LAVAL, Que. 鈥� Marie-Philip Poulin regularly tees up shot after shot at the end of practices.
On Wednesday night, the Montreal Victoire captain put those reps to good use and sparked her team to victory.
Trailing 1-0 after Montreal's sloppy first period, Poulin cranked up the energy early in the second by unleashing a blistering one-timer to even the score.
The Victoire kept rolling from there.
Poulin scored twice more for a hat trick, leading her red-hot team past the Ottawa Charge 4-1 on Wednesday night in the Professional Women鈥檚 Hockey League.
鈥淭hat goal turned the tides of the entire game," head coach Kori Cheverie said. "Pou has the ability to do that, and I'm glad she shot that puck that hard.
鈥淚'm really happy that all that one-timer work she puts in at the end of practice came to fruition tonight."
The goal came after Emily Clark, with a chance to double Ottawa鈥檚 lead, hit the post on a breakaway at the other end of the ice.
Jennifer Gardiner then played the pass to Poulin on a 2-on-1 rush. The next thing Gardiner heard was the sound of the crowd at Place Bell 鈥� and a loud 鈥淧ing!鈥� from Poulin鈥檚 wicked release going off the crossbar and in.
"I asked if there was a shot clock in the net for that one,鈥� Gardiner said. 鈥淚 don't think anybody saw it, we just heard it and knew it went in.
鈥淲hen she's teed up, it's probably going in.鈥�
With the win, Montreal (7-2-1-2) leapfrogged Minnesota for first place in the six-team PWHL despite playing three fewer games.
Poulin took the league's scoring lead with eight goals.
Gardiner provided the rest of the offence with a goal and two assists. The 23-year-old from Surrey, B.C., who Montreal drafted in the second round last year, has three goals and six helpers in her first 12 PWHL games.
Lately, she鈥檚 finding chemistry with Poulin on Montreal鈥檚 top line alongside Abigail Boreen, who鈥檚 replacing injured alternate captain Laura Stacey.
"I've just got to try to keep up out there. Obviously she's the best player in the world,鈥� said Gardiner, who will represent Canada in the upcoming Rivalry Series games against the U.S. "It takes your best every single night.鈥�
Poulin, a 33-year-old veteran with three Olympic gold medals, said the feeling is mutual.
鈥淗onestly, I also have to be at my best,鈥� she said of playing with Gardiner. 鈥淪he鈥檚 young, she鈥檚 fast, she鈥檚 skilled. It鈥檚 an honour to play with her and see her grow. I hope she can learn from me, but I鈥檓 learning from her too.鈥�
Poulin's production stalled to start this season, with just three points in her first seven games.
In her last five, she has six goals and one assist.
鈥淛ust trying to keep my head down and go to work,鈥� Poulin said. 鈥淭here's games that it鈥檚 going to go in, there's other games that it won鈥檛. Effort, day in and day out, and at some point it's going to go in.鈥�
鈥淪he has the ability to dominate on the ice, even when things aren't going her way,鈥� Cheverie added. 鈥淲hen you work hard and you have that type of attitude, good luck usually finds you."
BRICK WALL
On any other night, Victoire netminder Ann-Ren茅e Desbiens would have been the game鈥檚 first star.
Desbiens stopped 31 shots 鈥� including 14 in a first period dominated by Ottawa 鈥� to secure her league-leading seventh win.
Canada鈥檚 No. 1 goalie has a .933 save percentage and a 1.86 goals-against average this season.
"If it wasn't for Deb in the first period, we probably could have been down two or three,鈥� Cheverie said. 鈥淲e're fortunate and lucky that we have Deb in our net, and we just see a goaltender who gives us so much confidence.鈥�
WOES CONTINUE
Desbiens鈥檚 performance also stopped Ottawa (5-0-2-7) from building momentum in a season that鈥檚 becoming riddled by a lack of goal-scoring.
The Charge average a league-worst 1.78 goals per game and are the only team that hasn鈥檛 registered more than three goals in a game this season.
Along with her shot off the post, Clark missed a wide-open net in the first period. Ottawa also failed to capitalize on its only power play despite holding Montreal鈥檚 tired penalty-killers in their zone for nearly two full minutes.
"Our first period was maybe one of our best periods, if not the best period of our season so far,鈥� head coach Carla MacLeod said. 鈥淜udos to Ann for her capabilities, but felt those missed opportunities certainly hurt us. We get those Grade A's, you need to put them away.鈥�
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 29, 2025.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press
