BY Blessing Nweke
The Montreal Victoire secured their first Professional Women’s Hockey League championship on Wednesday night, defeating the Ottawa Charge 4-0 in Game 4 of the Walter Cup Finals.
Forward Abby Roque led the way with two goals, while goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens stopped all 23 shots she faced to record the shutout. Maggie Flaherty and Lina Ljungblom also scored as Montreal claimed the best-of-five series 3-1.
Montreal entered the game with momentum after winning the opening two games of the finals at home in overtime before falling 2-1 in Ottawa on Monday. The victory ended the dominance of home teams, which had won the previous five games in the championship series.
Roque opened the scoring at 3:49 of the second period when her centering attempt deflected off Ottawa defender Rory Guilday’s stick and slipped past goalie Gwyneth Philips. She struck again short-handed midway through the third period, skating across the crease and finishing with a backhand shot while teammate Marie-Philip Poulin served an interference penalty.
Flaherty extended the lead to 3-0 with a long shot through traffic late in the third period before Ljungblom capitalized on a turnover to complete the scoring.
The title marks a milestone for Montreal after the Minnesota Frost won the league’s first two championships.
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