Montréal Victoire One Win Away from the Finals (2-1)

The Montréal Victoire faced the Minnesota Frost on May 7, 2026 at Grand Casino Arena in Game 3 of this series. Read about how the Montréal Victoire came up on top and secured a 2-1 series lead against the Minnesota Frost after their Game 3 victory in the 2026 PWHL Walter Cup Playoffs.

Game 3 | Thursday, May 7, 2026 | Montréal Victoire 2, Minnesota Frost 1

The Minnesota Frost entered Game 3 fueled by vengeance from their previous 3OT loss which ultimately helped them to strike first and gain a 1-0 lead with a goal scored by #5 Sidney Morin. This momentum also helped the Minnesota Frost to outshoot the Montréal Victoire by the end of the first period (10 SOG vs. 7 SOG). When it came to special teams, all power play units struggled against each other’s undefeated penalty kills after the first 20 minutes of regulation. 

The Montréal Victoire regrouped after a slow start and were able to tie the game with a goal scored by #91 Maggie Flaherty early in the second period (1-1). This was then followed up by #16 Hayley Scamurra extending the Montréal Victoire's lead, 2-1, less than a minute after the game-tying goal was scored. A quick turn-around of events for the Montréal Victoire ultimately jumpstarted their momentum which benefited their puck possession maintenance throughout the second period (11 SOG vs. 7 SOG). Despite having two attempts on the power play, the Minnesota Frost continued to struggle against the strong Montréal Victoire penalty kill unit. 

Down by one-goal the Minnesota Frost fought hard to tie the game with their three power play attempts, however, their efforts fell short which resulted in their tough loss. The Montréal Victoire also struggled on their one man-advantage early in the third period. Despite their struggles on the power play, the Montréal Victoire were able to secure their 2-1 victory due to the stellar goaltending of #35 Ann-Renée Desbiens and their ability to maintain puck possession throughout the last period of regulation (11 SOG vs. 1 SOG). When looking at goaltending, #35 Ann-Renée Desbiens secured the second Montréal Victoire win of this series after saving 27 out of 28 shots on goal. On the other hand, #35 Maddie Rooney experienced her second loss of this series after making a commendable 17 saves out of 19 shots on goal. The Montréal Victoire are one step closer to making their debut in the finals of the 2026 PWHL Walter Cup Playoffs while the Minnesota Frosts fight to force Game 5 in hopes to keep their playoff run alive.

Points Leaders and Goaltending Stats

Montréal Victoire

• Points leaders: #16 Hayley Scamurra (1G, 1A) ended this game with 2 points recorded

• Goals leader: #16 Hayley Scamurra (1G) and #91 Maggie Flaherty (1G) both scored 1 goal 

• Assists leaders: #16 Hayley Scamurra (1A) assisted 1 goal 

• Goaltending: #35 Ann-Renée Desbiens saved 27 out of 28 shots on goal

Minnesota Frost

• Points leaders: #2 Lee Stecklein (1A), #5 Sidney Morin (1G), #26 C. Kendall Coyne Schofield (1A) ended the game with 1 point recorded 

• Goals leader: #5 Sidney Morin (1G) scored the only Minnesota Frost goal of this game

• Assists leaders: #2 Lee Stecklein (1A) and #26 C. Kendall Coyne Schofield (1A) assisted the only Minnesota Frost goal of this game

• Goaltending: #35 Maddie Rooney saved 17 out of 19 shots on goal

Overall Stats

• The Montréal Victoire outscored the Minnesota Frost (2G vs. 1G)

• The Minnesota Frost outshot the Montréal Victoire (28 SOG vs. 19 SOG)

• Both teams ended with a 0% power play success rate

• Both teams ended with a 100% penalty kill success rate 

SUMMARY: The Montréal Victoire’s ability to capitalize on vital scoring chances helped them to secure this win despite the Minnesota Frost's ability to maintain puck possession throughout this game. 

After a very close battle and a gutsy win, the Montréal Victoire one win away from advancing to the finals. Looking ahead, we can expect another intense duel in regards to maintaining puck possession with the Montréal Victoire having a slight advantage over the Minnesota Frost (96 SOG vs. 95 SOG). Each special team has struggled during this series with the Montréal Victoire having another advantage over the Minnesota Frost on the power play (20.0% vs. 7.14%) and penalty kill (92.9% vs. 80.0%). In order to extend this series, the Minnesota Frost have to capitalize on their scoring chances as they have trailed the Montréal Victoire (5G vs. 7G). With the stakes even higher, it is guaranteed that each team will be playing with another level of intensity as the Montréal Victoire hope to end this series on Friday, May 8, 2026. If Montréal Victoire are unable to close out this series in Game 4, then the Minnesota Frost have a chance to come out victorious after forcing Game 5 which will take place on Monday, May 11, 2026.

Below are the next scheduled match-up and where to watch them:

Friday, May 8, 2026 (Game 4)

• The Montréal Victoire will face the Minnesota Frost on Friday, May 8, 2026 at 8:30 PM EDT. This game will take place at the Grand Casino Arena

  • Watch on Prime Video Canada, Scripps Sports Network, Fox 9+, PWHL YouTube Channel

Monday, May 11, 2026 (Game 5) If necessary

• The Minnesota Frost will face the Montréal Victoire on Monday, May 11, 2026 at 7:00 PM EDT. This game will take place at the Place Bell

  • Watch on Prime Video Canada, Scripps Sports Network, Fox 9+, PWHL YouTube Channel

Stay tuned for the next recap of the 2026 PWHL Walter Cup Playoffs!