Highlights and Press Conferences available on Montréal and Vancouver YouTube channels
LAVAL, QC (April 1, 2026) – The Montréal Victoire became the second team to punch a ticket to the 2026 PWHL Walter Cup Playoffs, led by Ann-Renée Desbiens’ sixth shutout of the season and two goals from Hayley Scamurra, shutting out the Vancouver Goldeneyes 3-0 in front of 9,176 fans at Place Bell on Wednesday night. Scamurra’s two-goal night included the game winner, while Laura Stacey and Skylar Irving notched two assists apiece to lead the offence for the Victoire. After the game seemed headed towards overtime, still scoreless midway through the final frame, Scamurra finished off a cycle between Irving and Stacey, finding space in the slot to put home a one-time snapshot for her fourth of the season. With Vancouver goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer on the bench for the extra attacker, Scamurra finished off a rush pass from Stacey, who set a new career high in assists, to double Montreal’s lead to 2-0 with 1:37 remaining. Defender Maggie Flaherty iced the game for the Victoire with another empty-net marker, her fourth tally of the season, with 42 seconds remaining. Along with clinching a playoff position, Montréal set a new PWHL record with the win, extending their point streak to 12 straight games. Desbiens secured her 15th win of the season while Maschmeyer stopped 25 of 26 shots in the loss.
Montréal now sit two points behind first-place Boston in the standings and six points ahead of Minnesota, who lost to New York in overtime tonight. With New York’s win, Vancouver is now two points behind the sixth-place Sirens.
QUOTES
Victoire Head Coach Kori Cheverie on the team winning a game without the team having its best outing: “I thought Vancouver played a really tough game. They were very physical and played desperate hockey. I think it took us until the third period to kind of match that desperation. Even after we scored the empty net goal, there was still lots of game left to play in my mind even though it was like the 1:40 or 1:50 minute mark, and I think we found a way to win when I didn't think we had our A-game."
Montréal alternate captain Laura Stacey on everyone stepping up during captain Marie-Philip Poulin's absence: “She's a huge loss and she is irreplaceable. That being said, I don't think there is any more pressure. It's a team sport, and all of us want to stand up and make her proud, make each other proud. We want to score, we want to put pucks on the net, and at the end of the day, we just want to win hockey games. What we can do is show up and find a way to be the best version of us every night, and if you do that, that void gets a little smaller.”
Vancouver Head Coach Brian Idalski on the game as a whole: “It was a playoff type atmosphere, and anybody's game coming into the third. So, hats off to Montréal. I thought they played a very solid game from start to finish. Obviously [through the first two periods Vancouver had] some pretty big penalty kills, and I thought we did much better in the second with the neutral zone and played some good road hockey. Just hoping to create a little more in the third there, get an opportunity.”
Goldeneyes alternate captain Sarah Nurse on her team’s performance: “I think we could have done a better job of getting in front of Ann-Renée [Desbiens] for sure. You pre-scout a very good goalie and some keys to success are definitely taking away their eyes and creating havoc at the net. I think that's something that we need to do a better job of. I don't think we gave a lot up in the first two periods, which I was very proud of. And then coming into the third, it's obviously disappointing when that one goal is the goal, I think that was a little frustrating coming out of that game.”
NOTABLES
Montréal became the first team to secure playoff berths in three straight PWHL seasons. With six games remaining, this is the fastest the team has ever clinched after locking up a playoff spot with four games left in their 2024-25 season and with two games left in the inaugural season.
The Victoire set a PWHL record with a 12-game point streak, surpassing Toronto’s 11-game point streak from Jan. 26 – Mar. 20, 2024, during the inaugural season. In 12 games since Jan. 21, Montréal has collected 30 of a possible 36 points (8-2-2-0).
Montréal has 13 regulation wins for the first time in team history, doing so in 24 games, after securing 12 in 2024-25 (30 games) and 10 in the inaugural season (24 games).
Vancouver’s record as the road team in their opponent’s home market drops to 1-0-1-8, after picking up their first regulation road win Sunday in Toronto. Tonight was the first game the team played at Place Bell.
The Goldeneyes have been shut out a league-high five times, including twice by the Victoire in both games played in the province of Québec (previously Jan. 11 in Québec City). All five of their shutout losses have come on the road.
Ann-Renée Desbiens continued her career year with her sixth shutout of the season, one shy of the PWHL lead — and a single-season record — held by Aerin Frankel (BOS). The shutout was her second against Vancouver this season (Jan. 11). With the win, Desbiens recorded her 15th victory of the campaign, becoming the first goaltender in PWHL history to post multiple 15-win seasons.
Hayley Scamurra notched her fourth and fifth goals of the season in her 24th game, tying the career high she set during the PWHL’s inaugural season with Ottawa, also in 24 games. She now has two game-winners in her career, both this season with the Victoire. With the tallies, Scamurra extended her point streak to three games (3G, 1A), marking her longest run of the campaign and tying the longest streak of her career, set twice in 2024. She also took a season-high 20 draws in the contest, winning 11 for a success rate of 55%, while playing a season-high 20:51.
Laura Stacey had two assists, both primary, to reach 12 on the season in her 24th game, surpassing the career high (11) she set in 2024-25 in 27 games. The forward now has 18 points (6G, 12A) in 2025-26, tied for seventh in the PWHL, and moves into a tie for first in team scoring.
Emerance Maschmeyer allowed just one goal against, the sixth straight game in which she has given up two or fewer goals in a game, the longest active streak in the PWHL.
Skylar Irving recorded the first multi-point game of her career, assisting on both of Scamurra’s third-period tallies. She now has eight points (2G, 6A) on the season, seven of which have come in her last 11 games and is tied for 11th among all PWHL rookies.
Maggie Flaherty scored her fourth goal of the season and now has eight points — her previous career high was six, which she recorded with Minnesota in 2024. She has now recorded half of her career points this season, with the goal snapping a five-game pointless drought.
Jessica DiGirolamo snapped a 12-game point drought with an assist tonight. The defender has three points on the season (1G, 2A) in 24 games, two shy of the career high she set with Boston in 2024-25.
Shiann Darkangelo recorded an assist for the second straight game, the second time she has a point in back-to-back games this season. The Victoire center has seven points (3G, 4A) and is still looking for her first three-game point streak this campaign.
Sarah Nurse took a game-high 25 faceoffs in the game, winning 14, for a success rate of 56%. She also led the way in the shot category, firing five shots on goal in her first game against the Victoire this season.
Anna Meixner tied a career high with four shots on goal for the Goldeneyes, matching the mark she previously set on March 14 against Ottawa. The second-year forward, who skated on Vancouver’s second line alongside Jenn Gardiner and Mannon McMahon for the first time, had the second-most shots among all skaters in the contest.
Erin Ambrose returned to Montreal’s lineup after an eight-game absence. The defender, who had been on the team’s LTIR with a lower-body injury sustained at the Olympics, played 14:29 in her return. Entering today’s game, Ambrose had four assists in 14 regular-season games.
THREE STARS
- Ann-Renée Desbiens (MTL) 18/18 SV
- Hayley Scamurra (MTL) 2G
- Laura Stacey (MTL) 2A
STANDINGS
Montréal: 49 PTS (13-4-2-5) – 2nd Place
Vancouver: 27 PTS (7-1-4-12) – 7th Place
UPCOMING SCHEDULES
Montréal: Friday, April 3 at. Ottawa at 7:00 p.m. ET
Vancouver: Saturday, April 4 at Minnesota at 11 a.m. PT/2:00 p.m. ET