Latest news with #KoriCheverie
CTV News
20-05-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
Toronto Sceptres' Troy Ryan named one of PWHL's Coach of the Year finalists
Toronto Sceptres head coach Troy Ryan directs his team as they play the Minnesota Frost in the first period of a PWHL hockey playoff game Sunday, May 11, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. TORONTO — Montreal Victoire's Kori Cheverie, Ottawa Charge's Carla MacLeod and Toronto Sceptres' Troy Ryan have been named the finalists for the PWHL's coach of the year. Cheverie of New Glasgow, N.S., is a finalist for a second straight year after guiding the Victoire to first place with a 12-7-3-8 record (regulation wins, overtime wins, overtime losses, regulation losses). Montreal held its first-place position since Jan. 29 with an offence that produced the second-most goals (77) and surrendered the fewest (67) in the PWHL. MacLeod of Spruce Grove, Alta., guided Ottawa to its first-ever playoff berth with a 12-4-2-12 record and 44 points. The Charge sealed third place with a 2-1 overtime win over Toronto in the regular-season finale. The Charge's 12 regulation wins tied for the most in the league — four more than their inaugural total — despite having just two players among the PWHL's top 20 scorers. Ryan of Spryfield, N.S., is the reigning coach of the year. The second-place Sceptres (12-3-6-9) tied for the league lead with nine multi-goal wins, matched the longest win streak at six games (Feb. 1-23), and went unbeaten in nine straight (Jan. 25 to Feb. 23) to climb from last place to within two points of first. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 20, 2025.
CBC
20-05-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Bench bosses of 3 Canadian PWHL teams named coach of the year finalists
Montreal Victoire's Kori Cheverie, Ottawa Charge's Carla MacLeod and Toronto Sceptres' Troy Ryan have been named the finalists for Professional Women's Hockey League coach of the year honours. Cheverie of New Glasgow, N.S., is a finalist for a second straight year after guiding the Victoire to first place with a 12-7-3-8 record (regulation wins, overtime wins, overtime losses, regulation losses). Montreal held its first-place position since Jan. 29 with an offence that produced the second-most goals (77) and surrendered the fewest (67) in the PWHL. MacLeod of Spruce Grove, Alta., guided Ottawa to its first-ever playoff berth with a 12-4-2-12 record and 44 points. The Charge sealed third place with a 2-1 overtime win over Toronto in the regular-season finale. The Charge's 12 regulation wins tied for the most in the league - four more than their inaugural total - despite having just two players among the PWHL's top 20 scorers. Ryan of Spryfield, N.S., is the reigning coach of the year. The second-place Sceptres (12-3-6-9) tied for the league lead with nine multi-goal wins, matched the longest win streak at six games (Feb. 1-23), and went unbeaten in nine straight (Jan. 25 to Feb. 23) to climb from last place to within two points of first.
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.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Déjà Vu in Extended Overtime: Montreal Victoire Win Their First PWHL Playoff Game in Franchise History
The Montreal Victoire and Ottawa Charge break the record for longest game in PWHL history, set exactly one year prior, as Catherine Dubois' game winning goal ties the series 1-1. One year after Montreal and Boston battled in a triple overtime PWHL playoff game, history repeated itself for the home team Montreal Victoire versus the Ottawa Charge. The Victoire held a 2-0 lead with under five minutes remaining in the third period, but thanks to goals from Charge players Aneta Tejralová and Brianne Jenner, the game was sent to overtime to establish a winner. After 135:33 total minutes passed in the game, breaking the PWHL and women's professional single game record for duration, Catherine Dubois scored the game winning goal, lending her team its first ever PWHL playoff win, 3-2. The series is now tied 1-1. Dubois' line combined for two of the Victoire's three goals, as Kristin O'Neill scored the opening goal off of a feed from linemate Kaitlin Willoughby. 'I'm so happy for Dubois, [O'Neill and Willoughby],' said Victoire head coach Kori Cheverie. 'They wore their hearts on their sleeves the entire game. For Dubois, she's such a fan favourite [...] To get rewarded for how hard they play, I'm really happy for them.' Cheverie was also asked about the fact the record was broken exactly one year after the loss to Boston during the 2024 playoffs. 'I only heard that on the walk [to the press room],' Cheverie joked. Both teams took strange means of staying fresh and avoiding cramps, including drinking pickle juice and taping mustard packets to the bench throughout the extended overtime periods. 'It was a fun experience for me,' said Charge forward Emily Clark. 'You hear these crazy stories for games like this. So, to be able to live it. And, honestly, [the mustard] went down easier than I thought it was going to.' Four separate players played over 50 minutes in the game: Montreal's Erin Ambrose (58:09), Kati Tabin (54:04), Cayla Barnes (52:46), and Ottawa's Jocelyne Larocque (54:04). Victoire starting goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens cracked a joke in French to the media post-game, saying that she was happy the game started at 2 p.m. and not 7 p.m. like last year. It was also a momentous bounce back game for Desbiens. After allowing three goals on 27 shots, the netminder stifled her opposition with a 63 save performance, ending the night with a save .969. 'I mean, she's amazing,' expressed Cheverie towards her starting goaltender. 'Even if we were to give up a grade-A quality chance, the conversation on the bench is like, 'Shake it off. That's why we have a good goalie. She's going to help us in those moments.'' 'There was just a lot of pride with how our team showed up today compared to game one,' said Desbiens. The series will now head to Ottawa knotted up at 1-1. Tuesday, May 13 will mark the first ever PWHL playoff game in the nation's capital. The puck is set to drop at 7 p.m.
CBC
29-04-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Laura Stacey scores in OT as Victoire hang on to beat Fleet
Social Sharing With 2:50 remaining in the third period, the Montreal Victoire had a 2-0 lead, were on the power play, and appeared well on their way to a convincing Professional Women's Hockey League victory at Place Bell on Monday night in Laval, Que. Then the hosts surrendered two goals in 39 seconds to the resilient Boston Fleet, including a short-handed marker, and were looking at overtime with 2:07 remaining. "We've learned a lot of valuable lessons the past two games," said Montreal head coach Kori Cheverie. "The players who were on the ice for the two [late] goals, they know, they feel it." Forward Laura Stacey scored with 42.7 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Victoire a 3-2 victory in front of 8,812 fans. It was Stacey's 11th goal of the season and fourth game-winner as Montreal (11-7-3-8) secured home-ice advantage in the opening round of the PWHL playoffs. "I think it was a collective 'take a deep breath,"' said Stacey. "A bunch of the girls were like `we got this, this is still our game.' Of course it sucks getting scored on twice when you're up 2-0 and you feel that win coming. WATCH | Victoire defeat Fleet to lock down home-ice advantage: Victoire defeat Fleet and lock down home ice advantage in semi-final round 10 hours ago Duration 1:25 "That belief in each other, belief in the room, the trust, we've had it all year long and we've known it and we've had that resilience but it takes moments like that to really realize it, to really own it. That's what makes all the difference." Montreal opened the scoring on the power play when Jennifer Gardiner came off the bench to knock in the rebound after Abby Boreen's shot rang off the post. The goal came on the Victoire's third power play of the game. It was Gardiner's fifth goal of the season, and the first PWHL goal allowed by Boston goaltender Klara Peslarova, making her second start and third appearance. Boston (9-6-5-9) would have clinched a playoff spot with a win, but will have to wait to punch their ticket. Peslarova made 33 saves in the loss. Montreal's power play struck again with 15:12 remaining in the third period when Catherine Dubois tipped a Maureen Murphy shot for her fifth goal of the season. Boston cut the lead to 2-1 with 2:46 remaining with a short-handed goal by Hannah Brandt. The goal was reviewed to determine whether it went in the net before it was dislodged. It was her third goal of the season. Hannah Bilka tied the game just 39 seconds later when she fired a shot past Ann-Renee Desbiens with 2:07 left in regulation time. "There was a lot of ownership with and among the smaller groups that we talked to," Cheverie said. "When you have that buy in, when they have a mission, when they have a code they want to follow, it's easy to refocus on what their plan is. "Today was powerful for our group and it did allow us to refocus in that moment where it could have ended up the other way." "The way the team regrouped, it's not an easy thing to do after being scored on twice going into OT," said Stacey. "We pulled it together, we found a way. Good teams find a way. "That's exactly what we did here tonight, and we need to build from it, grow from it, and use it as motivation not only for the next game but now that we're on home ice in the playoffs, too." Working overtime Overtime is nothing new between these two teams. Counting playoffs, 10 of the 13 games between the two rivals — and eight of the last nine — have needed to be solved after regulation time. "We never seem to have an easy game here," said Fleet head coach Courtney Kessel. "Another overtime." Depth scoring One of the reasons for Montreal's second-half slide is the lack of scoring from players not on their top line. On Monday, the second power-play unit was on the ice for both goals, even though the first one was scored by Gardiner, who plays on the top unit, after she came on late after a line change. "Playoffs are won with your third and fourth lines and your depth scoring, and the unsung heroes. I think we have a lot of those in the making," said Cheverie. "Our second power-play unit was incredible tonight, made a huge difference," said Stacey. "If we have all the players playing the right way, the goals will come and I think that's what we're starting to see." Desbiens wins, again The win was netminder Desbiens' league-leading 14th of the season. Desbiens was making her first league start since getting injured on March 18 in Boston. She returned to play at the women's world championship tournament, playing four games for Canada. She continues to lead all qualified goaltenders in both goals-against average and save percentage. Desbiens made 27 saves Monday.
