It has been a while since the Victoire de Montréal held a training session at the Verdun Auditorium. This return Wednesday morning, after her trip to the west of the continent, took place in the absence of one of the most prominent players in the Professional Women’s Hockey League.
The status of forward Laura Stacey remains uncertain ahead of the team’s next two games, including the one at the Videotron Center in Quebec, against the Ottawa Charge, this Sunday.
The solid forward, recognized for her offensive talents, but also for her leadership on the ice and in the locker room, was injured at the very beginning of the second period of the duel against the Minnesota Frost last Sunday in Denver.
Although the team never clarified whether it was a lower-body or upper-body injury, Stacey could be seen heading to the locker room on Sunday limping on his left leg. She did not return to the game.
After the meeting, a team spokesperson said Stacey’s case was under daily review. We were at the same point on Wednesday.
“We’re taking it day by day right now,” head coach Kori Cheverie said after practice.
“We are waiting to receive certain information, and I still have not spoken to Danièle (Sauvageau, the general director). So, for now, it’s day to day. »
Over the first nine games of the Victory this season, Stacey collected three goals, including two on the power play, and one assist. His other goal, scored in overtime against the Toronto Scepters on December 21, gave the Victory a 4-3 victory.
“It brings a lot of speed, robustness. She is capable of scoring goals and she can play shorthanded,” described Cheverie.
At practice Wednesday, in anticipation of Friday’s game against the Frost at Place Bell, Abigail Boreen occupied the space normally reserved for Stacey in the first line, alongside captain Marie-Philip Poulin and Jennifer Gardiner.
Also, striker Gabrielle David, one of the Victoire’s two reserve players, participated in the entire training session, but dressed in a red sweater, a sign that contact was prohibited.
Is she suffering from any injury or other problem? And could she play at the end of the week? We don’t really know, because the team hasn’t given any details.
“We are preparing with the players we have at the moment. Laura can return to the lineup at any time without problem. We have to prepare for the fact that she might be back and we have to prepare for the fact that she won’t be back,” Cheverie responded.
Furthermore, defender Amanda Boulier was on the ice and she will be able to play during the weekend, Cheverie indicated.
Boulier has been sidelined since the December 21 game against the Sceptres. Early in the third period of this match, Boulier was the victim of a head check from Rylind MacKinnon, which earned the latter a major penalty and an extreme game misconduct.
A mixed result
If the members of the Victoire appreciated the social aspect of the trip which allowed them to play matches in Seattle, Vancouver and Denver in front of a total of more than 45,000 spectators between January 5 and 12, Cheverie and Poulin recognized that the performance on the ice had not been entirely satisfactory.
The Montreal team completed these three games with four points out of a possible maximum of nine, the result of a 4-2 victory against Toronto, a 3-2 shootout loss against the Boston Fleet, in Seattle , and a 4-2 defeat in regulation time against the Frost.
The setback against the Frost caused the Victory (4-2-1-2 – 17 points) to slip to second place, two points behind the Minnesota team, which however played one more match.
“There is still work to be done. There have been a lot of ups, a lot of downs. You have to find a balance through it all,” said Poulin, who scored a goal that made the rounds on news highlights during the Jan. 8 game in Vancouver.
“There are a lot of matches where we start really well,” added Poulin. In the second (period), we go down a little and then, we come back in the third and sometimes, it’s too late. Trying to find consistency, being there for 60 minutes, that’s something that will be super important in the coming weeks. »
Of these three games, Cheverie seemed to enjoy the game against the Scepters more than the other two. And there again, there were dips, we could deduce from his analysis.
“I wasn’t entirely satisfied with the 60 minutes of play against Boston. I think we let (a match) slip away there. With Toronto, I liked our match. I liked our first period, for sure, and parts of our third. As for Minnesota, we gave away too many good opportunities on the penalty kill and we essentially gave away the winning goal.”
For some time now, Cheverie has been particularly concerned about the play of its shorthanded players.
“We are giving away too many goals,” she summed up.
Cheverie also spoke about a new style of play that the team is trying to implement.
“It’s more exhausting, it requires a faster tempo,” she explained.
“It will take a while to be able to play like this for 60 minutes. We won’t see a change after one or two games. But I know that in the long term, it will benefit us. »
Related News :