Latest news with #PlaceBell
Montreal Gazette
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Montreal Gazette
Rochester Americans stave off elimination with 5-1 win over Rocket
Laval Rocket By If Jacob Fowler didn't realize it before, he certainly does now. The Laval Rocket rookie goaltender no longer is at Boston College, playing against boys. Fowler now is in professional hockey, and the 20-year-old received his baptism by fire Friday night against the Rochester Americans. Fowler allowed four goals on 14 shots in barely more than 39 minutes and was replaced by veteran Cayden Primeau. But the damage was already done and the hole too precipitous for the Rocket to overcome. Rochester breezed to a 5-1 victory before 10,243 Place Bell spectators to stave off elimination. The best-of-five North Division final is tied 2-2 heading into Sunday afternoon's (4:30 p.m.) fifth and deciding game. One-game, winner-take-all with both teams' seasons on the line. What more could one expect, or hope for, from the top two clubs in the division. 'They come into our barn and put on that kind of performance against us in front of our fans,' forward Owen Beck said. 'We're both in the same position with our backs against the wall. We have to come back and remember tonight and use that to fuel us for Sunday.' Josh Dunne scored two goals for Rochester while adding two assists. Isak Rosen, Tyson Kozak and Konsta Helenius also scored. Two of the Americans' goals came on the power play while the visitors' final goal, by Helenius, came with the team shorthanded. Joshua Roy scored Laval's only goal — his second in as many games — at 7:45 of the second period, narrowing the deficit to 3-1. But Dunne's second goal came only 1:37 later, defusing any momentum the Rocket might have gained. This was the eighth time in two seasons Rochester has faced an elimination game, and it improved to 6-2. The Americans now have won their last four road elimination contests. Rochester goalie Devon Levi uncharacteristically had allowed 12 goals in the series' opening three games. This marked the first time the Dollard-des-Ormeaux native had allowed three or more goals in three successive AHL contests. And while Levi was 1-6 with an .841 save percentage against Laval heading into the match, he was virtually flawless on this night while stopping 22 shots. The same couldn't be said about Fowler, who has now lost both of his starts against Rochester in this series. Laval head coach Pascal Vincent walks a fine line in his position. The AHL is a development league and there are many who believe Fowler, the Canadiens' third-round (69th overall) draft choice in 2023 is the organization's goalie of the future. Primeau, conversely, is eligible to become a restricted free agent this summer and likely will be with another organization next season. While Vincent has been rotating his goalies — and it was Fowler's turn to start — the coach must decide if winning, especially in a short series, trumps immediate development, especially since Fowler will get plenty of playing time next season, when he's expected to be Laval's No. 1 netminder. While Vincent denied the moment was too big for Fowler, he didn't look good on two of the four goals he allowed — one on a low shot between his legs and the other to his glove side. Those were the first and last scores he surrendered. Vincent, of course, now has no choice but to stick with Primeau on Sunday. 'I think (Fowler) is wired to play those games,' Vincent said. 'That's what he has done in the past. I don't care in what league you've done it. He has done it in the past. We didn't play well in front of him. I'm not going to spend too much time evaluating his game. I don't think he deserves the kind of game we played in front of him.' The absence of injured defenceman Tyler Wotherspoon, 32, was obvious, as Laval struggled in its own end. It was a particularly rough night for former first-round draft choice Logan Mailloux, who went minus-3. Mailloux started the game paired with William Trudeau, but Vincent shuffled the deck in the second period, teaming Mailloux with Noel Hoefenmayer, who replaced Wotherspoon. Vincent said more changes could be forthcoming on Sunday. Meanwhile, referees Morgan MacPhee and Stephen Hiff totally lost control of the game, coincidentally with AHL president Scott Howson in attendance. The teams combined for 154 penalty minutes — 96 against Laval — and 25 penalties, including 13 misconducts alone. By game's end, the Rocket had only four skaters on its bench. Laval didn't have its first power play until the third period. When asked whether this surprised him, Beck had a short and succinct answer: 'Yes.'
New York Times
14-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
The longest game in PWHL history featured mustard packets taped to the glass. Why?
Editor's Note: This story is a part of Peak, The Athletic's new desk covering leadership, personal development and success through the lens of sports. Peak aims to connect readers to ideas they can implement in their own personal and professional lives. Follow Peak here. Just as overtime was about to begin, Amanda Deluca knew what she had to do. As the players on the Ottawa Charge bench fought off the exhaustion and soreness that comes from an intense playoff hockey game, Deluca, the team's athletic therapist, reached for her phone and sent a message. Advertisement Within minutes, the mission began. Members of the Ottawa hockey operations staff began scouring Place Bell arena, in search of what Deluca calls 'an edge.' That edge? Good, old-fashioned yellow mustard and pickle juice. 'So they're able to perform,' Deluca explained. Soon after, a now-viral image was posted on X by reporter Kelly Greig during quadruple overtime. The photo revealed dozens of packets of mustard that Ottawa had hung from the glass. So I reached out to Deluca and a sports nutritionist to learn the full story and answer the question: Is mustard actually good for performance? Game 2 on Sunday between the Ottawa Charge and the Montreal Victoire was the longest game in PWHL history, lasting five hours and 34 minutes. As Deluca watched the players exert themselves, she remembered something she learned while at York University. One of her professors had explained that in an emergency, mustard could alleviate muscle cramping. 'So that's where I thought, OK, we're going into overtime, it's playoffs, let's just grab any little bit of an edge that could help them perform,' Deluca said. After a team effort from the entire Ottawa staff, pickle juice and mustard packets were secured and brought down to the bench. But only the mustard was allowed to stay. The method required some explanation to players. 'Some of them haven't used that method before,' Deluca said. 'So we just had to explain the premise behind it. It's all evidence-based practice. That's how we like to keep everything. They were so willing to try what some people think are unconventional methods. But they trusted us and they played so well.' By hour five of Sunday's game, Ottawa's strength and conditioning coach, massage therapist and team doctor were making peanut butter and jam sandwiches on the bench for fast fuel and easy-to-digest carbohydrates, while the equipment manager taped the mustard packets to the glass, making sure the players had easy access. Advertisement Deluca confirmed that no one experienced major cramping or pain despite playing for 135 minutes. Ottawa lost the game in four overtimes but now leads the series 2-1. I called Dr. Susan Kleiner, who has studied high-performance nutrition for years and has worked with pro teams. 'They're not making it up,' she confirmed. Kleiner introduced me to something called the transient receptor potential (TRP) channel activation theory. Luckily, unlike its name, the meaning behind the term is pretty simple. When you trigger a reflex through the nervous system with a strong flavor, like mustard, it resets the misfiring of nerves that cause cramping. Basically, it stimulates the sensory receptors in the mouth, the esophagus and the stomach, and triggers the reflex. So, in a way, it's a distraction for your brain. 'Medically speaking, we've always known if you have a mild ache and somebody pokes you with a needle, you're not going to notice the ache,' Kleiner said. 'That's most likely what's happening.' Mustard has vinegar, or acetic acid, which has been shown in some studies to improve endurance and glycogen replenishment. But that's not instantaneous, which is why in this case, during overtime, the reason it helps is most likely due to the intense flavor and the neurological response. It's more of a trick of the mind. 'When you're exhausted, if you can have something like that, it does lift your mental energy,' Kleiner said. 'And when you lift your mental energy, you lift your physical energy. But it's not that it's giving you energy, like carbohydrates. And it's not a stimulant like coffee. It's a completely different biochemical pathway. It lifts your sense of energy through the taste, smell and brain receptor, but also this neurological resetting.' Advertisement It hadn't even been 24 hours since the game ended before the Ottawa staff was already crafting plans for an emergency mobile snack station for future games. There will be, Deluca said, two things. 'It'll have pickles and mustard,' she said. Elise Devlin is a writer for Peak, The Athletic's new desk covering leadership, personal development and success. She last wrote about leadership lessons from Steph Curry. Follow Peak here. (Photo of the Montreal Victoire's Jennifer Gardiner and Ottawa Charge's Katerina Mrazova during Game 3 of the PHWL playoffs in Ottawa: Troy Parla / Getty Images)
CBC
12-05-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Dubois' goal in 4th OT ends longest game in PWHL history as Victoire level series with Charge
Social Sharing Catherine Dubois scored at 15:33 of the fourth overtime to lift the Montreal Victoire to a 3-2 playoff victory over the Ottawa Charge on Sunday afternoon at Place Bell. The game set a Canadian professional women's hockey record for the longest hockey game ever, passing the Canadian Women's Hockey League semifinal on March 18, 2018. The previous longest Professional Women's Hockey League game was played exactly a year ago between Montreal and Boston. Kristin O'Neill and Laura Stacey also scored for Montreal, while Anna Wilgren had two assists. Ann-Renee Desbiens made 62 saves as the Victoire tied the best-of-five semifinal series at 1-1. Brianne Jenner had a goal and an assist for the Charge. Aneta Tejralova also scored for the visitors while Gwyneth Philips made 53 saves. WATCH | Dubois scores in 4th OT, Victoire even series with Charge: Victoire edge Charge with Dubois' winner in 4th OT to even series 19 minutes ago Duration 1:53 Ottawa came back from a 2-0 deficit with two goals in the final 4:34 of the third period. Jenner's goal forced overtime with 41.8 seconds remaining. The Charge had pulled their goaltender for the extra attacker. Both teams had five-on-three power plays in the first overtime period, but were unable to capitalize. Montreal had 1:34 of five-on-three time, while Ottawa had 24 seconds. Neither power play generated a great look to end the game. The Victoire opened the scoring 2:25 into the game when O'Neill scored her first of the post-season. The pass banked off the side boards and ended up perfectly placed for O'Neill to beat Ottawa's defence to the puck. She then put the backhand past Phillips. It was Montreal's first shot of the game. Montreal doubled their lead 8:35 into the second period when Laura Stacey entered the zone off of a nice pass from Anna Wilgren and fired a snap shot over the pad of Philips. Ottawa sees goal waved off Ottawa looked to cut the lead less than a minute later. A scramble in front saw the puck cross the goal line, but the call after an official review ruled there was goaltender interference. The Charge challenged the call, but it was confirmed giving Montreal a power play. Rebecca Leslie was credited with the shot that crossed the line. The Charge had the best chances during the penalty. Katerina Mrazova hit the post on a rush, and Emily Clark had a shot from the slot saved by Desbiens. It also generated some momentum for Ottawa. Ten of their 11 shots in the second period came after Stacey's goal. They finally beat Desbiens with 4:34 remaining in the third period. Brianne Jenner's faceoff win got the puck to Tejralova. Her point shot got through traffic to make the score 2-1. Jenner's tying goal came when Tereza Vanisova had the puck at the goal line to the left of Desbiens, and fired a cross-ice pass. The puck hit off of Ottawa forward Clark before Jenner fired the one-timer into the open side of the net. The series now shifts to Ottawa for the next two games. Game 3 is scheduled for Tuesday night at TD Place.
CBC
09-05-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Fan excitement rises as Montreal Victoire take ‘next step forward' as PWHL playoff favourites
Supporters of all ages are flocking to Place Bell in Laval, Que. to see the Montreal Victoire take on the Ottawa Charge in the PWHL Semifinals.
CTV News
09-05-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
Ottawa Charge beat the Montreal Victoire 3-2 in Game 1 of PWHL semifinal series
Montreal Victoire forward Maureen Murphy (21) celebrates after beating Ottawa Charge goaltender Gwyneth Philips (33) in the first period of Game 1 of their Women's Professional Hockey League semi-final series at Place Bell, Thursday, May 8, 2025. (The Canadian Press/Christinne Muschi) (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press)
