After a game that featured a dozen penalties, Montreal Victoire forward Abby Roque paused when asked what she thought about the officiating.
Sporting a black eye after a dust-up with Minnesota Frost forward Britta Curl-Salemme that earned matching roughing penalties, Roque said she wished officials could just let both players skate to the bench after minor scuffles.
“There were some that were clear penalties and that’s all good,” Roque said. “We know that’s going to happen. But there were definitely some calls that just, let it go. It’s playoff hockey.”
It certainly felt like playoff hockey in a physical, back-and-forth Game 1 between Montreal and Minnesota, which ended with a 5-4 overtime victory for the Frost. Minnesota defender Jincy Roese scored the game winner from the point through traffic.
Game 2 in the best-of-five series is set for Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET at Place Bell in Laval, Que.
The Frost will be without one of the team’s top forwards, as Curl-Salemme serves a one-game suspension for an illegal hit to the head of Montreal forward Kaitlin Willoughby.
A review from the PWHL’s Player Safety Committee “determined that Curl-Salemme made no attempt to play the puck as she raised her forearm to make direct contact with the head of her opponent, where such contact to the head was avoidable.”
Minnesota Frost forward Britta Curl-Salemme has been suspended for one game, following an illegal check to the head of Montreal Victoire forward Kaitlin Willoughby, during the second period of Minnesota’s 5-4 overtime win in their opening game of the Walter Cup playoffs series.
Curl-Salemme was also fined $250 US for the altercation that led to Roque’s black eye. The Minnesota forward “grabbed and pulled Roque’s facial protector, sending her opponent to the ice with a degree of violence that warrants supplemental discipline.”
It’s the first suspension this season for Curl-Salemme, but she was suspended three times last season, all for plays that involved head contact. She was also fined this season for cross-checking.
A player’s history is considered when handing out discipline, according to the league. A player who receives two-game misconducts in the physical fouls category will be automatically suspended for her team’s next playoff game.
But after four suspensions for hits to the head, punishment hasn’t yet escalated for Curl-Salemme, in a league that has vowed to crack down on such hits.
Curl-Salemme’s ejection at the end of the second period in Game 1 forced Minnesota head coach Ken Klee to juggle his lines.
The coach defended his player after Saturday’s game.
“[She] plays hard, plays the right way, plays physical,” Klee said before Curl-Salemme’s suspension was announced. “She’s not there obviously trying to hurt anyone. She’s out there just trying to play hard. The league’s going to make their call and we’ll just react.”
Stacey’s hat trick makes history
Laura Stacey’s hat trick, the first in PWHL post-season history, kept Montreal in Game 1 against the highest-scoring team in the league.
“[Stacey] was able to put us on her back at times and figure out a way to put the puck across the line,” Montreal head coach Kori Cheverie said. “You appreciate a player like that. You appreciate someone who works so hard and plays the right way. She’s a great leader for us.”
But Roque, who was acquired by Montreal in a draft-day trade last June, also had an impact in her playoff debut. She logged assists on two of Stacey’s goals, led all forwards in ice time, and added a team-leading four hits.
Her goal? To wear the Frost down. The Victoire out-hit the Frost, 17-11, in Game 1.
Reigning two-time Walter Cup champions Minnesota Frost edge Montreal Victoire 5-4 in overtime. Game 2 of the best-of-five semifinal series is on Tuesday.
“I try to hit the people who don’t like to get hit much [and] they’ve got a few of those players,” Roque said. “If you can get under their skin, make it tiring hockey, that’s what we want to do because we have a really deep roster that can play. The more you can wear them down, the better.”
Looking for a better start
There was plenty of resiliency and fight back from Montreal, something Cheverie liked.
But falling into a 2-0 hole early can be dangerous against the back-to-back champions, who have multiple players who can score. Five different Frost players found the back of the net on Saturday.
Montreal’s coach will look for her team to have a better start in Game 2.
The Montreal Victoire kept spectators at the edge of their seats as the team began its bid for a Walter Cup at home against the Minnesota Frost on Saturday at Place Bell in Laval. Despite a loss in overtime, the fans are ready to cheer on the team in Game 2 on Tuesday.
“I would have liked to have seen us maybe earn a little bit more of our game, get our forecheck established, put pucks behind them, make them turn,” Cheverie said. “I don’t think we were as committed to that early on.”
For Montreal fans who watched the top-seeded team fall in Game 1, it could feel like deja vu. The team lost to the Boston Fleet in the first round of the playoffs in 2024, before falling to the Ottawa Charge in Round 1 last year.
Stacey didn’t want to dwell on the past when talking to reporters after Saturday’s loss. All season long, the Victoire players have talked about how this team is different than past iterations, even if some of the main characters are the same. They’re deeper, and believe this is the year they’ll break through.
“The past two years are over,” Stacey said. “We’re here right now. We have a brand new team. We have a brand new group. We’re playing the Frost. We’re present and we’re confident and we know what we can do in that locker room.”
Game 3 of the series will shift to Minnesota on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.
Game 4, if necessary, will be Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET in Minnesota, while Game 5 would be May 11 at 7 p.m. ET in Laval, Que.
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