Ottawa's Daryl Watts (9) scores against Montreal goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens during second period PWHL hockey action in Laval, Que., Sunday, March 10, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
LAVAL, Que. – Captain Brianne Jenner had a goal and an assist, Katerina Mrazova pitched in with three helpers and Ottawa defeated Montreal 4-2 on Sunday in the Professional Women’s Hockey League.
It was Ottawa’s first win against Montreal in four meetings, getting the victory in front of a rowdy 10,172 fans at Place Bell.
Daryl Watts, Aneta Tejralova and Gabbie Hughes – into an empty net – also scored for Ottawa (5-0-5-6), which snapped a two-game losing skid. Emerance Maschmeyer stopped 34 shots.
Laura Stacey and Melodie Daoust scored for Montreal (7-3-4-3) while Ann-Renée Desbiens made 29 saves. Captain Marie-Philip Poulin was out for preventive measures, the team announced before the game.
Poulin appeared to skate in pain late against Toronto. The 32-year-old was tied for the league lead with 17 points (eight goals, nine assists) in 16 games entering Sunday’s action. Montreal also announced forward Claire Dalton was out due to preventive measures.
Montreal, which is tied atop the PWHL standings with 30 points, lost its second in a row after falling 3-0 to Toronto on Friday.
Ottawa’s league-best power play went 2-for-5. Montreal – which entered the game with the league’s second-worst power play – was 1-for-5.
Down 2-0, Montreal broke Maschmeyer’s shutout bid on its fifth power play of the game when Stacey cranked a one-timer into the back of the net at 11:10 of the third period for her seventh of the season.
Tejralova, however, responded on an ensuing Ottawa power play with a wrist shot past Desbiens from the point at 13:24 to restore the two-goal cushion.
Montreal continued to drive play in the period – dominating the shots 12-9.
Daoust brought the game within a goal again with 2:58 left by slotting a rebound past Maschmeyer.
Montreal then pulled Desbiens for an extra attacker, but Hughes iced the game by burying into the empty cage with 65 seconds remaining.
The game started with both goalies looking solid early.
Tereza Vanisova nearly got Montreal on the board midway through the period with a shot from the slot that Maschmeyer turned away with the tip of her glove.
Later in the period, Daoust fed Maureen Murphy while she was cutting to the net but Maschmeyer once again thwarted away Montreal’s attempt to open the scoring.
Jenner broke the ice on the power play with 37 seconds left in the first period after also drawing the penalty. After Desbiens turned away Watts, Jenner received a cross-ice pass from Mrazova before beating Desbiens glove-side for her third.
Ottawa led the shots 14-10 in a chippy opening frame that featured scrums after most whistles.
The aggressive play continued into the second period with both teams drawing three penalties.
With Montreal’s Sarah Lefort already in the box for interference, Desbiens received a delay-of-game penalty at 10:06 for freezing the puck the behind the net after she was tripped by Ottawa forward Lexie Adzija.
Ottawa came out of it with a 5-on-3 advantage – drawing heavy jeers from the home crowd – that Montreal managed to kill off to gain some momentum.
Watts, however, doubled Ottawa’s lead under a minute later. She went post-and-in past Desbiens with a wrist shot after Mrazova’s behind-the-back drop pass caught her in stride through the slot.
Montreal failed to convert on its third opportunity late in the period as Maschmeyer continued to shut the door through 40 minutes.
ROSTER MOVES
Ottawa signed forward Samantha Isbell to a standard contract before the game. Isbell, 26, was a reserve player for Boston and appeared in three games while on a 10-day contract. In a corresponding move, Ottawa placed forward Fanni Garát-Gasparics on long-term injured reserve.
Ottawa also announced Jordan Colliton would join head coach Carla McLeod’s staff. Colliton worked as an assistant for the Mount Royal University Cougars women’s team between 2015 and 2022.
Meanwhile, Montreal signed former Premier Hockey Federation MVP Mikyla Grant-Mentis to a reserve player contract. The 25-year-old Grant-Mentis had three assists in six games for Ottawa this season before she was released on Feb. 18.
UP NEXT
Montreal: Plays Toronto at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh next Sunday.
Ottawa: Visits Boston on Saturday at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 10, 2024.
