The question has followed the Seattle Torrent through the final stretch of their season, lingering between periods, surfacing in the locker room, and carrying onto the ice.
What are you playing for?
It’s a simple question and the only one that matters now.
When Seattle faces the Montréal Victoire on April 25, the answer won’t be the playoffs. Instead, the finale exists in a tension shaped by the league’s Gold Plan, by pride, and by the standards a team chooses to carry when the standings are no longer easy motivation.
Head coach Steve O’Rourke has made sure there’s no confusion.
“I think it’s cool that we’re playing for something,” he told reporters after Wednesday’s 5-4 home win against the Minnesota Frost. “I wanted to make sure I was clear: what are we playing for here? … the three things—it’s each other, finishing as high as possible, and these great fans.”
That framing has defined how Seattle has approached its final games, and the results reflect both the urgency and the imperfections that have followed them all season.
Finding Purpose in the Gold Plan Stretch
“We haven’t done anything easy,” O’Rourke said. “The big difference down this last little bit is the unsung heroes.”
That difference has started to show. Contributions from players like Gabrielle David and a more assertive fourth line have given Seattle a different look — one that doesn’t rely as heavily on top-end scoring to carry the entire night. It’s a shift that feels necessary this late in the season, and one that speaks to what O’Rourke is asking for. If the answer is “each other,” it has to show up beyond the first line.
Still, even in their win, the tension never fully disappeared.
“Even at 12 seconds you know that it’s still possible,” O’Rourke said, pointing to the final moments against Minnesota, when the game nearly turned in an instant. It echoed the previous weekend, when a late push from the Vancouver Goldeneyes forced overtime and an eventual loss.
For Seattle, closing has never been simple. And that lingering instability continues to shape how they enter the last game of their inaugural season. Because if the question is what they’re playing for, the opponent forces them to answer it clearly.
What to Watch in the Finale
Montréal has controlled this matchup throughout the season. In their most recent meetings, the Victoire have handed Seattle back-to-back 4–1 losses, games that followed a consistent pattern. They stay within reach early, then shift in the second period, when Montréal’s depth and pace take over. If Seattle is going to change anything in the finale, it likely happens there and how they manage that second period where games against Montréal have slipped.
There’s also the question of whether Seattle’s recent identity shift can hold against a team built on depth. O’Rourke’s “unsung heroes” have shown up over the last two games. Against Montréal, that kind of bottom six pressure becomes a requirement. The Victoire have spent the season rolling production across their lineup, finding offense beyond their top unit and sustaining pressure in waves. Seattle’s depth needs to match that intensity to get the final points necessary for that first draft pick.
Game management will sit just as close to the surface. The reminder from O’Rourke that even 12 seconds is enough time for things to unravel isn’t theoretical. Montréal has proven they thrive on momentum, and Seattle has repeatedly allowed games to linger longer than they should. If the answer to O’Rourke’s question includes pride, it may show most clearly in how they handle those final moments.
And then there’s the variable that hasn’t been decided yet.
Marie-Philip Poulin remains a possibility to return from LTIR, though her status for this game is still unconfirmed. That uncertainty alone shifts the feel of the game. But what makes this more complicated for Seattle is that Montréal hasn’t needed Poulin to control this season series. They’ve already dictated games and limited Seattle’s opportunities without her in the lineup. If she returns, it raises the ceiling of a team that has already had the upper hand. If she doesn’t, it reinforces the reality Seattle has been facing anyway. There isn’t a version of this game that comes easy.
This brings everything back to the question.
Where They Stand and What’s Possible
For players, the answer has required a shift in perspective, from chasing a playoff spot to understanding what still holds weight.
“I think it’s really important because that’s something that’s a really big deal for Seattle’s future,” Lily Delianedis told reporters. “It’s really important not just for the Gold Plan and the future of Seattle but our pride as a team … there’s a lot on the line for the last couple of games, there’s a lot to play for.”
That duality defines the moment on Saturday. A higher draft position can shape the roster for years, but how this group finishes shapes something less tangible and just as important.
The final game won’t erase what this season has been for one of the PWHL’s original expansion team. It certainly won’t change the standings in a way that brings Seattle back into the playoff picture. But it will answer O’Rourke’s question one more time: What are you playing for?
For some, it’s the future. For others, it’s the room. For all of them, it’s a chance to leave the ice knowing that even when the stakes changed, the standard of who the Seattle Torrent are didn’t.