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EspañolOne streak had to end Tuesday night in Toronto. The Montreal Victoire made sure it wasn’t theirs.
Marie-Philip Poulin scored the shootout winner as the league-leading Victoire beat the Sceptres 4-3 at Coca-Cola Coliseum for their sixth straight victory.
Montreal’s Lina Ljungblom scored early in the third period to give her team a 3-2 lead, but Sceptres forward Jesse Compher tied it with just over one minute remaining and the goalie pulled to force the extra frame.
Poulin, the Victoire captain, scored twice in the shootout and also added her first goal in her second game since returning from the knee injury she sustained at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
She was honoured for breaking the Olympic goals record and received loud applause from the home crowd. Some boos could be heard mixed in with polite claps when the videoboard acknowledged the U.S. gold medal.
Former Sceptre Hayley Scamurra registered her fifth goal of the season for the Victoire, while defender Nicole Gosling notched a pair of assists.
Montreal goalie Sandra Abstreiter, starting in place of regular Ann-René Desbiens, stopped 23 of 26 shots in the win.
Maggie Connors and Blayre Turnbull — on her bobblehead night — also scored for the Sceptres, who saw their three-game winning streak halted. Goalie Raygan Kirk made 31 saves.
The Sceptres returned home for their first game in Toronto since Jan. 17 — a span of more than six weeks, which included a five-game road trip sandwiching the Olympic break.
Takeaways
Sceptres: Watts, Toronto’s leading scorer, made an immediate impact in her return, setting up Turnbull’s marker with a nifty pass after deking her way deep into the offensive zone. She also scored the Sceptres’ first goal in the shootout before hitting the post with her second attempt.
Victoire: Abstreiter got her fourth start of the season in place of Desbiens, who played both games out of the Olympic break after a five-game run for Canada. The German Abstreiter — who stopped 38 shots in a 5-1 loss to Canada in Milan — was shaky early, allowing a goal on her first shot against, but settled in thereafter.
Key moment
Two reviews in the game resulted in a goal — one for each side. Ljungblom’s goal was initially waved off for goalie interference, but after a lengthy look, the referees determined it was Sceptres forward Emma Maltais who bumped into her own netminder, and the call was reversed.
Turnbull’s marker was also upheld after another review for goalie interference when Compher appeared to contact Abstreiter in the crease.
Key stat
The referees weren’t shy with the whistle, but only the Victoire could take advantage. Montreal went 1-for-3 on the power play, while Toronto was blanked in four attempts. However, the Sceptres did get a goal at 6-on-5.
Up next
Victoire: Host the Boston Fleet on Sunday, March 15.
Sceptres: Host the Minnesota Frost on Sunday.