Montreal dropped their fifth game to Toronto who finished the season unbeaten against them and clinched a playoff spot in the process.
On Saturday afternoon at the Bell Centre Montreal lost in a overtime thriller 3-2 to Toronto who finished the season series with them at 5-0 in front of 21, 105 fans who packed the arena and broke another world record.
“It’s hard to put into words,” Marie Phillip Poulin said after the game. “We spoke about filling the arena and we did it and it’s incredible.”
Montreal started the game in full control and five minutes into the contest was outshooting Toronto 6-0 as the visitors were on the backfoot defending an onslaught.
“It was very emotional and it’s not the result we wanted and despite the loss in overtime with fans that were loud the entire game it was very special.”
Blayre Turnbull opened the scoring 10 minutes into the game when she fired a puck from the top of the circle that was able to squeak past Anne Renee Desbiens who made 30 saves in the loss.
“There’s three games left in the regular season and we wanted to take advantage of a special moment and we need to take a moment to rest and get ready for the next one.”
Montreal tied the game with 19 seconds left on the clock in the first period when Sarah Bujold was able to get the puck and came in on Kristen Campbell and beat her top corner and the building erupted.
“It’s been years in the making, we have been striving for that moment and we need to continue for the next three games and go from there.”
It didn’t take long for Toronto to regain the lead as 40 seconds into the second period Sarah Nurse deflected a shot from Alie Munroe into the back of the net which was reviewed but confirmed.
“It shows how successful something can be when we believe in a product and we talked about it and people showed up and it’s unbelievable.”
With 1:32 left in the second period Montreal went on the powerplay and with 25 seconds left in the period, Erin Ambrose tied the game again with a blast from the point.
“We wanted to break Toronto record and we did and it was pretty amazing to be a part of it.”
The third period was a back-and-forth battle but also both teams had chances on the powerplay but failed to convert as both goaltenders were putting on a show.
“Merci au partisan pour aujordhui,” Montreal head coach Kori Cheverie said. “It’s honestly something I will never forget and I have never experienced something like that.”
The game went into overtime but it didn’t last long as 13 seconds into the extra period Sarah Nurse got a pass from Renata Fast who won a battle on the boards and beat Desbiens top corner to end the game in stunning fashion.
“I know this one was a big one,” Cheverie added. “There are so many positives to take from that game and we felt truly this felt different than the other times we played them but I am very proud of this group.”
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Featured Image ©️ Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL)
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