Poulin nets winner as Victoire edge Sceptres 3-1

Montreal Victoire's Marie-Philip Poulin (29) celebrates her goal against the Toronto Sceptres with Anna Wilgren (5) and Jennifer Gardiner (12) during second period PWHL hockey action in Laval, Que, on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Peter McCabe

MONTREAL — Marie-Philip Poulin scored the game-winning goal and added an assist to lead the Montreal Victoire (10-3-1-4) to a 3-1 win over the Toronto Sceptres on Tuesday night in the Professional Women’s Hockey League.

With 4:54 left in the second period, Cayla Barnes chipped the puck to Poulin, who created space and fired a shot off the post and in to give Montreal a 2-1 lead. It was her league-leading 12th goal and league-leading fifth game-winning goal of the season.

The win in front of 6,101 at Place Bell snapped both Montreal’s two-game losing streak and Toronto’s six-game winning streak. It extended the Victoire’s lead in the standings to five points.

After a turnover in the offensive zone, Renata Fast started a three-on-two going the other way. Jesse Compher opened the scoring with a wrist shot past Ann-Renee Desbiens. It was her eighth of the season, and fourth against the Victoire in four games. It was the first shot for the Sceptres (8-2-4-7) at the 4:10 mark.

Montreal tied the game early in the second period. Poulin won a board battle for the puck, passed it to Laura Stacey, who quickly got the puck to Jennifer Gardiner at the side of the net, who one-timed the puck past Kristen Campbell. It was Gardiner’s fourth goal of the season.

Desbiens, after allowing a goal on the first shot she faced, finished the game with 24 saves, including a point-blank save on Natalie Spooner in the final minute. The puck was cleared, leading to Stacey winning a foot race to negate the icing and seal the game into the empty net.

Toronto was without the PWHL’s leading scorer Hannah Miller. The team said she is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

TAKEAWAYS

Sceptres: Entering a week off and without their leading scorer Miller, Toronto failed to score a power-play goal for the first time in 10 games.

Victoire: In an attempt to snap their modest two-game losing streak, Montreal’s top line of Gardiner, Stacey and Poulin led the way. The trio had the Victoire’s three goals and combined for 11 shots.

KEY MOMENT

After Desbiens stopped Spooner in the final minute, the puck was cleared leading to Stacey’s empty-net goal.

KEY STAT

Montreal’s game-winning goal was Gardiner’s fourth goal of the season and Stacey and Poulin both recorded their fourth assists on the play and the goal was scored at 4:01 of the period.

UP NEXT

Sceptres: Host the Montreal Victoire on Thursday, March 6.

Victoire: Host the Boston Fleet on Saturday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 25, 2025.

Jared Book, The Canadian Press