It’s hard to imagine a more fitting way for the Montreal Victoire to get their first playoff win in team history. Not only did it come in overtime. Not only did it come after blowing a 2-0 lead late in the third period. Not only did it come on May 11. Not only did it come in the new longest PWHL game in history.
It came from the team’s second line. It came on a turnover created by Kristin O’Neill. It came on a pass from O’Neill. It came on a shot by Catherine Dubois. The rest, as they say, is history – literally.
It’s hard to imagine a player more scrutinized on this Victoire team all season than O’Neill. The team’s second-round pick in the inaugural PWHL draft, she was expected to be the sidekick to a top line driven by Marie-Philip Poulin. Poulin does it all – offence, defence, faceoffs, penalty kill – but she can’t play 40 minutes a game (at least, not one that ends in regulation).
The team relies on O’Neill to do a lot more than score. She is one of the team’s top defensive forwards, expected to take key draws in the defensive zone, play tough opponents, and kills penalties. But much of the criticism of Montreal’s depth is misplaced. They have one of the deeper forward groups in the entire league. Their bottom six can match up well against any other team’s bottom six. The issue all season, and especially the second half, was having a second line able to score.
Much of that criticism started and ended with O’Neill. That’s also how Sunday’s game went. It started with O’Neill’s goal 2:25 into the game on Montreal’s first shot. It ended when she fed Dubois, who scored with Montreal’s last. The third member of the line was Kaitlin Willoughby.
The goal was O’Neill’s first in 25 games, dating back to December 30. That goal was the only one she scored all season.
“She’s battled the whole season and she’s played in key moments for us, and had different opportunities” said Montreal head coach Kori Cheverie. “We seem to have found a great combination with the three of them.”
Then there’s Dubois. Her path to where she is right now couldn’t be more of a roller coaster. She started last season on the team’s reserve roster, unable to crack the initial 23-player roster. After getting a chance (and scoring in her first PWHL game) she earned a contract for the rest of the season and got an extension after the season ended.
She missed training camp after suffering from a health incident late in the summer. She seemed to be a fringe player in the bottom of the forward group, but she kept p