LOWELL, MA (February 4, 2024) — Laura Stacey scored at 2:36 of overtime to lift Montréal to a 2-1 win over Boston on Sunday afternoon. The victory is Montréal’s third straight and second in a row via overtime.
The game winner was scored after Stacey and teammate Erin Ambrose entered the zone on a 2-on-1 rush, with Ambrose patiently waiting to feed Stacey at the top of the crease. Ambrose slid the puck past two Boston defenders, landing perfectly on Stacey’s stick for the quick tap-in, giving Montréal the two points.
The goal is Stacey’s fifth of the season and first game-winning-goal. Ambrose’s assist was her second point of the game. Marie-Philip Poulin recorded her second helper of the game on the marker.
Ambrose provided Montréal’s first goal at 15:59 of the first period to give her squad a 1-0 lead. The tally was scored after a slick passing play in Boston’s zone between Ambrose, Poulin and Maureen Murphy in which the defender ended up with the puck at the right face-off dot. Ambrose then drove to the net and slid the puck underneath Boston goaltender Aerin Frankel with a backhand shot.
Sophie Shirley broke through for Boston at 2:36 of the third, tying the game 1-1. The goal, assisted by Hannah Brandt, was Shirley’s first as a professional. Brandt created a turnover deep in Montréal’s zone and found Shirley in front, who one-timed the shot past Elaine Chuli.
The game is the second time the two teams have gone to overtime. Boston took the first matchup on January 13 by a score of 3-2 with Amanda Pelkey scoring the winner.
Chuli made 26 saves in the victory, her third win in three starts. Frankel turned aside 28 shots in the loss.
Next up, following the PWHL’s IIHF International Break, Boston hosts Toronto on February 14. Two days later, on February 16, Montréal heads to Toronto for the Battle on Bay Street at Scotiabank Arena.
Postgame Quotes:
Laura Stacey to the broadcast team on her overtime winner: “We coughed up a little turnover in our end and luckily the two on the ice made some nice plays with it. I just drove the net, Erin (Ambrose) had a ton of patience, and I put my stick on the ice and she made a perfect pass to me back door. I didn’t do a whole lot to get that, but a lot of great plays up the ice that made it happen…Coming into Boston against a good team and getting two points, that’s big for us, especially after they came into our house and took (points) from us. We’re proud of the effort.”
Notes:
- Attendance: 4,210 – Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell
- Three Stars 1) Laura Stacey 2) Elaine Chuli 3) Sophie Shirley
- Montréal outshot Boston 30-27 — Shots were an even 3-3 in the extra frame.
- Montréal defender Kati Tabin had a game-high seven shots on goal — Stacey had five shots, as did Boston’s Sidney Morin, the second most amongst all players.
- Both teams were 0/2 on the powerplay — Montréal is now just 3.8% with the advantage, last in the PWHL.
- Stacey is tied for fourth in the PWHL in goals and has scored in three straight games.
- Murphy’s assist was her seventh of the season which ties her for the league lead with Alina Müller (BOS).
- Murphy’s assist extends her point streak to three games – Müller’s four-game streak comes to an end.
- Erin Ambrose recorded her first multi-point game of the season and how has six points, tied for second among defenders with Lee Stecklein (MIN).
- Marie-Philip Poulin’s first multi-assist game gives her nine points, tied with Ella Shelton (NY) and Müller for second in the PWHL.
- Chuli lowered her league-leading goals-against-average to 1.31 and maintained her league-high save percentage of .962.
- Montréal has gone to extra time in five of nine games this season — Four ended in overtime and one ended in a shootout — They’re 2-2 in overtime and 0-1 in the shootout.
- Montréal has collected points in seven straight games – Boston in three straight.
- Montreal (3-3-2-1) now sits alone atop the PWHL standings with 17 points — They entered the game with 15 points, tied with Minnesota.
- Boston (2-2-1-1) now has 11 points, tied with both Toronto and New York for third place.
- Today’s attendance was Boston’s highest of the season and the fourth straight game they’ve exceeded 4,000 fans.
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