LAVAL, Quebec — In a thrilling match on Friday night, Abby Boreen netted two goals, propelling the Montreal Victoire to a 4-2 victory over the Minnesota Frost.
Montreal’s offensive effort was supported by Claire Dalton and team captain Marie-Philip Poulin, who scored during a five-on-three advantage, marking the team’s first home game since December 30.
On defense, Ann-Renée Desbiens of Montreal stood strong, recording 21 saves throughout the game.
For the Frost, Kendall Coyne Schofield and Claire Thompson both found the back of the net, but Minnesota faced its first road regulation loss of the season after previously winning their first three games on the road. Just days earlier, they had also narrowly dropped a 3-2 shootout to the New York Sirens.
Nicole Hensley, the Frost’s goaltender, made 20 saves in the competition.
With this victory, the Victoire closed the gap on the Frost in the PWHL standings, now just one point behind Minnesota, while holding two games in hand. Interestingly, the Frost had previously beaten Montreal 4-2 last Sunday in Denver as part of the PWHL’s Takeover Tour.
The Victoire were without forward Laura Stacey, who is currently day-to-day due to an injury sustained last weekend.
Takeaways from the game reveal that Montreal successfully scored two power-play goals in a single match for the first time since November 30. As for the Frost, despite leading the PWHL with a total of 36 goals, they could only get past Desbiens on two occasions.
A pivotal moment of the match came when Boreen, stepping up in place of the injured Stacey, converted a cross-ice pass from her linemate, Jennifer Gardiner, to kick off the scoring for Montreal approximately eight minutes into the first period.
Notably, Poulin has managed to record at least one point in all three matchups against the Frost this season. She has tallied three goals along with three assists in a four-game point streak against Minnesota, which is her longest against any single opponent throughout her PWHL career.
Looking ahead, the Victoire are set to clash with the Ottawa Charge on Sunday in Quebec City, while the Frost will host the same team on Tuesday.
