Maureen Murphy netted two goals to lead the Montreal Victoire to a 3-1 victory over the Ottawa Charge in a packed arena at Place Bell in Laval, Quebec, on Saturday afternoon. Ann-Renée Desbiens stood strong in goal for the Victoire, making 23 saves as the team climbed to second place in the Professional Women’s Hockey League standings. Abby Roque sealed the win with an empty-net goal.
Faduza Kadirova found the back of the net for the Charge, with Gwyneth Philips making 33 saves in a losing effort. Montreal struck first midway through the opening period when Hayley Scamurra’s shot was saved by Philips, only for Murphy to capitalize on the rebound.
In the final seconds of the first period, Murphy struck again on the power play with a well-placed one-timer from a pass by Erin Ambrose. Ottawa thought they had narrowed the gap in the second period, but a goal was disallowed due to contact with Desbiens.
Ottawa finally scored with less than six minutes remaining in the second period through a deflection off Kadirova. Despite pulling their goalie late in the game, Ottawa couldn’t find the equalizer.
Desbiens continued her stellar form, making key saves throughout the game, including denying a breakaway by Emily Clark. She also shut down Ottawa’s potent power play, which had been the best in the league coming into the matchup.
Montreal’s victory marked Ottawa’s only two regulation losses in their last nine games, both at Place Bell. Next up, Montreal will face the Toronto Sceptres, while Ottawa is set to take on the Seattle Torrent on Wednesday.