MONTREAL — It's extremely rare that teams play on back-to-back days in the Professional Women’s Hockey League. For the Montral Victoire, a commanding 4-1 win over the Ottawa Charge left a difficult challenge for the following night.
Enter Laura Stacey — who returned after missing the last 18 days with a lower body injury — to help guide her team to a 4-3 shootout win over the Toronto Sceptres on Thursday night. Stacey and Marie-Philip Poulin scored in the shootout.
"It was honestly just so much fun to be back in the locker room with the girls,” said Stacey, who was not expecting to play until the morning skate.
"It’s always tough sitting in the stands, watching your teammates play and wanting to be a part of it. The past two weeks . . . the girls have made me feel as if I was a part of (the team) so that when you do come back, you haven't really missed a beat."
The Olympic gold medalist and multiple world champion was contributing in every phase of play. Despite being listed as the 13th forward after coming back from injury, she logged more than 20 minutes of ice time, picking up two crucial assists before scoring an important goal in the third period.
"Every time that she was on, she impacted," said Victoire head coach Kori Cheverie. "Whether it be the forecheck, pressure on the puck, shooting, or special teams, she impacted every single part of the game.
"She played on every single line and in every single situation and that was the plan going into it."
For most of the game, Toronto had the upper hand. The Sceptres dictated the pace of play, were dominant while cycling, and exposed tired Montreal legs with a strong forecheck.
Despite the pressure, Toronto found itself constantly rebuked by backup goaltender Elaine Chuli who's 37 save performance was just as instrumental in the win as Stacey’s play.
Throughout the third period and overtime, Toronto continuously created pressure while chasing the tying goal. And even after the Sceptres found it, that did little to rattle Chuli, who continued to keep the game level, prompting the raucous Place Bell crowd to start chanting her name.
"Mostly what I care about is the team getting the win and giving them the chance to win, but there are definitely some things to clean up,” said Chuli who jokingly added the chanting might have led to Toronto’s tying goal.
“It means so much. We have the best fans in the league, so to be able to play in front of them for the first time this season and get the win in the shootout is super special."
One of the most noticeable improvements — and likely reasons for Montreal’s occupation of the PWHL’s top spot — is its ability to provide scoring from all over the ice. In the team's five wins over its last six games, 17 different players have found their way on to the scoresheet.
“I think that we really drafted well this year and some of the players we were after could not only bring high-level scoring but character, grit, and depth to our lineup,” said Cheverie. “The first year, you’re not really sure what you’re looking at in terms of the league, but we realized out pretty quickly what types of players are going to have some success in this league.”
This has been shown as well through the fact that — despite being the second-most productive offence in the league with fewer games played — Montreal only has one player with 10 or more points.
UP NEXT
Toronto: Hosts the Minnesota Frost on Saturday.
Montreal: Visits New York Sirens on Sunday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 30, 2025.
Elias Grigoriadis, The Canadian Press