‘Bring it home’: Montreal Victoire’s quest for PWHL championship rallies fans

Cyndie Matheson proudly donned her Montreal Victoire jersey as she made her way into Place Bell for the start of the playoffs, describing her and her husband Jeff as avid fans.

“We’ve been buying season tickets since day one of the Montreal Victoire,” Matheson said outside the building Saturday afternoon. “They’re just a team that we really love.

“As you can see, I’m six feet tall. I’m an athlete and born maybe too early in life, right? So these girls are wow. I’m super happy.”

The top seed Victoire is hoping to capture its first-ever Walter Cup in its third round of the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s playoffs. It chose (a reward handed to the first-place team) to face off against two-time defending champions the Minnesota Frost. The Frost finished third this season.

Asked about the choice of opponent, Matheson said the way to go about it was with “just grit.”

“You pick the team, now you own it. Just play and win it,” she said. “Just bring it home.”

Her husband, Jeff, was wearing his jersey from Montreal’s inaugural season, before the pro hockey team officially adopted the Victoire name. The pair, who have been together for more than 40 years, have been “coming since Day 1,” to see Montreal in action, he said.

The PWHL teams have become faster and more competitive over the past three seasons, he said, adding he believes league will continue to grow, too.

Cyndie Matheson said the entire team has shown “grit and depth,” while her husband’s favourite player is forward Abby Roque.

“She’s small, she’s tough, and she can skate. I just like to watch her play,” he said.

As the Victoire eye its first championship, the excitement was palpable inside Place Bell. The start of the playoffs gave Alexandra Mills and her six-year-old daughter Maya a second opportunity to see a Victoire match.

“She plays hockey now. And she loves watching women and other girls play,” Mills said of her daughter.

Maya said her favourite part about watching the Victoire is “all of it.” They both believe Montreal will make it to the next round, which would mark a first for the team. It failed to make it past the semifinals in its previous playoff runs.

Emotions ran high in Game 1 as a tight, physical matchup unfolded. The crowd booed so loudly at one point for a penalty against the team after a skirmish in front of the Frost’s net in the second period that the official’s call was drowned out.

A male spectator shaved 29 into the back of his head as captain Marie-Philip Poulin had first game back on home ice since her injury last March, prompting loud whoops and cheers from the packed arena. Another held up a poster with the words “No 3-peat,” referring to the Frost’s consecutive championships.

When assistant captain Laura Stacey notched her third goal — ultimately tying the game at 4-4 and sending it into overtime — fans jumped to their feet and hats flew onto the ice for her hat trick.

Brigitte Guay beamed as she explained she brought her granddaughter Lily for her first game ever, who made a poster for the occasion. They could be seen on the jumbotron at one point, excitedly waving to the crowd.

Guay, who is a former hockey player and coach, has bought season tickets since the beginning of the PWHL.

“Usually, I bring one of my daughters who played hockey, too,” she said. “So we’re practically there for all the games to encourage the Victoire.”

Charlotte Fillmore-Handlon and Adam Kiesler were excited to watch “some great hockey” with family from out of town. Kiesler described how it important to bring young son Kirby to watch the Victoire.

“We want to get the next generation interested in our local sports and our teams and supporting women’s hockey, which we think is awesome, and we’re super happy to have in Montreal,” Kiesler said.

‘On the edge of our seats the whole time’

After the Frost won 5-4 in Game 1 with an overtime goal by Jincy Roese, Victoire supporter Aleksandra Urban described as “disappointing and super sad.”

“But it’s the first game, it’s just the beginning,” she said, before cheekily adding, “and seeing how Minnesota was outside their city, we simply let them have the first win. We’re nice like that.”

Elizabeth Michaud called it a “very tight game” with a lot of goals and “fun” to watch. The action kept them “on the edge of our seats the whole time.”

After the game, Stacey described how “incredible” the energy was from the crowd and how the Victoire loves playing at home.

The fans “show up night in and night out for us to cheer us on, to lift us up,” the assistant captain said. They continued to believe in Montreal even when the Frost was up 2-0 at the beginning of the game, she added.

It was “time to go to bed” after the loss and move on to focusing on the next game, Stacey told reporters.

“We’re really excited to be back here to give them something to cheer about here on Tuesday,” she said of the Victoire’s loyal fanbase.

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