Latest news with #CatherineDubois
CTV News
13-05-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
Ottawa Charge, fans get set for Game 3 of playoff series tonight at TD Place
Montreal Victoire's Catherine Dubois (28) takes a shot on Ottawa Charge goaltender Gwyneth Philips during second overtime period PWHL playoff hockey action in Laval, Que., Sunday, May 11, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press)
Toronto Star
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Toronto Star
Charge moving on from 4OT loss to Victoire as PWHL playoff hockey makes Ottawa debut
OTTAWA - With a quadruple-overtime loss in Montreal behind them, the Ottawa Charge are focused on responding Tuesday night when they host a Professional Women's Hockey League playoff game for the first time. The Charge returned home with their best-of-five semifinal series against Montreal tied 1—1 after a gruelling Game 2 that lasted over 140 minutes — the longest game in PWHL history — with the Victoire winning 3-2 on a goal from Catherine Dubois.
CBC
12-05-2025
- Sport
- CBC
PWHL playoff notebook: Montreal Victoire in the driver's seat after 4OT win
Exactly a year ago Sunday, the Montreal Victoire battled over three overtime periods, only to come out on the wrong side of the game. The loss to the Boston Fleet put Montreal down 2-0 in the 2024 Walter Cup semifinal playoff series, a deficit the team couldn't come back from. This time around, the result was different. After an exhausting four overtime periods against the Ottawa Charge, Kristin O'Neill set up Quebec's own Catherine Dubois for the game winner in front of more than 7,100 fans inside Place Bell. The series is now tied 1-1. The 3-2 win was Montreal's first franchise playoff victory, after losing four playoff games over two seasons by just one goal each time. This Victoire team feels different than the one that was swept in the first round in 2024. For one, it's deeper. Montreal's fourth line played sparingly, if at all, during last year's series against the Fleet. This time, head coach Kori Cheverie is using her whole bench. Even in Game 1, which ended in regulation, the fourth-line players all logged more than 10 minutes each. The defence is deeper too. Defender Erin Ambrose played a stunning 61 minutes in triple overtime last year. In this year's marathon game, she still played nearly an hour. But first-round draft pick Cayla Barnes was there to put in more than 50 minutes of work on the blue line, which surely eased the load on Ambrose. WATCH | Victoire edge Charge with Dubois' winner in 4OT to even series: Victoire edge Charge with Dubois' winner in 4th OT to even series 21 hours ago Duration 1:53 Beyond the added depth, Cheverie pointed to another year of experience for many players and the Victoire's staff, who have worked hard on the mental preparation of what this year's playoffs could look like. They've been here before and they know what to expect. "[It was] being able to find a way to do the little things in a moment where one team is going to make a mistake and one team is going to capitalize on it," Cheverie said. "Keeping things as simple as possible within our own game plan, within our own individual abilities as well, was going to be crucial." Cheverie didn't like that her team gave up the game-tying goal to Ottawa Charge captain Brianne Jenner in the last minute of regulation in Sunday's game. But the team that gives up a last-minute goal like that doesn't usually end up on the winning side. Not so for the Victoire. The players didn't seem rattled, nor was goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens, who stood tall despite facing 65 shots. "You know when your team keeps doing the right things like we did today, especially in overtime, that eventually we're going to get one," Desbiens said after Sunday's game. "So just make sure I make the saves so that the girls can have the opportunity they worked so hard for all game long and all overtime long." 'We never gave up' The Charge, meanwhile, left Montreal with a split against the top-seeded team, which is not a bad result. The players who spoke to reporters after the game didn't seem deflated after losing in quadruple overtime. In fact, defender Jocelyne Larocque said she felt the Charge had the momentum. "There's so much to be proud of," Larocque said after the game. "We never gave up." The Victoire may disagree that the Charge have the momentum, but Ottawa has proven that it can't be counted out. That starts with the captain, Jenner, who comes up big when this team needs her most, and extends to rookie goaltender Gwyneth Philips, who doesn't look like she's playing in her first PWHL playoff series. "For us, it's just about staying true to our process and the game that we've been playing," head coach Carla MacLeod said. "I thought we made some nice adjustments from Game 1 to Game 2. I thought we actually played a heck of a hockey game. So I think it's less about the emotion of the momentum and more just the detail of our game that can lend itself nicely to the next game." The series moves to Ottawa for Game 3 on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET. Decision on Game 4 starter looming for Toronto While the Victoire and Charge made history for the longest PWHL game, the Minnesota Frost's 7-5 victory over the Toronto Sceptres was the highest scoring game the league has seen yet. Minnesota took a 2-1 series lead with the win, and have the chance to advance to the final on Wednesday at home. The game is set for 7 p.m. ET. The Frost's offence is heating up at the right time. The team has now scored 25 goals in the last five games, dating back to the regular season. Many know Frost defender Lee Stecklein as one of the best defensive defenders in the world. She excels at using her long stick to break up plays, and did a lot of that on Sunday. "She's that stability on the blue line, but also is the top of our power play [and] out there playing major minutes," Minnesota forward Taylor Heise said on Monday. Stecklein has found an offensive touch over the last five games. In that time, she's put up nine points including six goals. Her goal on Sunday gave Minnesota a commanding 3-0 lead. She also added an assist on Michela Cava's goal in the third period, which put the game away for the Frost. With offence coming from up front and the blue line — defender Sophie Jaques has seven points in the last five games — Minnesota has become a difficult team for Toronto to stop. Fewer slot chances would help. But some of the issue has been leaky goaltending from Sceptres starter Kristen Campbell, who has now allowed 14 goals over three playoff games. There was discussion about pulling Campbell for backup Carly "CJ" Jackson on Sunday, but the coaching staff decided to keep Jackson removed from the game. "If we so choose to use her in Game 4, at least she can come in fresh with her own start, feeling good about where she is," Ryan said on Monday. Regular backup Raygan Kirk is on long-term injured reserve and not expected to return during this series. That means the team has to decide whether to turn back to Campbell or switch to Jackson for a must-win playoff game on the road. Ryan also said the team has confidence in Campbell, who has had an up-and-down season. With no room for another loss, it could be a series-deciding question. "She knows she has to be better and we know she needs to be better," Ryan said about Campbell.
Winnipeg Free Press
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Charge moving on from 4OT loss to Victoire as PWHL playoff hockey makes Ottawa debut
OTTAWA – With a quadruple-overtime loss in Montreal behind them, the Ottawa Charge are focused on responding Tuesday night when they host a Professional Women's Hockey League playoff game for the first time. The Charge returned home with their best-of-five semifinal series against Montreal tied 1—1 after a gruelling Game 2 that lasted over 140 minutes — the longest game in PWHL history — with the Victoire winning 3-2 on a goal from Catherine Dubois. Ottawa forced the Sunday's game at Place Bell to overtime scoring twice in a span of just over four minutes in the third period. 'I think for us, it was just a matter of, OK, this is playoff hockey,' Ottawa coach Carla MacLeod said Monday, as the teams made a most of a day off to recover from the physical and emotional toll of Sunday's marathon match. 'You know, they're a great team, we're a great team, it's going to go back and forth, and we recognize that.' Montreal may have some momentum in the series with the overtime win, but the Charge are feeling confident after winning the series opener on the road and coming close in Game 2. 'I think we talked about it yesterday in the locker room after the game, like there was no reason to hang our heads,' Charge forward Alexa Vasko said. 'I think as a group, we believe we played a great game. And, you know, it was, it was a game for the ages, so I think we're really proud of what we showed that game, and we're just building on that and we're excited to go tomorrow.' The series now becomes a best-of-three, with Games 3 and 4 in Ottawa. Montreal finished first in the regular-season standings, but the Charge aren't really buying into the underdog label. 'Well, I don't know how we're the underdog,' MacLeod said. 'Top four teams in this league, everyone's really good. Obviously, they won the regular season, we recognize that, but we had an incredible season ourselves. I think for us, we're not worried about sort of what the outside world's thinking or saying or what they're not saying.' MacLeod said she and her coaching staff are looking to improve with each game and find areas to capitalize on. 'That's just part of the process in playoffs,' said MacLeod. 'Because you're facing the same opponent it becomes a bit of a chess match, which is a lot of fun, really.' Charge players have largely looked composed in what is the first playoff series for many on the team. Rookie goaltender Gwyneth Phillips, who started the season as a backup, has been a steady presence for Ottawa since Emerance Maschmeyer was sidelined with a leg injury. Phillips was solid making 53 saves Sunday and will need to be equally as good the rest of the way. 'She's just a gamer, you know, she's proven that time in and time out,' MacLeod said. 'You know, here, she's proven it on the world stage, she's an elite level goaltender, and, you know, I think she's earning her credibility pretty quickly here, so she's been just tremendous for us in the back half of the season here, and obviously in the playoffs.' With the Charge preparing to host their first-ever playoff game, there's an undeniable buzz around the city and players are feeding off of it. 'It's really exciting,' said Ottawa native Rebecca Leslie. 'I'm obviously from Ottawa so for me it's a dream come true to play playoffs in my hometown and I'll have tons of family and friends in the stands and I'm just really excited.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 12, 2025.
Montreal Gazette
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Montreal Gazette
Todd: Montreal posts playoff Victoire for the ages
By The reaction was a beat slow, as though the players couldn't quite believe it. At 15:33 of the fourth overtime period Sunday, Catherine Dubois had taken a nifty pass from Kristin O'Neill in the slot and whipped a quick wrist shot that beat Ottawa goaltender Gwyneth Philips high to the glove side to end the longest game in PWHL history with a 3-2 victory in Game 2 of their best-of-five semifinal. A moment later, Montreal Victoire players were storming off the bench and mobbing the tall figure of Dubois along the glass. Dubois herself was stunned. 'I blacked out,' she said. 'I don't really remember what happened, I just remember the girls coming towards me. We dealt with the opposite last year and it hurt, so I'm really happy we came away with the win.' Heroes? Laura Stacey had 12 shots on goal and Poulin had eight. Philips stopped 53 of 56 shots. But the star of the night was Montreal goalie Ann-Renée Desbiens, who faced 65 shots and stopped 63. When Dubois scored, you could feel the sigh of relief that rippled through the organization. In their short existence, the Victoire have already gained a reputation as a dominant regular-season team, but they haven't carried it into the playoffs. They were swept by the Boston Fleet in their opening series in 2024 and lost the first game of this series to Ottawa. It's both unfair (they have, after all, played only five post-season games) and odd, given that captain Marie-Philip Poulin is arguably the greatest clutch player in the history of the women's game. Mind you, Montreal hasn't won a thing except, perhaps, steadier nerves. They're back on the ice in Ottawa Tuesday night and while they're the significantly better team on paper, the games aren't played on paper. The seedy underbelly: No doubt, Gary Bettman is grateful for the NHL playoffs that are taking attention away from the more sordid aspects of the game of hockey, which were on full display last week: From London, Ont., we were getting regular updates on the trial of five former junior players accused of sexually assaulting an inebriated young woman. One after another, the assembled legal talent representing these young men went after the alleged victim. Closer to home, Noah Corson, the son of former Canadien Shayne Corson, was sentenced to two years in prison minus a day for sexual assault. In Anaheim, the Ducks announced that they have hired Joel Quenneville, one of the pivotal figures in the Chicago Blackhawks scandal involving Kyle Beach, a young player in the Blackhawks organization, who had been sexually assaulted by former video coach Brad Aldrich. Quenneville was part of what an NHL investigation showed was an 'inadequate response,' along with former Chicago GM Stan Bowman (now GM in Edmonton). Also on the list of those hired last week? Eric Staal, taken on as a special assistant to the GM in Buffalo despite his refusal to wear a pride jersey. Bare Knuckles: It hasn't opened yet, but the one-man show titled Knuckles: the Chris Nilan Story should be worth the price of admission. If you haven't already, you might want to read the book first. The majority of autobiographies are, inevitably, self-serving twaddle. They pretend to be candid while hiding the worst from view. Not Knuckles. He punches straight from the shoulder. Right or left, Nilan will always tell it as he sees it and his book is as raw as anything I've ever read: You laugh, you weep, you want to grab him and give him a good shake (at your peril). Nilan is a legend, up there in the pantheon of Canadiens tough guys with John Ferguson and Pierre Bouchard, his battered mug and Boston accent as iconic as Guy Lafleur's flowing mane. But beyond the legend there is a man with more than his fair share of demons. We're fortunate that he has stories to tell and he's willing to share. He be the Judge: Aaron Judge got four hits Sunday to hike his batting average to .409. He leads the majors in batting average, hits, home runs (tied with Kyle Schwarber), runs batted in, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS. And he's doing it despite a strike zone suited to the NBA. Because he doesn't pitch, Judge gets less attention than the Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani but at worst, the two towering superstars (one for each league) are equals. Over the past half-century, the Lords of Baseball have done their level best to wreck the game — but having two of the greatest players in the long history of baseball playing for the two most iconic teams just might save it. Heroes: Catherine Dubois, Laura Stacey, Kristin O'Neill, Ann-Renée Desbiens, Gwyneth Philips, Jacob Fowler, Florian Xhekaj, Owen Beck, David Reinbacher, Pascal Vincent, Prince Owusu, Mikko Rantanen, Aaron Judge, Lamine Yamal, Martin St. Louis &&&& last but not least, Lane Hutson. Zeros: Auston Matthews, Max Domi, Joel Quenneville, Stan Bowman, Eric Staal, Noah Corson, Justin Tucker, Gary Bettman, Mark Stone, Wayne Gretzky, Bud Selig Jr., Claude Brochu, David Samson &&&& last but not least, Jeffrey Loria. Now and forever.
