Montreal victory | Change the scenario

Fifteen days in a lifetime is rather short. Fifteen days without a match in a hockey season is a long time.

The season was only three games old when the Victoire de Montréal found itself, like the five other teams in the Professional Women's Hockey League, facing an international break. After two weeks of training, she will finally be back in action on Saturday, in Toronto, for one last match before Christmas.

“We may have to shake off a few cobwebs in the first period, find our speed,” said head coach Kori Cheverie after practice Friday morning at the Auditorium de Verdun.

“You can practice as much as you want, but there is never anything like a match,” also recognized goalkeeper Ann-Renée Desbiens. I expect we'll miss a few passes early in the game, or it won't be perfect, but I'm confident we'll improve over time. »

In its first three games of the season, Montreal had a victory, a defeat and a shootout victory. The only loss came against the New York Sirens, who had four players in the squad. top 6 of the best timekeepers.

Montreal is thus placed fourth in the League standings. The two weeks of break therefore, we guess, also had their positive sides, allowing the club to work more in depth on certain flaws.

“We had some really valuable practice time that we really needed as a group,” Cheverie said. “We were able to sort out some details and work on some things,” she added soberly.

Promotion on the first trio

The two weeks of training also allowed us to test offensive combinations, notably that of Jennifer Gardiner, Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey on the first trio. Gardiner was paired with the two stars at the end of the last match.

“They practiced together all week,” Cheverie said Friday. […] We like what we saw in training. Now it has to be executed in a match. »

Gardiner was one of the Victory's best attackers in the first three games, scoring a goal and an assist. Her promotion to the top line is not surprising, especially considering that the other two attempts to fill the position on the left by Poulin and Stacey – first with Lina Ljungblom, then Mikyla Grant-Mentis – were unsuccessful.

“I can't wait to see what happens tomorrow, but [si je me fie à] how it goes in practice, how we find ourselves when we enter the zone, I’m super excited,” Poulin said.

Beware of Toronto

This will be the first time that the Victory will face the Scepters this season. Last year, she did not win any of her five duels against the Toronto club. Four of these duels were also part of a series of 13 consecutive victories for the Toronto squad, which concluded, it should be remembered, the season in first place on the circuit…

For all these reasons, therefore, Victory does not lack motivation for Saturday.

“We want to change the scenario,” Cheverie suggested.

“Last year was last year,” said Marie-Philip Poulin. We have a whole new group. […] We have to find a way to bring out the best we can to prove ourselves this year. »

It must be said that the Scepters have not exactly had a happy start to the season, the team having lost its last three games with 13 goals allowed in this sequence alone. That doesn't mean much, mind you; Toronto began its inaugural season with four defeats in five games.

“I think the whole team is fully aware that Toronto hasn't fully demonstrated its best yet, but it's coming,” insisted Cheverie. We anticipate we will see the best of this team on Saturday. »

“They work really hard, there are things that don’t necessarily go their way,” added Poulin. We know they will be very ready tomorrow. »

Ann-Renée Desbiens, for her part, highlighted the robustness, speed and forechecking of the Scepters, who still count on players like Sarah Nurse and Nathalie Spooner on attack. “We will adapt and I am confident that it will go better with the group we have this year. »

Are you ready to have Emma Maltais in your face? asked - colleague Christine Roger. ” I don't know ! You have to ask Kori that, but she's definitely going to be in the semi-circle! »