After a 24-hour delay caused by an undisclosed illness within the team, the Montreal Victoire secured their place in the PWHL’s Walter Cup Finals with a 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Frost on Tuesday night. The deciding Game 5 of the semifinal series finally got underway, and Minnesota charged out with another fast start, pinning Montreal in its own end for the opening 10 minutes. The Victoire didn’t register a shot on goal until nearly eight minutes in.
Goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens stood firm, making a key save by pulling a puck off the goal line, and kept Minnesota scoreless despite the Frost holding a 9-1 shot advantage midway through the first period. That performance allowed Montreal to take the lead when Catherine Dubois fired a shot over Maddie Rooney’s outstretched stick at 12:18 of the first period.
In the second period, Minnesota forward Samantha Cogan tied the game 1-1, setting up a winner-takes-all third frame. There, Marie-Philip Poulin scored the game-winner, giving Montreal its first-ever playoff series victory. Desbiens made 25 saves on 26 shots in her best postseason performance so far. The Victoire will now face the Ottawa Charge in a best-of-five series for the Walter Cup championship. The loss marked Minnesota’s first when facing elimination, ending their run after back-to-back league championships.
**Dubois steps up**
Before the game, Montreal coach Kori Cheverie made a key lineup change, moving Dubois—a versatile depth forward—to the top line alongside Poulin and Laura Stacey. The adjustment paid off within 13 minutes. On a set play, Poulin won an offensive-zone faceoff cleanly against Kelly Pannek, snapping the puck back to Dubois, who fired it past Rooney. Dubois’ big goal wasn’t a surprise; she scored the game-winner in Montreal’s quadruple-overtime marathon against Boston in the 2024 postseason, and this season she filled in admirably on the top line while Poulin was injured, scoring four goals.
**Poulin delivers again**
Despite dealing with a lower-body injury that cost her 10 games after the Olympics, Poulin scored another clutch goal in the biggest PWHL game of her career. “The heart, the mind is there,” she said. “I’m going to do anything possible to play my game.” Throughout the series, Poulin was clearly not at 100 percent, often wincing on the bench. After her triple-overtime winner in Game 3, Stacey praised Poulin’s battle to even be on the ice. None of that mattered when Poulin scored her second game-winning goal of the series.
**Unusual postponement**
Postponing a playoff game due to illness is rare in pro sports. Outside of the COVID-19 pandemic, teams have typically played through illnesses with short benches or emergency call-ups. The PWHL’s decision to postpone Game 5 came after consultation with medical personnel, prioritizing health and well-being. Hours later, the league announced the game would be played Tuesday night, with medical guidance confirming play could resume. A league spokesperson said no new symptoms had been identified since the postponement, and those previously ill were improving. Enhanced cleaning measures were enacted. The league did not specify the illness, only that symptoms weren’t consistent with hantavirus, nor how many players were sick. According to a source, the illness was confined to the Victoire, with no Frost players sick as of Monday evening. By puck drop Tuesday, all 23 regular skaters were in the Victoire lineup.
