Key Takeaways From First Regulation Win For The Montreal Victoire

The Montreal Victoire took to the ice of the Canadian Tire Centre looking to leave the recent 4-1 loss against the New York Sirens in the rear-view mirror on Friday night, and they did so with a 2-1 win against the Ottawa Charge.

Here are three takeaways from Montreal’s first regulation win of the season:

Mikyla Grant-Mentis’ has Ottawa’s number

Mikyla Grant-Mentis scored the game winning goal in the contest against her former team. There doesn’t appear to be any love lost following her departure from O-town, and the forward has said that she does play with something extra.

After recording two goals in the pre-season matchup against the Charge, "MGM" was asked about playing with an assumed edge against Ottawa. She responded by saying that she forgot the two clubs were playing, but that “there’s definitely a little something there every time” she plays them.

The success Grant-Mentis found tonight also stems from her ability to play wherever needed. While there were a number of acquisitions over the offseason that bolstered the forward depth for the Victoire, when head coach Kori Cheverie shuffles the lines, Grant-Mentis fits wherever she lands. Whether it’s providing sound forechecking and two-way acumen to the top line or throwing her weight around and utilizing a sound stick on the second, she can fill her role. It was her fight for the puck around Ottawa’s crease and potting the aforementioned game-decider where she came in handy tonight.

With her first goal of the season now on the score sheet, Grant-Mentis has accumulated three points in three games.

All Marie-Philip Poulin goals are galvanizing

The initial 30 minutes of play felt as though there was some flash, but no definitive spark when it came to scoring. Both offenses eventually got hot thanks to some shorthanded excellence from Marie-Philip Poulin. After picking the pocket of Charge defender Aneta Tejralová, 'Captain Clutch' fired the puck glove side by Emerance Maschmeyer for the games opening marker.

This is Poulin’s first goal of the season, but not the first time she’s beaten Maschmeyer, following the shootout winner between the Team Canada’s teammates in the opening game. It’s just amazing how whenever she scores it feels like a defining characteristic of any game, either shifting momentum, providing some kind of spark, or in the clutch. Her goal provided the spark this evening, as Ashton Bell found twine for Ottawa, only for Grant-Mentis to respond moments later.

Elaine Chuli gets her first call to the crease, and she answered it

Coming off the success Elaine Chuli had last season–with a 6-1-0 record, a 1.61 goals-against, and a .949 save percentage–she entered Friday night’s affair poised and ready.

It’s clear that whenever your netminder is calm, your team is calm. There was no panic to Chuli’s game, tracking pucks and thwarting attempts in and around the crease with ease. The big save in the third period was obviously the most notable goaltending moment on the night, handling Ottawa’s six-on-five frenzy as a reliable goaltender should.

Between Chuli and Ann-Renée Desbiens, Montreal has a strong case for the best goaltending in the league, and the addition of Team Germany standout Sandra Abstreiter as the third-string reinforces that notion. Chuli’s 26-save, one-goal performance is not only a strong side for the season to come between the pipes, but was also crucial in order for Montreal to get back on track following the loss at home to New York.