The Montreal Victoire and the Minnesota Frost met in the semifinals of the Premier Women’s Hockey League, a series that quickly became a showcase of endurance, skill and drama.
Game one opened with Minnesota striking first, scoring twice before the intermission, but Shiann Darkangelo answered for the Victoire in the second period, only to see Britta Curl-Salemme ejected for an illegal hit that shifted momentum.
Overtime epics and unexpected delays
Laura Stacey then delivered a hat trick, forcing the game into overtime where Jincy Roese’s sudden-death goal gave Minnesota a 2‑1 edge. The next night, a scoreless duel between the net‑minders stretched into triple overtime before Marie-Philip Poulin’s decisive strike sent the crowd into rapture.
Game three saw the Victoire strike twice within 24 seconds, flipping the series lead, while a later contest in Game five was halted after a wave of illness swept through the Montreal roster, only to resume with Poulin again finding the net and Ann-Renée Desbiens making a string of clutch saves.
With the series clinched, the Victoire now turn their attention to the Ottawa Charge, a matchup that promises another chapter of high‑stakes women’s hockey, backed by a passionate fan base that has followed every twist of the journey.
Throughout the battle, players such as Kaitlin Willoughby, Grace Zumwinkle, Abby Roque, Erin Ambrose, Taylor Heise, Maggie Flaherty, Hayley Scamurra, Maureen Murphy, Sidney Morin, Kelly Pannek, Pat Laprade, Catherine Dubois, Nicole Gosling, Marie-Philip Poulin, Ann-Renée Desbiens, Kori Cheverie and Maddie Rooney contributed to a collective effort that defined the team’s character.