Whether it’s the last game of the regular season, the playoffs or a duel without a stake, Boston seems to have Montreal’s number in the Professional Women’s Hockey League.
In the first of its two preparatory matches, the Victory suffered a 3-1 loss against the Fleet, Wednesday afternoon on the Espace Denis-Savard ice rink at the Verdun Auditorium.
Let’s say it for the record: the Montreal team lost a fifth consecutive game against Boston.
The streak began on May 4, when Montreal concluded its regular schedule with a 4-3 defeat in a game played in Lowell.
Ten days later ended a three-of-five semi-final series that the Boston team swept with three overtime victories, much to the dismay and chagrin of the Montreal players.
One of them even required an additional third period.
After Wednesday’s game, there were no red eyes or tears in the Montreal camp. Because this match did not represent an end for the Victory players, but rather the start of rehearsals for a 30-game schedule which will begin on November 30.
So, for the players, it was an opportunity to shake off the rust and familiarize themselves with the changes that head coach Kori Cheverie wants to make to the game system.
After this unimportant defeat, Cheverie delivered a positive assessment of this first outing.
“I really liked our progression from the first to the third period. We established a lot of elements of the structure very early on, and we ask the players to apply them immediately,” explained Cheverie, who entered the press conference room with a big smile on her face before launching a “hello” felt good to journalists, in French.
“It’s important to see this execution quickly, and we really liked the level of effort and execution as the match progressed,” she added.
Cheverie was all the more satisfied as she said she didn’t know what to expect from this first outing.
“I didn’t know what to expect because the second drill of our first day of practice was defensive zone coverage. It was something I had never done before, and I loved it,” she said.
“I saw moments today where the players were thinking on the ice and that probably slowed us down a little. But as the match progressed, I found it was faster and I’m very happy with that. »
Ann-Renée Desbiens started the game in front of the Victoire net and played for two full periods. She faced 24 pucks and allowed the Fleet’s first two goals, both scored by Hilary Knight, including the winning net in the final minute of the second period.
Shay Maloney scored into an empty net in the final minute of regulation.
Sandra Abstreiter took over for Desbiens in the third period and blocked all seven shots aimed at her.
Victory got 28 shots at goalkeepers Klara Peslarova and Emma Söderberg, who played half of the match each.
Victory will complete this preparatory mini-tournament on Friday afternoon against the Ottawa Charge.
Ottawa and Boston will face each other on Thursday.
Labelle makes a good impression
This preparatory match was an opportunity to see the trio of Marie-Philip Poulin, Laura Stacey and Swede Lina Ljungblom, a rookie, in action for the very first time against real rivals.
The three players were limited to three shots, two by Stacey and one by Poulin. Cheverie nevertheless appreciated certain aspects of Ljungblom’s game, notably a collision with Knight during a face-off in the neutral zone.
“I really liked the determination she showed. If she is destined to play with ‘Pou’ and Stacey, she will have to play difficult minutes, and she will face the tougher side of her opponents,” noted Cheverie.
“For this reason, I liked the confrontation with Knight. I think it’s important and I hope she continues to do that. She had never experienced an LPHF match before, but it will be like that every night. And so, I’m happy that she accepted the challenge immediately. I think it will be important,” added the Victoire head coach.
However, it is the trio composed of Maureen Murphy, Abigail Boreen and Alexandra Labelle which has been the most consistent and the most visible for the Montreal team.
Murphy also scored the only goal for Montreal with the help of Quebec defender Kelly-Ann Nadeau in the first period.
Labelle, who wore the colors of the New York team last season and who is looking for a contract, offered a performance that pleased Cheverie, apart from a few sequences in the defensive zone which the coach -chef hinted with a smile.
“We had a few moments on the bench — I’ll keep them between her and me — where we laughed a little bit because of her coverage in the defensive zone. But on the other hand, she was able to create. I told him that we are going to work on his coverage in the defensive zone but to continue to create. »
Labelle, who admitted to being surprised to find herself between Murphy and Boreen, spoke about those moments with Cheverie.
“I already told him, I am a player who is very receptive to feedback. I want to improve, I want to improve my game every day, every second. To receive comments, I will take them with open arms,” said Labelle, who admitted to feeling excited to have been able to play this first match with the Montreal team.
