Saturday, March 1, 2025 | 2:00 p.m. ET | Bell Centre
WATCH LIVE: CBC TV, CBC Gem, cbcsports.ca, ICI TÉLÉ & ICI TOU.TV, PWHL YouTube & thepwhl.com (U.S. / International)
EN: Daniella Ponticelli (Play-by-Play), Becky Kellar (Analyst), Anastasia Bucsis (Reporter), Andi Petrillo (CBC Studio Host), Hailey Salvian (CBC Studio Analyst), Saroya Tinker (CBC Studio Analyst);
FR: Michael Roy (Commentator), Stéphanie Poirier (Analyst), Christine Roger (Reporter), Roseline Filion (Host), Ann-Sophie Bettez (Analyst)
BOSTON FLEET
6-5-2-6 | 30 PTS | 3RD PLACE
Top Scorer: Hilary Knight – 19 GP, 8-9-17 PTS
Last Game: 3-2 SOW at NY (in Buffalo) on Feb. 23
MONTRÉAL VICTOIRE
10-3-1-4 | 37 PTS | 1ST PLACE
Top Scorer: Marie-Philip Poulin – 18 GP, 12-4-16 PTS
Last Game: 3-1 W vs. TOR on Feb. 25
2024-25 SEASON SERIES: MONTRÉAL LEADS 4-2 IN POINTS (TIED 6-6 IN 2024)
Dec. 30 at MTL: 3-1 MTL | Jan. 5 at BOS (SEATTLE): 3-2 BOS (SO) | Mar. 1 at MTL | Mar. 8 at BOS | Mar. 18 at BOS | Apr. 28 at MTL
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
The home team has won each of the first two matchups between the Fleet and Victoire this season. Boston is the only team Montréal has not beaten at least twice this season.
The Fleet own a four-game winning streak (two in regulation, one in overtime, one in a shootout), the team’s longest in regular-season history and the longest active win streak in the PWHL. Boston has allowed two or fewer goals in each game, tied for their longest streak this season (Jan. 5-22, which was part of a five-game point streak).
Susanna Tapani has scored the winning goal in back-to-back games for Boston, including an overtime winner against Ottawa and a shootout winner against New York in last Sunday’s Takeover Tour game in Buffalo.
Hilary Knight is tied for fifth in the league with 17 points this season, and those points have all come in 13 games. The Fleet captain’s 13 games with a point are tied for second most in the PWHL trailing only Sarah Fillier (16).
Jillian Dempsey returns to Montréal for the first time to face her former team. She recorded four points (1G, 3A) in 24 games with Montréal during the inaugural season and began the 2024-25 campaign as a Boston reserve. Dempsey signed a full contract with the Fleet on Feb. 21.
Jill Saulnier will play in her second game at the Bell Centre as a member of the visiting team after suiting up for the CWHL’s Calgary Inferno on Dec. 10, 2016, in a 1-0 loss to Les Canadiennes de Montréal and goal scorer Marie-Philip Poulin.
Montréal is looking for their first win at the Bell Centre following a 3-2 overtime loss to Toronto on April 20, 2024. The team has won 15 home games in two seasons (10 at Place Bell, 4 at Verdun Auditorium, 1 at Centre Videotron) – tied with Toronto for the most by any PWHL team in their home province/state.
Poulin leads the PWHL with 12 goals, more than all but one player had all of last season (Natalie Spooner, 20). That includes five game-winning goals (including Tuesday against Toronto), which is three more than anyone else has in the league and not counting her league-leading two shootout winning goals. The Victoire are 8-0 when their captain scores.
Montréal scored two second-period goals on Tuesday and have scored over half of their goals in the middle frame (25 of 49) - the most goals by any PWHL team in any period this season. Boston has allowed the fewest second-period goals this season (12). The Fleet also have the league’s best third-period goal differential (+7) and the Victoire have the worst (-4).
Erin Ambrose leads the PWHL with a plus-12 rating. She also leads Victoire defenders with 10 points, all assists, scoring her last goal on the power play last season at the Bell Centre.
Ann-Renée Desbiens leads the league in save percentage (.936) and goals-against average (1.75). She has held her opponents to two or fewer goals in 11 straight games (after allowing three in each of her first two starts this season). It is the longest such streak by any netminder in the league this season. Desbiens is tied with Aerin Frankel for the league lead with 10 wins.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
“We can’t wait to play in front of the incredible crowd at Bell Centre. The atmosphere is absolutely electric in that rink and I am thrilled to get on the ice playing for Boston this time. Our team is looking to play a fast and physical game to extend our win streak. We are looking to build on our momentum, get pucks to the net, and focus on doing the little things right. We’re excited to compete against Montréal and we’re looking to feed off the energy that the crowd always brings at Bell Centre.” –Fleet forward Jillian Dempsey.
“I love the kind of chemistry that we have in the room in terms of the players who have experienced the (Bell Centre) game last year, and then the amount of games that we played in big buildings so far this year. The messaging is to have fun. Enjoy it. It only happens once a year in this building. Last year we certainly had the fans behind us in terms of giving us that energy. Not many people get to experience this. We're looking forward to getting back in that building.” - Victoire Head Coach Kori Cheverie.
SATURDAY’S GAME: The Montréal Victoire return to the Bell Centre for the PWHL’s second edition of the Duel at the Top, presented in partnership with Air Canada. Last April, the event set a world record for attendance at a professional women's hockey game with 21,105 fans watching the highly anticipated game against Toronto. Montréal and Boston will be wearing specialty jerseys in partnership with Molson. The jerseys feature the player’s name bar at the bottom, with the Molson logo placed where the regular name bar would be, often covered by some players’ long hair. The jerseys debuted last season on International Women’s Day to launch Molson’s ‘See My Name’ campaign and were worn by the Victoire during PWHL Takeover Tour games in Vancouver and Québec City. Also happening today at the Bell Centre, DJ Montana will be creating the party atmosphere that makes attending a Victoire game so special – this time with surprise guests at each intermission. The Lanaudière Pionnières will hit the ice in the first intermission for Timbits mini match. Fans will also enjoy entrance giveaways, a concourse photo booth, t-shirt tosses during TV timeouts, and the ‘Lumpy Bumpy Relay Race’ during the second intermission, all courtesy of presenting partner Air Canada. This is the second time in seven days that members of the Victoire will be competing at the Bell Centre after joining the Montréal Canadians skills competition last Sunday.