Place Bell welcomes PWHL as Montréal battles New York for the second time in seven days
LAVAL, QC (January 16, 2024) – The third week of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) season begins with a Tuesday night tilt between New York and Montréal, at 7:00 p.m. ET, played inside Place Bell, which opens its doors to the PWHL for the first time this season.
WHERE TO WATCH
Fans in Canada can tune-in live on Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet East, and Sportsnet Pacific channels and stream on Sportsnet+ with Daniella Ponticelli calling play-by-play alongside analyst Becky Kellar. American viewers can watch the game on MSG Networks (MSGSNZ2) and stream on the league’s YouTube channel. French coverage can be seen live on RDS2 with host Andrée-Anne Barbeau, desk analyst Karell Émard, Claudine Douville on play-by-play, and Isabelle Leclaire providing color commentary.
SETTING THE STAGE
It’s the fifth game of the season for both teams who are positioned in second and third place in the league’s overall standings. Montréal (2-1-1) has six points by virtue of a regulation win, an overtime victory, and an overtime loss, while New York (2-2-0) has five points earned from one regulation and one overtime victory. Both teams found themselves on opposite ends of thrilling 3-2 overtime decisions in their most recent weekend games. Montréal let a 2-0 lead slip away in Saturday’s home opener against Boston at Verdun Auditorium, and New York battled back from a 2-0 first period deficit on Sunday at Xcel Energy Center to hand Minnesota its first loss of the season. Montréal is looking to secure points in a third-straight game after collecting four of a possible six points last week, and New York is looking to post consecutive victories for the first time this season.
THE LAST TIME THEY MET
This is the second meeting of the season between Montréal and New York following last Wednesday’s game at UBS Arena. Marie-Philip Poulin powered the Montréal offense with a hat trick – her first three goals of the season – in a 5-2 victory. Catherine Dubois scored her first goal in her PWHL debut after signing a 10-day contract with the club as a reserve player, and Kennedy Marchment’s first PWHL goal held as the game-winner. Maureen Murphy and Tereza Vanišová picked up two assists each. For New York, Jessie Eldridge opened the scoring with her first PWHL goal, and Ella Shelton found the net for the second time this season. Elaine Chuli earned the victory between-the-pipes with a 30-save performance in her first PWHL start, playing opposite Corinne Schroeder who also stopped 30 shots.
POULIN AND SHELTON HEADLINE PWHL 3 STARS
Montréal’s Marie-Philip Poulin was named first star across the PWHL last week, highlighted by her hat trick against New York. The 32-year-old captain from Beauceville, QC is just the second player in PWHL history to record a three-goal performance and first to do so on the road. She was credited with 10 shots on goal and was most efficient in the face-off circle on Saturday when she won 74% of her draws. New York’s Ella Shelton was named second star after taking over sole possession of the PWHL’s scoring race. The 25-year-old from Ingersoll, ON had a pair of multi-point performances that included a goal and an assist against Montréal, followed by the league’s first three-assist effort on Sunday in Minnesota where she contributed to all three of the team’s goals.
QUEBEC CONNECTIONS
While Montréal leads the PWHL with nine players from the province, New York is next in line with four players who return home to Québec for the first time in their PWHL careers. The group includes forward Jade Downie-Landry (St-Jean-sur-Richelieu), Elizabeth Giguère (Québec City), Alexandra Labelle (Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague), and goaltender Lindsey Post (Chelsea). Downie-Landry was a star at McGill University where she was named 2022 U SPORTS Player of the Year, and Labelle attended the University of Montréal where she won a University Cup title in 2016. Downie-Landry, Labelle, and teammate Taylor Baker were also members of the PHF’s Montréal Force during the 2022-23 season where they competed alongside PWHL Montréal’s Ann-Sophie Bettez, Catherine Daoust, Catherine Dubois, Brigitte Laganière, and Sarah Lefort.
FIRST GAME AT PLACE BELL
Place Bell is home to the American Hockey League’s Laval Rocket and will host PWHL Montréal at least four times during the league’s inaugural season. Additional dates on the schedule include January 27 against Ottawa, February 18 against Minnesota, and March 10 against Ottawa. With tonight’s game, it becomes the eighth different venue to host PWHL action through the league’s first 11 games. It is a familiar setting for members of the Canadian and U.S. National Women’s Teams dating back to the seventh and final game of last season’s Rivalry Series on February 22, 2023. Canada won the decisive game 5-0 to claim the 2022-23 crown. New York’s Ella Shelton scored the game-winner, and Montréal’s Marie-Philip Poulin tallied the team’s second goal. Laura Stacey chipped in two assists, and Ann-Renée Desbiens stopped all 25 shots she faced.
REFLECTIONS FROM SAUVAGEAU
A day after Montréal’s historic home opener at a sold-out Verdun Auditorium, general manager Danièle Sauvageau posted the following statement on the team’s social media accounts: “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you! The dust has yet to settle after the magical moment we shared together on Saturday. I would like to thank our players, who have been giving it their all for three months now, and who left everything out on the ice yesterday. Thanks to our fans for being there and being loud, from beginning to end. We can still hear you 24 hours later. Thanks to our coaching staff and support crew who are all dedicated to this team. Thanks to all the administrative, event and borough staff whose work made yesterday possible. Thanks to our pioneers for accepting our invitation. Without you and your determination, none of this would be possible. Thanks to the media who have been covering us and who reported about this historical day. We will continue to be accessible. Yesterday was only the beginning of a very special adventure. Thanks to those who are already on board, and we welcome those who will be joining us along the way. We promise many more great and exciting moments!”
DAOUST’S ASSESSMENT
New York general manager Pascal Daoust offered the following remarks about his team’s most recent two games: “After a performance far from our DNA and potential at UBS Arena (against Montréal), the resiliency we showed to come back from a two-goal deficit in Minnesota, in front of nearly 8,000 spectators, is undoubtedly a demonstration of what this group has to offer. At the risk of repeating, evaluating what should stay and what should evolve can only be measured when we invest, for 60 minutes, all together and on a common plan. It’s our quest for consistency and excellence.”
QUICK HITS
New York is tied for the PWHL lead with 11 goals for, Montréal has scored 10…Both teams have allowed 10 goals against…New York has scored the game’s first goal three times, Montréal once…New York leads PWHL with five goals scored in the third period… Montréal has scored four goals in both the second and third periods… Montréal (+13) shot differential is highest in PWHL, New York (-22) shot differential ranks sixth…New York allowing league-high average of 35.5 shots per game…Montréal leads PWHL with 34 PIM followed by New York with 30 PIM…New York (3/12) ranks second in PWHL on the powerplay, Montréal (1/12) ranks fifth… Montréal (15/17) ranks third in penalty kill, New York (12/14) ranks fourth…New York’s Ella Shelton leads PWHL with six points followed by teammate Alex Carpenter with five points…Jessie Eldridge tied for third with four points along with Montréal’s Marie-Philip Poulin and Tereza Vanišová…Shelton and Vanišová share the lead with four assists…Dominika Lásková (MTL) is tied for second in PWHL with four penalty minutes…Shelton leads PWHL with three points on the powerplay, followed by teammates Carpenter, Eldridge, and Abby Roque with two points each…Laura Stacey (MTL) leads her team with 16 shots, Carpenter (NY) leads with 15…Corinne Schroeder (NY) and Ann-Renée Desbiens (MTL) have both started three games…Schroeder has a .942 SV% that ranks third, while Desbiens has a .900 SV% that ranks sixth…Poulin (60.7%) and Roque (62.3%) lead teams in face-off efficiency…Eldridge and Roque both riding three-game point-streaks….Lindsey Post (NY) turned 30 on Jan. 11, Micah Zandee-Hart (NY) turned 27 on Jan. 13, Ella Shelton (NY) turns 25 on Jan. 19 – the same day as Jillian Dempsey (MTL) turns 33.
PROJECTED LINEUPS
MONTREAL:
Tereza Vanišová | Marie-Philip Poulin | Maureen Murphy
Ann-Sophie Bettez | Kristin O’Neill | Laura Stacey
Sarah Lefort | Jillian Dempsey | Gabrielle David
Catherine Dubois | Sarah Bujold | Claire Dalton
Mariah Keopple | Erin Ambrose
Kati Tabin | Catherine Daoust
Leah Lum | Madison Bizal
Brigitte Laganière
Ann-Renée Desbiens | Elaine Chuli
Scratches: Marlène Boissonnault, Dominika Lásková, Mélodie Daoust, Kennedy Marchment, Alexandra Poznikoff
NEW YORK:
Abby Roque | Alex Carpenter | Jessie Eldridge
Chloé Aurard | Emma Woods | Paetyn Levis
Kayla Vespa | Jade Downie-Landry | Elizabeth Giguère
Madison Packer | Alexandra Labelle | Savannah Norcross
Brooke Hobson | Ella Shelton
Johanna Fällman | Jaime Bourbonnais
Olivia Zafuto | Taylor Baker
Abigail Levy |Corinne Schroeder
Scratches: Lindsey Post, Carley Olivier, Claire Thompson, Micah Zandee-Hart, Alexa Gruschow, Jill Saulnier