Amanda Pelkey punched home a loose puck under the out-stretched stick of goalkeeper Ann-Renée Desbiens midway through overtime to give Boston its first win of the season, 3-2 to spoil Montreal’s home opener Saturday at Verdun Auditorium.
Through the first nine games of the Professional Women’s Hockey League season only undefeated Minnesota has won on its home ice and is the only team to be victorious in its home opener.
The hockey rivalry between Boston and Montreal is legendary and the PWHL happily added a new chapter. This game was tied after every period, was scoreless in both the first and third periods and had to be decided in three-on-three play in overtime.
Marie-Phillip Poulin tipped the puck over a sprawled Aerin Frankel for an apparent game-winning goal 20 seconds into overtime, but after a lengthy delay while officials scoured video of the play, the tally was waved off for goaltender interference.
Both teams came out firing in the first period but neither scored. Montreal survived a pair of Dominika Lásková penalties while both Frankel, one of the best goaltenders in NCAA history at Northeastern University in Boston, and Desbiens, who led Wisconsin to four NCAA Frozen Four appearances, were solid in goal.
But that all changed 33 seconds into the second period when Erin Ambrose fired a wrist shot from the point that beat Frankel cleanly to her stick side and 29 seconds later Laura Stacey found open space in the slot and one-timed a shot home to take a quick, 2-0 lead. A Boston penalty gave Montreal its first power play of the game, but Taylor Girard spoiled it with Boston’s first short-handed goal of the season, breaking free to beat Desbiens one-on-one. Hannah Brandt tapped home a loose puck in front of Desbiens to tie up at the 5:46 mark.
Both teams had solid scoring opportunities over the final 14 minutes of the second period and through the third, but neither was able to score.
Frankel made 31 saves on 34 shots to earn the win for Boston (1-1)
Desbiens started her third game in goal for Montreal (1-2) and had 18 saves on 21 shots.
Montreal will host New York in its first rematch Tuesday. Boston travels to face Toronto on Wednesday.
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