Les Canadiennes de Montreal

Montreal returns from all-star break ready for last push before the playoffs

Seven members of Les Canadiennes de Montréal played in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL)’s 2019 All-Star Game in Toronto on Jan. 20. Forwards Ann-Sophie Bettez, Hilary Knight, Marie-Philip Poulin and Jill Saulnier, defencemen Erin Ambrose and Lauriane Rougeau, and goalie Emerance Maschmeyer all took part in the league’s festivities.

“It was awesome,” said Ambrose about her second All-Star Game appearance. She was a rookie at the 2017 All-Star Game, as a player for the Toronto Furies. She said it’s enjoyable to play with other players from around the league, and some of the best players in the world.

After a three-week break for the holidays, Les Canadiennes only played four games in January before the All-Star Game. Ambrose said it was a bit tough to have those two breaks so close to each other. “It’s going to be good to get going all the way through until the end of the year,” said Ambrose, who’s also an assistant coach for the Stingers. “I know we could get on a good roll here and keep that momentum going through the playoffs.”

The Canadiennes’s biggest challenger this season is the Calgary Inferno. Photo by Matthew Coyte.

Coming off the all-star break, Les Canadiennes play nine games to finish the regular season, with five played at home. They played the Markham Thunder this past weekend, losing 2-1 on Saturday, but bounced back with 6-2 win on Sunday. The team knows that every game is important in a tight playoff race; four of the six teams in the league make the playoffs to battle for the league’s trophy, the Clarkson Cup. Currently, the winless Worcester Blades are the only team not in the hunt.

“All the teams that we’re playing now, they also have games that matter for playoffs,” said Ambrose. “The level of intensity is going to increase, and there’s going to be some good quality hockey coming up.”

Les Canadiennes are in a battle for first place with the Calgary Inferno. With a 17-3-1 record, the Inferno sit in first place, two points ahead of Les Canadiennes. The two teams play each other this coming weekend, on Feb. 2 and 3, at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard.

Last season, both Les Canadiennes and the Inferno had many players participating in the 2018 Olympics. Over a dozen players between the two teams’ current rosters played in the gold medal match between Canada and the U.S.A., only returning to their teams in the CWHL towards the end of the season. Both teams lost in their first round of the playoffs, with Montreal losing to the Markham Thunder, and Calgary to the Kunlun Red Star.

“It was just nice this year going into it; we knew who our team was and who the group [of players] was going to be,” Ambrose added. “The players we added this year are not only the best in the league, but best in the world, so we’re really fortunate to have them here in Montreal.”

One of those players is Knight, who joined Les Canadiennes late last season. She has seven goals and 15 points this season. Poulin leads the league in scoring with 39 points, while Ambrose has the most points by a defender with 23.

With some of the top players in the league, Ambrose knows the team’s expectations are high. “Our main goal is to win the Clarkson Cup,” Ambrose said. “We expect to be the best, we want to be the best, and that’s something we hold each other accountable for every single day.”

Main photo by Heather Pollock / Les Canadiennes.

Les Canadiennes split back-to-back games against Calgary Inferno

With goals from Maude Gelinas and Sarah Lefort, Les Canadiennes de Montréal opened their season with a fast-paced 2-1 win against the Calgary Inferno on Oct. 13 at Place Bell.

Sarah Lefort gets ready for a faceoff. Les Canadiennes de Montréal opened the season in their new home at the Place Bell in Laval. Photo by Matthew Coyte.

Montreal played an offensive game with more fast-break chances than you could count. On the other end, the Inferno used their speed to work the offensive zone. Les Canadiennes just edged Calgary in shots, 20-21. Both goalies, Calgary’s Alex Rigsby, an American Olympic gold medalist, and Emerance Maschmeyer for Montreal, were tested often and were forced to bail out their teams. Rigsby’s highlight of the game was stopping Mélodie Daoust, the 2018 Olympic MVP, on three separate breakaway chances.

The Canadiennes played their first two games of the season at Place Bell. Both against the Inferno, this past weekend, they lost 3-1 on Sunday. The arena has been home to the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League (AHL) since its inauguration in 2017. The 1,500 fans in attendance weren’t exactly the numbers the team was hoping for. This could also be partially attributed to the Laval Rocket playing right before and the Montreal Canadiens playing at the Bell Centre downtown at the same time.

The crowd was more than enthusiastic, however, and the loud cheers filled the empty seats. For captain Marie-Philip Poulin, the move to the 10,000-seat-capacity at Place Bell is a sign that the women’s game is continuing to take strides forward.

“Women’s hockey is growing. We have the chance to grow the size of our arenas as well,” said Poulin, who was held pointless. “Hopefully fans will come to watch us. That’s what we want. That’s what we hope for. That’s what we want to grow for the next generation. For us, seeing little girls in the stands, that’s why we play.”

1,567 fans in attendance at Place Bell tonight.

— Matthew Coyte (@MatthewCoyte16) October 14, 2018

After playing three games at the end of last season, without earning a point, forward Hilary Knight recorded her first point with Montreal, an assist. She said she wasn’t thinking too much about getting her first point in her new colours. “It doesn’t matter. As long as we win […] The expectation is to win,” Knight said. “I wouldn’t expect anything less with this team.”

Knight joked she had only ever seen road signs to Laval, but so far the team’s stay in the city and at the arena has been positive. “I love [Laval]. Place Bell is great,” Knight added. “The energy is great. Les Canadiennes always have a great crowd. We want more fans to come and embrace us as the city’s team.”

Les Canadiennes will also play at the Complexe sportif Bell and Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard this season. Photo by Matthew Coyte.

With the (partial) move to the 10,000 seat arena, Les Canadiennes are one of the first Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) teams to make the jump to a larger rink. Place Bell is officially the second-largest CWHL arena, after the Shenzhen Dayun Arena in China, which can seat a whopping 18,000 for the Shenzhen KRS Vanke Rays.

The Canadiennes are scheduled to play five more games at Place Bell this season, four at the Bell Sports Complex in the South Shore, and two at Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard in Ahuntsic-Cartierville.

Main photo by Matthew Coyte.