The Montréal Victoire squandered a chance at their first-ever Walter Cup Final berth on Friday, falling 3-1 to the Minnesota Frost in Game 4.
Maureen Murphy found Montréal’s sole marker, giving them the 1-0 lead early in the third. But two goals from Sidney Morin ultimately put Minnesota over the top. As the period came to a close, the Victoire lacked the needed urgency, and an empty-net goal from Kelly Pannek sealed the loss.
Now, attention turns to Game 5 on Monday, where the Victoire will get a chance to put this series away on home turf. After limited offensive production over the last few games, the key to their first series win is simple: score more goals. How they do that is where things get more complicated.
All Depth
The Victoire have managed just three goals in the last two games. Those goals came from Hayley Scamurra, Maureen Murphy, and Maggie Flaherty. Scamurra’s goal was unassisted, and she had the only assist on the other two.
Scamurra’s emergence this season has been a big boost for the Victoire, and so far she’s been a defining factor in this series. The last two seasons, Montréal suffered in the playoffs because when their stars went quiet, there was no one to pick up the slack. This year, they can count on clutch goals from all around the lineup. Getting production from a player like Flaherty is a testament to the depth of this roster and what they’ve built this season. But ultimately, the team needs more than just scoring from unlikely places.
Where’s the Top Line?
Amidst the chaos of Game 1’s 5-4 overtime loss, Laura Stacey managed a hat trick, while Abby Roque and Marie-Philip both picked up two assists. In Game 2, it was that same duo of Roque and Poulin that broke through on the scoresheet to give Montréal the 1-0 overtime win, albeit after over five periods of play.
In the two games since, the line has provided little to write about.
Playing the back-half of a back-to-back on Friday, coach Kori Cheverie was evidently managing minutes amongst Montréal’s forward group. Despite continuing to nurse an injury, Poulin logged the most minutes of all of Montréal’s forwards at 16:03. Roque was second at 15:21, while Stacey played 14:45.
Let’s state the obvious, Poulin is clearly not at full strength right now, as she continues to deal with the effects of a knee injury first suffered during the Winter Olympics. And on Friday, the lack of a healthy captain clutch was felt for the Victoire as they needed a late push. That being said, the Victoire need more from Abby Roque and Laura Stacey. The two players finished tied for tenth in the league in scoring this year, leading the Victoire with 22 points each. Now, Montréal’s top line has combined for just two points in the last three games.
This season, head coach Kori Cheverie has shown a willingness to break up that top line when needed. The problem now is that Montréal’s second line is seeing some success. Heading into Monday’s do-or-die contest, Cheverie has some tough decisions to make.
Montréal now has two days off to rest and reset. The emergence of their depth has been key so far this series, but if they want success in Game 5, they need their stars to shine.