Montreal Victoire advances to Walter Cup final after Game 5 win over Minnesota Frost

The Montreal Victoire is on the way to its first-ever Walter Cup final after eliminating the Minnesota Frost in a final Game 5 on Tuesday in the opening round of the Professional Women’s Hockey League playoffs.

The top-seeded Victoire won 2-1 over the two-time defending champions in the last matchup between the teams, ending the best-of-five game semifinal series at home at Laval’s Place Bell.

After a back-and-forth series and delaying Game 5 due to illness, Montreal is one step closer to a championship. While the team has reached the playoffs in each of its three seasons, it lost both its first two years in the first round, to Boston and Ottawa respectively.

It’s also the first time since the league’s inception the Frost has failed to advance past the semifinal or win the Walter Cup.

Minnesota won 5-4 in overtime in Game 1 against Montreal. The Victoire then tied it up after captain Marie-Philip Poulin broke a scoreless draw in the third overtime period of Game 2.

The series then shifted to Minnesota, where the Victoire took the lead with a tight 2-1 win Thursday night in Game 3. The Frost bounced back with a 3-1 victory the following night, tying up the series.

The final game of the series was initially scheduled for Monday, but it was postponed due to illness. The announcement came just a few hours before players were set to hit the ice for Game 5, and some fans had already arrived to find the entrance closed.

In the PWHL, the team atop the standings gets to select its opponent in the semifinals from the third- and fourth-place clubs. This year, first-place Montreal chose third-place Minnesota over fourth-place Ottawa. Before the playoffs, the Victoire had swept the Frost during the season, winning all four matchups.

The Victoire will now face the Ottawa Charge, which finished off the Boston Fleet with a 4-3 double overtime win Sunday. This is the second year in a row that Ottawa has made it to the final round.

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