For a third straight year, the Montréal Victoire have officially clinched a spot in the PWHL postseason.
Montréal booked their place in this year’s Walter Cup playoffs on Wednesday night with a 3-0 win over the Vancouver Goldeneyes. They are the first PWHL team to earn three playoff berths, and second to clinch this season after the Boston Fleet did so last week.
The PWHL regular season wraps on April 25th, with the postseason kicking off shortly after. The Victoire currently sit second in the PWHL with 49 points and six games remaining. They are two points behind the first-place Fleet, who they face two more times.
In the PWHL, the top-ranked team from the regular season chooses their first-round opponent between the teams in third and fourth place. The second-place finisher faces the remaining team. A top-two finish would guarantee Montréal home ice advantage for at least the first round. The Victoire currently boast an impressive 8-1-1-0 record at Laval’s Place Bell this season.
Despite regular season success, the Victoire have struggled in both their playoff appearances so far. In the league’s inaugural season, they were swept by the Fleet in their opening series. Last year, they finished first and selected the Ottawa Charge as their first-round opponent. They managed their first playoff win, but fell 3-1 in the series against the Charge.
The Victoire are still without captain Marie-Philip Poulin, who is on LTIR. Poulin is eligible to return as soon as this Sunday. Forward Maureen Murphy is also on LTIR and unable to return until at least April 11th. Veteran defender Erin Ambrose was activated from LTIR on Wednesday and played her first game since before the Olympic break.
Montréal returns to the ice on Friday to face the Ottawa Charge at the Canadian Tire Centre.