Victoire Defense Silences Minnesota Frost in Statement 3-0 Win

By Rob Brent

Montréal’s elite defense stifles the league’s top offense as Minnesota falls into third place with a crucial matchup against Boston looming.

The Minnesota Frost skated into Wednesday night’s game at Grand Casino Arena with a second-place spot in the standings. Minnesota’s 42 points in the standings trail only the Boston Fleet with 45. The third-place team, the Montreal Victoire sat just two points behind the Frost with 40.

The deadlock at the top of the standings made Wednesday night’s contest against the Victoire crucial for the Frost. Minnesota had the chance to tie for first-place with a regulation win, or fall below Montreal with a regulation loss.

The Victoire have been a bit of a thorn in Minnesota’s side of late. The two teams have played three games this season. Minnesota dropped two of the matchups in OT and one in regulation. Minnesota Frost forward Grace Zumwinkle spoke before the game about the importance of facing off with one of the top teams in the league as the stretch run towards the playoffs continues.

“We are excited for a top matchup tonight against Montréal. They are a tough opponent, and we know that we will have to bring our best,” Zumwinkle said. “We know that all points are important at this point in the season, and it starts with battling and focusing on the little things tonight.”

Recap

The matchup between the Frost and Victoire featured two of the very best goaltenders in the league. Ann-Renée Desbiens sits second in the PHWL with a sterling .950 save percentage. Maddie Rooney is in sixth with a .927. Rooney has been playing excellent in goal of late especially.

While the two goaltenders were poised to be a crucial story in the game, it was also notable who wasn’t playing for each team. Kendall Coyne Schofield has still not returned from her injury while Montreal played without the legendary Marie-Philip Poulin.

The first period played out much as you’d expect from two teams playing near unbeatable goaltenders while missing some of their top offensive talent. Neither the Frost or Victoire were able to break through with a goal. 

Desbiens made six saves for the Victoire while Rooney had five stops of her own for Minnesota.

The second period was similar to the first and it appeared that the game was about to be headed to the third period with a scoreless deadlock. With just 40 seconds remaining in the period, the Victoire finally found the first goal of the game.

Catherine Dubois scored the goal after a turnover by the Frost in their own zone. It was Dubois’ second goal of the season.

Montreal added to their lead early in the third period after a net-front scramble found Maddie Rooney far out of the net. Hayley Scamurra ended up with the puck and a wide-open net to push the Victoire lead to two goals.

The Victoire added to their lead halfway through the period on a shot from Lina Ljungblom. The goal was Ljungblom’s third of the season and appeared to push the game out of reach with how well Montreal had defended up to that point in the game.

That bore out for the rest of the game, with the Frost unable to generate much offense against Montreal. The Victoire earned the victory in a 3-0 shutout.

The Victoire vaulted the Frost in the standings with the regulation win, taking sole possession of second place in the PWHL.

Minnesota will return to Grand Casino Arena Sunday, March 29th to take on the Boston Fleet.

Key Takeaways

Immovable Object Beats Unstoppable Force

The Montreal Victoire and Minnesota Frost are two of the best teams in the league, but thus far they’ve accomplished their impressive records by totally different means. The Minnesota Frost have been the league’s proverbial unstoppable force, scoring the most goals of any team in the PWHL. Their 67 tallies are 11 more than any of their rivals.

The Montreal Victoire, on the other hand, are the stingiest team. They’ve given up just 32 goals in 22 games. This time, the Victoire’s stifling defense emerged victorious in the matchup, successfully shutting out the high-powered Minnesota attack. Wednesday night’s game isn’t the first time Minnesota has struggled against Montreal either.

In the Frost’s four games against Montreal this season they’ve mustered just three goals and have been shut out twice. The play of goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens has been stellar in those games, but the Victoire have also done a great job at limiting chances. The Frost only registered 21 shots on goal in Wednesday night’s game and 17 in their previous meeting.

With the two clubs currently sitting in 2nd and 3rd in the league, there’s a strong possibility they could meet in the opening round of the playoffs. Consequently, Minnesota will have to find a way to generate much more offense against Montreal in a potential series.</span>

Frost Set Up Crucial Game with Boston</b>

The game against Montreal was a key fixture on the schedule for the Frost, but they’ll have the chance to test themselves once again in their next game against the Boston Fleet. The Fleet currently sit atop the PWHL and have won their last two games by shutout.

The matchup between the two PWHL powerhouses holds special intrigue. It’s been quite some time since the two clubs faced off. The previous game between Boston and Minnesota took place on December 19th with the Frost earning a 5-2 victory. 

Boston and Minnesota have played just twice this season, with the Fleet taking the first matchup of the season 4-1 on December 7th. The two teams should look much more rounded into form when they take the ice on Sunday. Minnesota will likely still be without their captain, but a game against the top club in the league is still a major measuring stick matchup for the Frost with the playoffs just around the corner.