LPHF | Still an important match for the Montreal players

After playing several of their first 23 games in exhilarating and emotional circumstances, in front of record crowds in numerous amphitheaters, the players of the Montreal team of the Professional Women’s Hockey League will take part in a seemingly banal match, Saturday afternoon. But that’s not what the main stakeholders believe.

The Montreal team will end its regular schedule by visiting the Boston team. She will go there already knowing that she will finish second in the standings, neither higher nor lower, and that she will play the first two games of the initial round of the playoffs on May 9 and 11 at the Place Bell, in Laval.

However, it is precisely the approach of the playoffs which makes Saturday’s duel significant, in the eyes of Marie-Philip Poulin.

“For us, it means a lot,” said the captain of the Montreal team after the training session held Friday at the Verdun Auditorium, before the players left for Boston.

“We want to improve on every detail, in every period. Tomorrow’s game is going to be super important for us to prepare for the playoffs,” added Poulin.

Defender Erin Ambrose agreed, while emphasizing the fact that Boston is still fighting for one of the two spots still available for the playoffs, with the teams of Minnesota and Ottawa.

“For us, it’s an opportunity to make sure everything is in order for the playoffs. Within our group, we know that (Saturday’s game) is going to help set the tone. And we also know that we are going to play against a team that is going to fight for its survival,” Ambrose said.

“We played our last two games against desperate teams. “So we understand how we’re going to feel, and it’s a great way for us to prepare for the playoffs because it’s a good mindset to have,” she said. precise.

For head coach Kori Cheverie, the challenge of Saturday’s game is simple: refine the team game plan.

“Each game is useful and represents an opportunity to bring the level of our game as close as possible to what we are looking for to be ready for the playoffs,” she said. Our message is much the same: there is still room for improvement, and we continue to work on a few aspects that are not quite ready. »

Ambrose in evidence

The Montreal team will present itself in Boston after having won three of its last four outings, upon returning from the Women’s World Hockey Championship, and amassing 10 points out of a possible 12.

One of the architects of these successes was Ambrose, who was also rewarded as one of the six stars of the month of April in the LPHF.

Ambrose was so productive that she had more points than anyone in April, seven, including six assists, in four games. She notably became the first player in LPHF history to amass four points in a game, on April 18 against Minnesota.

His only goal in April came in the “Duel at the Summit” against Toronto, in front of a record crowd of 21,105 spectators at the Bell Center on April 20.

Ambrose has 17 points in 23 games, which is second among league defensemen, one point behind New York’s Ella Shelton.

“She’s a student of hockey. She watches a lot of games,” Cheverie pointed out.

“I really liked the way she raised the level of her game after the tournament. She has become a bigger offensive threat on our team, especially on the power play,” added Cheverie.

“Erin is a very important player for our team. She is one of the players with the best sense of the game. She sees the game so well. And she plays exemplary minutes for us, whether shorthanded, on the power play or five-on-five,” praised Poulin.

Ambrose believes she had to go through a period of adjustment related to physical contact at the beginning of the year. Now she only wants to get better every day.

“I’m never truly satisfied and I’m always looking to become better, no matter how. A lot of it is on me, with my work off the ice and in practice. It’s great to be able to be on the ice every day of the week,” she concluded.