Wednesday, March 26, 2025 | 7:00 p.m. CT | Xcel Energy Center
WATCH LIVE: FanDuel Sports Network North, TSN+, RDS, PWHL YouTube & thepwhl.com (U.S. / International)
EN: Clay Matvick (Play-by-Play), Alexis Pearson (Analyst), Kevin Gorg (Reporter);
FR: Claudine Douville (Play-by-Play), Isabelle Leclaire (Analyst), Andrée-Anne Barbeau (Studio Host), Karell Émard (Studio Analyst)
MONTRÉAL VICTOIRE
10-6-3-6 | 45 PTS | 1ST PLACE
Top Scorer: Marie-Philip Poulin – 25 GP, 15-5-20 PTS
Last Game: 2-1 L vs. TOR on Mar. 23
MINNESOTA FROST
7-5-4-9 | 35 PTS | 4TH PLACE
Top Scorer: Kendall Coyne Schofield–25 GP, 10-11-21 PTS
Last Game: 4-1 L at NY (Detroit) on Mar. 16
2024-25 SEASON SERIES: MONTRÉAL LEADS 8-7 IN POINTS (MTL WON 10-5 IN 2024)
Dec. 28 at MIN: 3-2 MTL | Jan. 12 at MIN (DENVER): 4-2 MIN | Jan. 17 at MTL: 4-2 MTL | Feb. 18 at MTL: 4-0 MIN | Mar. 4 at MTL: 2-1 MTL (SO)
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Montréal can become the first team to clinch a berth in the PWHL Playoffs with a win of any kind tonight, either in regulation or in overtime/shootout.
These teams have alternated wins and losses in their five meetings this season, with the Victoire most recently earning a 2-1 shootout win at home on Mar. 4. The teams have split their four all-time meetings at Xcel Energy Center – Montréal scored a 3-2 win in their only game there this season.
The Victoire fell to the Sceptres, 2-1, at home on Sunday. It was just their third loss at home this season (6-4-0-3, including a game in Québec), and their first since a 4-0 loss to Minnesota on Feb. 18. Montréal does not have a regulation win in any of their last five road games (0-1-2-2) but are the only PWHL team with an overall road record above .500 (.528).
Marie-Philip Poulin’s league-leading 15th goal of the season accounted for all of Montréal’s offense on Sunday. It was her 10th game this season with at least one goal and three shots on goal, most in the league.
Laura Stacey leads the league with 93 shots on goal, while Poulin ranks fifth with 79 shots. Montréal is the only team in the league with two players in the top five in that category.
Five players are tied for the head-to-head season series lead with four points including Montréal’s Jennifer Gardiner (1G, 3A) and Erin Ambrose (4A), and Minnesota’s Britta Curl-Salemme (2G, 2A), Taylor Heise (1G, 3A) and Sophie Jaques (1G, 3A – 4 GP).
These teams lead the league in points by defenders with the Frost at 52 and the Victoire at 49 points from the blue line. Victoire defenders have accounted for 31% of the team’s points, followed by the Frost at 30.2%.
The Frost lost to the Sirens, 4-1, in Detroit in their most recent game on Mar. 16. They have scored a total of 12 goals over their last six games, but five of those goals came in a 5-0 win over Ottawa on Mar. 7 – they went 0-1-1-3 in the other five games.
Grace Zumwinkle scored three goals in her first four games this season, then went 12 games without a goal before scoring Minnesota’s lone goal on Mar. 16. The 2024 PWHL Rookie of the Year has been held without a point in her three games against the Victoire this season, but recorded the league’s first-ever hat trick against Montréal on Jan. 6, 2024.
Brooke McQuigge is riding a four-game point streak (2G, 2A) and leads the league with a 21.9 shooting percentage.
Minnesota opened the scoring in their last game before allowing four straight goals. The Frost are a league-worst 5-4-2-4 (.556) when scoring first this season, while the Victoire have the league’s best record (3-3-2-5, .436) when allowing the first goal. The team scoring first is 2-1-0-2 in the five games between these teams this season
Jaques and fellow Frost defender Claire Thompson will join six of their American teammates at the Women’s World Championship as members of Team Canada. Thompson will make her third tournament appearance (2021 – Gold, 2023 – Silver). Jaques will be making her debut. The Victoire have six players on Team Canada: Ambrose, Gardiner, Poulin, Stacey, Ann-Renée Desbiens, Kristin O’Neill.
Frost Assistant Coach Chris “Critter” Johnson was on hand Sunday at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis watching his father (and Wisconsin Head Coach) Mark Johnson win his eighth National Championship with the Badgers. Heise was also in attendance and dropped the puck for the pre-game ceremonial faceoff.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
“It’s been a good couple of days here in Minnesota as a group. We had a productive practice and meetings and are really looking forward to getting out there against Minnesota tonight.” - Victoire defender Erin Ambrose.
“We are very happy to be back on our home ice and in front of our great fans. These last five games are essentially a playoff series for us. We know we need to win games to put ourselves in a postseason position. That starts tonight against one of the league's top teams. We will need to play a solid 60 minutes of Frost Hockey.” - Frost Head Coach Ken Klee.
WEDNESDAY’S GAME: The Frost return to Xcel Energy Center for the time in 31 days, their longest stretch away from home this season, since hosting Toronto on Feb. 23. In that time, “The X” has hosted ten Minnesota Wild games, the Minnesota State Wrestling and Boys’ Hockey Tournaments, The NCHC College Hockey Final Faceoff, and one night concert stops by Mary J. Blige and Justin Timberlake. Tonight is the team’s Women’s Empowerment Month Unity Game, celebrating the women shaping the future both on and off the ice. The Frost have teamed up with Minnesota Sports and Events, the state's regional sports commission and host of the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship in partnership with USA Hockey, for a Women’s Supply Drive to support the Tubman Foundation and their mission to provide safety, hope, healing, and empowerment for women and children in Minnesota. Tubman needs new and unopened soap, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes, menstrual products, and more. Fans can find a full list of needed supplies here. Donation drop off will be set up at each arrival gate. This initiative is part of the Assist26 Legacy Program for the World Juniors coming to Minnesota this December. Tonight’s National Anthems will be performed by Elsa (Gillian Jackson Han) and Anna (Julia Ennen) from Frozen, performing at the Minnesota Children's Theater. The game is being presented by Woody Creek Distillers, with an appearance by Actor and Woody Creek Advisor & Spokesdude William H. Macy.
Minnesota will be the site of the PWHL’s inaugural Breakthrough Cup Girls’ Hockey Tournament Apr. 4-6. The event will feature teams from across North America aged 8-18. Frost players will be on site throughout the weekend signing autographs, greeting teams as they hit the ice, and participating in coaching seminars. For more information, please visit the Breakthrough Cup website.