In overtime of Game 2 in the Walter Cup final, Montreal Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin found a gap amid a swarm of Ottawa Charge players. She delivered a no-look pass from the corner to Maggie Flaherty, who scored the game-winning goal.<\/p>\n
Just one game earlier, Poulin set up defender Nicole Gosling for a crucial game-tying goal with 2.1 seconds left on the clock. When asked how she managed to thread the pass through so much traffic to Flaherty, Poulin immediately credited her teammate. \u201cShe found the space,\u201d Poulin said after Saturday\u2019s win. \u201cShe\u2019s the one that really put herself in that position.\u201d<\/p>\n
Known for her clutch scoring, Poulin has delivered key goals this postseason, including two game-winning tallies in the semifinals against the Minnesota Frost. But her impact goes beyond scoring. She leads the playoffs in points with seven in seven games despite playing through a lingering injury. Her defensive skills and willingness to block shots also stand out.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s the person you want next to you in the hard moments,\u201d said Montreal goaltender Ann-Ren\u00e9e Desbiens, who praised Poulin as an extraordinary teammate on and off the ice. \u201cShe\u2019s the person you want to fight with. She\u2019s the person you want to battle for. That\u2019s what this team is going to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Victoire\u2019s success is built on much more than Poulin alone. Montreal put together an impressive 16-game point streak from January to April, even with Poulin sidelined for many games. The team\u2019s depth sets them apart from past years, though Poulin remains its heart and soul, whether scoring or encouraging from the bench.<\/p>\n
Before the playoffs, Poulin kept details about her health private. \u201cThe heart, the mind is there,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m going to do anything possible to play my game.\u201d Her smart play and leadership have been critical to Montreal\u2019s push.<\/p>\n
Head coach Kori Cheverie praised Poulin\u2019s influence after the latest win. \u201cYou all know where she\u2019s at. I think she has seven points in seven games. She continues to have a huge impact on our team. I know that\u2019s what she wants, regardless of whether she scores the goal or not.\u201d<\/p>\n
Off the ice, Poulin serves as the emotional anchor for the Victoire. \u201cThe things that Pou has done her entire life for hockey, every one of us looks up to her,\u201d said defender Kati Tabin, who has played alongside Poulin for three seasons.<\/p>\n
Last season, Poulin earned the league MVP and top forward awards, leading in both goals and points. Still, she described the year as good but not good enough without the ultimate team championship.<\/p>\n
One more victory will change that. Desbiens is eager to see the captain lift the Walter Cup. \u201cI would be so lucky as a teammate to share this moment with her because of everything she\u2019s done, everything she\u2019s still doing, and everything she will do after, too,\u201d Desbiens said. \u201cShe is a legend. She is Captain Clutch, the one and only one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Game 3 of the best-of-five series is set for Monday at 6 p.m. ET in Ottawa\u2019s Canadian Tire Centre. The Charge, down 2-0, must win three straight to keep their Walter Cup hopes alive. Ottawa has been relentless all season, boosted by last year\u2019s playoff MVP goaltender Gwyneth Philips, and their physical style makes them a tough opponent.<\/p>\n
After Saturday\u2019s intense overtime victory, Poulin briefly allowed herself to imagine hoisting the Cup. \u201cAlongside amazing teammates, friends, it would mean a lot,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re not done yet.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In overtime of Game 2 in the Walter Cup final, Montreal Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin found a gap amid a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3253,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":"","description":"","custom_seo_keywords":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3254","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ice-hockey"],"yoast_head":"\n