English, Game Recap, League, News
by amclellan
LAVAL, QC (May 11, 2024) – Taylor Wenczkowskiscored 11:44 into the third overtime period to lead Boston to a 2-1 victory over Montréal at a sold-out Place Bell on Saturday night.
Boston now leads the best-of-five semifinal series 2-0 after winning back-to-back overtime games on the road.
Wenczkowski’s winner was her first-ever PWHL goal and came 111:44 into the game.
The forward scored mere seconds after Ann-Renée Desbiens made a spectacular point-blank save. As play continued, Wenczkowski got the puck in front, and put in her rebound over the goal line, playing overtime hero for her team. Sidney Morin and Gigi Marvin recorded the assists on the play.
Boston netminder Aerin Frankel had her second 50-plus save game in a row, following up her 53-save performance in Game 1 with a new PWHL-high 56 saves in Game 2.
Desbiens made 50 saves, a new season-high for the goaltender, surpassing her previous best of 43, set on January 27 against Ottawa.
Amanda Pelkey got Boston on the board first after taking a shot from behind the goal line that bounced off a Montréal player and into the net.
Kristin O’Neill got her second powerplay goal of the playoffs to tie the game 1-1. The forward capitalized on a rebound created by Maureen Murphy’s shot, tapping the puck in from the top of the crease. Erin Ambrose had the secondary assist.
Montréal had a five-minute powerplay in the first overtime period after Boston forward Lexie Adzija was assessed a match penalty for a hit to Laura Stacey but couldn’t capitalize on the advantage. The team had a second opportunity on the advantage in the frame, but Boston’s penalty kill again came out on top.
Boston started the second overtime on the powerplay but couldn’t find the back of the net.
The two teams meet for Game 3 on Tuesday, as Boston looks to clinch the series at home at the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell.
Postgame Quotes:
Boston Head Coach Courtney Kessel on the close series: “We knew this was going to happen with Montréal. I think we battled [Montréal] all year and what a tremendous effort by every single athlete out there. It takes a lot to basically play two games of hockey and luckily we came out on the better side of that.”
Boston forward Taylor Wenczkowski on scoring the game-winning goal: “It was great. It was awesome. I was so happy to end it and go back to Boston with two wins.”…. On playing in a 3OT game: “It was a lot of hockey. It’s a grind, especially with the physicality, but super proud of the girls that we came out on top.”
Montréal forward Laura Stacey on the team’s mindset: “We need to keep focusing on the good things we did and keep doing them. It hurts, because we wanted to win for the other players on the team, for the staff, as well as the fans who have been supporting us all season long.We’re heading to Boston to get a win”
Montréal Head Coach Kori Cheverie on the team’s performance: “From Game 1 to Game 2 we got better. We’ll continue to put the work in.”
Notes:
- Attendance: 10,172 (Sell-Out) – Place Bell, Laval, QC.
- Three Stars: 1) Taylor Wenczkowski2) Ann-Renée Desbiens 3) Aerin Frankel
- Shots ended 57-52 in favour of Montréal – The combined shot count of 109 included 52 shots in overtime and is the highest of any PWHL game this season.
- Laura Stacey (MTL) led all players with nine shots on goal – Teammates Marie-Philip Poulin and Maureen Murphy and Boston’s Hilary Knight finished second with eight shots apiece.
- Montréal’s 57 shots are the most by a team in a single PWHL game this season — They set the previous record in Game 1 of the series with 54.
- Boston’s 52 shots are a new single-game high for the team – Their previous high was 46 on Mar. 10.
- Boston was 0/2 on the powerplay – Montréal was 1/4.
- Erin Ambrose (MTL) led all players in ice time with 61:33 – Knight led all Boston players with 49:23 TOI.
- Five Montréal players surpassed 50 minutes of ice time: Ambrose, Katin Tabin (56:49), Kristin O’Neill (52:44), Laura Stacey (52:30), and Marie-Philip Poulin (50:33).
- Frankel has made 109 saves through two games this series.
- Stacey’s point streak comes to an end at six — Boston’s Megan Keller and Susanna Tapani’s streaks end at three.
- Wenczkowski and Gigi Marvin led all players with a plus-2 rating.
- Marvin and Montréal’s Maureen Murphy both have two assists in two playoff games.
- O’Neill is the lone PWHL player this postseason to score on the powerplay, with one in each game this series – Tonight’s powerplay marker was her team-high fifth on the advantage this season.
- Pelkey’s only regular-season goal was scored against Montréal in overtime on Jan. 13.
- Including tonight’s match, four of six games played between the two teams this season have gone to extra time – Boston is now 3-1 in overtime victories over Montréal.
- This is the longest game in PWHL history at 111:44.
- This game had the longest goalless stretch of any game all season at89:46 —The previous high was 58:35, set yesterday in Game 2 of the Toronto/Minnesota series.
- Counting the first two games of the series, Montréal has now played an additional 90:49 in ten games and Boston has played 82:42 in nine games past regulation
- VIDEO REVIEW: The PWHL Situation room initiated a review of a potential Montréal scoring play at 19:30 of the third period. The puck was in the goalie’s pads, which led the referee to call the play. The puck squeaked out after the play was dead and crossed the line after the whistle. The ‘No Goal’ call on the ice was upheld.
- VIDEO REVIEW: The on-ice officials, having called a Match Penalty as the original call, then initiated a review of Lexie Adzija’s penalty at 6:20 of the first overtime period in accordance with Rule 21.5. After review, the officials confirmed it to be a Match Penalty for an Illegal Check to the Head with the intent to injure (Rule 48.5).
- VIDEO REVIEW: The PWHL Situation Room initiated a review of a potential Boston scoring play at 19:26 of the second overtime period. After review, it was determined that the whistle was blown by the referee when the goalie had possession, and additionally, that the puck never crossed the line.
- Game Center | Playoff Schedule | Playoff Stats
