MONTREAL — In an exciting showdown Thursday night, the Montreal Victoire triumphed over the Toronto Sceptres with a final score of 4-3 after a nail-biting shootout.
This victory marked Montreal’s fourth consecutive win, boosting their record to 7-3-1-2 for the season.
During the shootout, Laura Stacey and Marie-Philip Poulin were instrumental in securing the win for their team, while Julia Gosling managed to find the back of the net for Toronto.
Throughout the regulation period, Montreal’s scoring was credited to Stacey, Mariah Keopple, and Maureen Murphy, while Toronto’s goals came from Jesse Compher, Hannah Miller, and Daryl Watts, with the Sceptres holding a record of 4-0-3-7.
The Sceptres took an early lead in the game after Compher netted a goal during a power play halfway through the first period, scoring from a challenging angle.
Montreal responded just three minutes before the first period ended when Keopple capitalized on a rebound in front of an open goal, successfully evening the score.
The Victoire then took the lead at the seventh minute of the second period with a powerful one-timer from Murphy, but Toronto soon balanced the match again with a power-play goal from Miller six minutes later.
Stacey reclaimed the lead for Montreal at 10:13 in the third period, only for Watts to tie the game again with a goal at 16:27.
In terms of takeaways from the match, the Victoire continued to display some difficulties when it came to their special teams, allowing two power-play goals and failing to capitalize on their power-play chances. Interestingly, despite holding the top position in the league, Montreal sits in the lower half regarding both power-play and penalty-kill efficiency.
On the other hand, the Sceptres showcased impressive cycling and forechecking that dominated lengthy stretches of the match, but converting these opportunities into consistent scoring on even terms proved to be a challenge.
A crucial moment in the game was provided by Montreal goalkeeper Elaine Chuli, who made several key saves during the third period prior to clinching the victory in the shootout, finishing the match with an impressive total of 37 saves.
Notably, during their streak of five wins in six games, Montreal has seen point contributions from an impressive 17 different players.
Looking ahead, Toronto is set to host the Minnesota Frost on Saturday, while Montreal will travel to face the New York Sirens on Sunday.
