Overview:
The Montréal Victoire earned a strong 4-1 win over the New York Sirens on Thursday, despite missing captain Marie-Philip Poulin and veteran defender Erin Ambrose
No Poulin or Ambrose? No problem.
On Thursday, the Montréal Victoire returned from the Olympic break, facing off against the New York Sirens. Amidst injuries suffered in Milan, captain Marie-Philip Poulin and defender Erin Ambrose were absent, but the Victoire managed to come away with a decisive 4-1 win.
Montréal came out of the gate firing, with goals from Dara Greig, Jade Downie-Landry, and Skylar Irving in the first 10 minutes to earn an early 3-0 lead. Lina Ljungblom added a power-play marker in the third period to seal Montréal’s win. For a team that has often struggled to get production beyond their top line, Thursday’s win was a big boost of confidence. It was the first goal of the year for Downie-Landry, Irving, and Ljungblom, and just the second for Greig, and was boosted by a strong defensive effort.
Secondary Scoring Shines
Playing in her ninth game this season, Downie-Landry finally earned her first point in a Montréal sweater. It fittingly came in her third matchup against her former Sirens team. She added a second goal later, but it was disallowed on a controversial goaltender inference call. Downie-Landry’s slow start came at the tail of returning from injury and seeing limited minutes. Now trusted in a top-six role, she’s beginning to look more confident playing alongside veterans Shiann Darkangelo and Laura Stacey. As we march closer to the playoffs, it looks like she may be becoming the player the Victoire were hoping for when they signed her last summer.
Ljungblom also missed a chunk of time this season, unable to even practice for months due to mono. The young Swede was highly touted going into her rookie year, but wasn’t able to find her scoring touch. Returning from illness, she also had limited minutes through her first games back in her sophomore season. Now, she’s working to claim a more consistent role in the team’s bottom six. Earning a primary assist on Greig’s opening goal, Ljungblom had her first two points of the season on Thursday. Her power-play goal was a bit of a fluke, but they don’t ask how, just how many. She’ll look to carry confidence from Thursday’s multi-point effort moving forward.
Irving and Greig’s contributions also came in clutch Thursday. Irving was part of Montréal’s 2025 draft class, and has rotated around the Victoire lineup this season, occasionally swapping between playing 13th forward and top winger position beside Poulin. She’s a skilled, flashy player, but it doesn’t seem like coach Kori Cheverie has quite figured out the best spot for her yet. If she can start finding the back of the net more consistently like she did at Northeastern, she’ll certainly earn herself more minutes. Greig, meanwhile, has rounded out Montréal’s bottom six for the past two years, playing a key role on the defensive side of the game. Any offensive contributions from players like her are more than welcome.
Locking It Down On Defence
Erin Ambrose has historically had to carry some of the most minutes for Montréal. However, the emergence of Kati Tabin and Nicole Gosling this season has meant a more balanced spread. A fellow Clarkson alumni, rookie defender Gosling showed the best of her game on Thursday, getting right in on the physicality and playing a team-leading 22:16 TOI. She swapped into Ambrose’s role on the team’s top power play unit, registering her fifth assist of the year in the process, and continued to show her penalty-killing prowess. Coming off her debut appearance with Team Canada at the Olympics, Tabin also played a solid game Thursday, showing off her two-way talents and generating multiple chances on the rush.
Well-Rounded, Playoff Ready
For three years, the Victoire have been built around their star players, relying on the likes of Poulin to come up with clutch goals and Ambrose to play heavy defensive minutes nightly. Forced to take the ice without both of them on Thursday, the team showed what they’ve been building all year: a well-rounded group that can rise to the occasion when called upon. If they can keep it up, it’s a good sign of what they can accomplish come playoff time with Poulin and Ambrose, hopefully, healthy and ready to go.