forced to sit. The Frost took their chance and ran with it. Michaela Cava took a shot from the blue line to bring the Frost within two. However, this second goal was not enough to bring them closer. The Victoire took the win, 4-2.

On to the Next

The Victoire are back in action on Sunday, Jan. 19 when they host the Ottawa Charge. The Frost will head back home to play on Jan. 21, when they also host the Charge.