Montreal Victoire Return Home After Thrilling West Coast Tour

MONTREAL — The Montreal Victoire are finally home… for the time being.

After an exciting yet gruelling 10 days playing in three arenas on the North American West Coast as part of the 2024-25 Takeover Tour, the team practice on their usual ice in Verdun, Que on Wednesday and Thursday. There isn’t much time for rest, unfortunately, as the team will face the Minnesota Frost at Place Bell on Friday before travelling to Quebec City and squaring off against the Ottawa Charge at the Videotron Centre.

West Coast Tour

The team made stops in Vancouver, BC; Seattle, WA; and Denver, CO. The Victoire lost two of their three contests, going 1-0-1-1 in the process. They are still situated second overall in the PWHL standings, and the positives from the trip far outweighed the results.

“It was honestly a phenomenal experience for us,” said defender Erin Ambrose. One of the blueliner’s biggest takeaways was the time the team spent together.

“I love the city of Montreal, but we’re not going to get those opportunities when we’re all living separately,” Ambrose said. “When you’re all in a hotel, you get to do things together.”

Ambrose was asked about memories that stuck out most from the West Coast adventure. Apart from the gondola ride and fish toss in Seattle, the reception in Vancouver was most memorable.

“Obviously, I had a great time in Seattle and Denver, but being in a Canadian market just hits different a little bit,” Ambrose expressed. “And then to see everybody’s excitement for [Surrey, B.C.-native Jen Gardiner] was really exciting as well.”

“I’ve never been to all three cities, and, of course, never been into all three of those rinks,” said defender Mariah Keopple. While Keopple remembers throwing the fish in Seattle, she echoed her fellow defender’s sentiment of being with Gardiner in her home province.

“Jen knew a lot about all the mountains and everything we were around,” said Keopple. “So every single time we were on the bus, we were like, ‘What’s that mountain?’ and she knew. Little things like that will definitely stick with me.”

The team also endured ten days living out of carry on luggage, and despite needing to pack only the essentials, certain players were up for the challenge. Keopple in particular was asked about planning out her iconic game day fits.

“I’m like a Tetris packer,” Keopple chuckled. “My parents and all my family say I’m really good at packing. I very much plan out what I’m going to wear every single day [...] I had little packing cubes, so I was like, ‘This is for Seattle, this is for Denver, and this Vancouver.’”

The Absence of Laura Stacey

There were significant souvenirs captured along the West Coast, but also a crucial loss for the team. During the game in Denver against Minnesota, veteran forward Laura Stacey left the game within her first six minutes of ice time with an apparent injury. The team kept her out of the remainder of the matchup for precautionary reasons, and she was not seen at practice on Wednesday or Thursday.

Victoire head coach Kori Cheverie told the media Thursday that there was no timeline for Stacey’s return, and that she had not spoken to the medical staff yet regarding the attacker.

In the meantime, Abby Boreen has found herself playing on Stacey’s line alongside Marie-Philip Poulin and Gardiner, whereas Claire Dalton was seen substituting for her teammate on the first power play unit.

“I like the speed, I like the ability to allow Boreen to use that and hunt pucks and find some offensive ability in the offensive zone,” said Cheverie. “I’ve liked what I’ve seen with Gardiner and Boo. So, we’ll keep going with that and Boreen’s a good fit on that line, at least for right now, to see what we have there.”

Quebec City this Sunday

The first ever PWHL game in Quebec City will take place this Sunday, Jan. 19.

Ottawa Charge goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer and forward Rebecca Leslie met with media on Zoom Thursday afternoon to talk about the upcoming game and what to expect. The game will be Ottawa’s first in the Takeover Tour this season.

“I’ve played for a few years in Montreal, so I know how French fans are and how passionate they are,” said Maschmeyer.

“[Quebec City] is such a close market to Ottawa, so I’m sure that we’ll have a ton of Charge fans travelling down,” said Leslie. “We’re just as excited to have another competitive game against Montreal.”

Similar to the West Coast Tour, some Montreal players have yet to experience the wonders of Quebec City, meaning there is only speculation of what is to come.

“Coming to Montreal, I felt like I was in Europe,” said Keopple, who is originally from Wisconsin and played her college years at Princeton University. “And [Quebec City] is like a whole other level it seems. I’m really excited to enter that city and just immerse myself in the culture up there. It seems beautiful.”

Before then, however, Montreal must prepare to take on Minnesota, who they have crossed paths with already twice this season. The most recent contest saw the Frost surpassed the Victoire in the standings following a 4-2 regulation win for Minnesota.

Following practice, Montreal vocalized the importance of containing the speed that Minnesota plays with.

“Slow them down in the neutral zone,” Cheverie specified. “Getting body positioning, getting on the D-side and physically slow them down.”

“I think we have a little vengeance from that game in Denver,” said Keopple. “So, I think it’s going to be a hard fought battle.”

Friday’s puck drop is set for 7 p.m. EST.