Charge fall to Victoire in longest game in PWHL history
Posted May 12, 2025 01:18:05 PM.
Last Updated May 12, 2025 01:19:32 PM.
After almost seven periods and six hours of hockey, Montreal Victoire forward Catherine Dubois doesn’t even remember her winning goal.
She took a pass from Kristin O’Neill at the left circle and fired a wrist shot past Ottawa goaltender Gwyneth Philips to give the Montreal Victoire a 3-2 win in Game 2 of their Professional Women’s Hockey League semifinal on Sunday in front of 7,144 fans at Place Bell.
The goal came at 15:33 of the fourth overtime period. It ended the longest professional women’s hockey game in North America, 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.
“I blacked out,” Dubois said. “I don’t really remember what happened, I just remember the girls coming towards me. We dealt with the opposite last year and it hurt so I’m really happy we came away with the win.”
The win ties the best-of-five PWHL series at 1-1, and was the first playoff win for the Victoire in the team’s history.
“With a win it does give us a little bit of momentum,” said Montreal head coach Kori Cheverie. “I think Ottawa came into playoffs believing in their group, and belief is a powerful tool. I think that tonight, we took a little bit of that belief in our room.”
The long game led to unconventional practices to get through it. Ottawa taped packets of mustard to the bench so players could take them to help prevent cramping. Both teams said pickles and pickle juice were consumed during some of the six intermissions to help with cramping.
The Victoire team nutritionist ran around getting the team peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and smoothies as the game extended well beyond what they had prepared for. After the game, players noted they had not eaten since 10 a.m.
O’Neill had a goal to go with her game-winning assist, and Laura Stacey also scored for Montreal. Defender Anna Wilgren had two assists. Ann-Renee Desbiens made 63 saves.
“If your team keeps doing the right things, like we did today, especially in overtime, eventually we’re going to get one,” said Desbiens. “I had to make sure that I made the saves so that the girls could have what they worked so hard for all game long.”
Ottawa came back from a 2-0 deficit with two goals in the final 4:34 of regulation. Jenner’s goal forced overtime with 41.8 seconds remaining. The Charge had pulled their goaltender for the extra attacker.
