Adedokun Waliyu 
Ann-Renee Desbiens made 43 saves as Montreal hung on to first place with a 2-1 overtime win over Ottawa in front of a record-breaking crowd on Saturday.
“It’s unbelievable,” said Montreal head coach Kori Cheverie about the atmosphere that comes with playing at home. “I can’t believe how loud the crowd is, you can’t even talk to the players at times.
“We knew what Ottawa was going to bring in terms of grit and work ethic and intensity, but this is our house and we have the best fans in the world. It never disappoints.”
Forward Maureen Murphy scored the game-winning goal at 3:30 of the extra period for her first of the Professional Women’s Hockey League season. Laura Stacey also scored for Montreal (3-2-2-1).
When asked how it felt to score for the first time in her pro career, Murphy elected to deflect attention to teammate Desbiens’ stellar performance.
“I think (Desbiens) really solidified the game for us,” Murphy said. “I mean that goal doesn’t happen unless she makes 40-plus unreal saves.”
One of the top players out of the NCAA, Murphy was among the last to sign a deal with Montreal, but she’s been a rising star since she made her debut and currently sits in a four-way tie for most points in the league.
On the first line alongside Murphy and captain Marie-Philip Poulin was reserve player Catherine Dubois. As Tereza Vanišova remained sidelined with an injury, Dubois signed her second 10-day contract earlier in the day.
Dubois played a strong game and fit in well with her linemates, despite earning two two-minute minors back-to- back late in the first.
“She creates a lot of space for people and she’s eager to go get pucks in the corner,” said Cheverie. “She’s willing to stand netfront for the shooters of Poulin and Murphy and we’re also trying to find some chemistry with all of our lines as well. It made sense for us as a team.”
One thing that stood out on both sides Saturday was goaltending, with Desbiens staying true to her nickname “The Wall.”
Ottawa netminder Emerance Maschmeyer made 22 saves — and turned away a penalty shot from Stacey — to hold Montreal to just one goal in regulation.
Hayley Scamurra scored the lone goal for Ottawa (2-0-3-1), which came into the rematch on a quest for revenge after Montreal won 3-2 in overtime in both teams’ inaugural PWHL game at TD Place on Jan. 2.
Stacey opened the scoring with a wraparound assisted by defender Erin Ambrose at 13:37 of the first period.
While shots on goal were tight heading into the second, it didn’t take long for Ottawa to pull ahead. Despite a scoreless period, the visiting team’s offence had double the shots by the end of the second.
Cheverie says her team will need to work on refining stick details to avoid this moving forward.
“They’re Number 1. It’s stick on puck, instead of containing,” she said. “We’ve got great players tracking back, we’ve got people protecting the slot. A lot of times when things are breaking down, it has to do with individual attention to detail and not necessarily the structure in place. Stick details is where a lot of the focus will be.”
Ottawa’s momentum continued into the third as Scamurra tied things up at 6:10 off assists from Brianne Jenner and Savannah Harmon.
Murphy later buried her winner to secure Montreal’s position atop the standings.
Despite the loss, Ottawa head coach Carla MacLeod had only positive things to say about her team’s performance.
“I thought we had a pretty good game pieced together this afternoon,” she said. “You’re always trying to grow and I thought that the areas we discussed prior to the game and sort of worked on the last couple weeks showed today.”
Eight players who played Saturday will represent the league in the PWHL’s 3-on-3 Showcase during NHL All-Star Weekend on Feb. 1 at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena.
Montreal’s Ann-Renee Desbiens and Marie-Philip Poulin join Ottawa’s Savannah Harmon on Team King. Montreal’s Erin Ambrose and Laura Stacey team up with Ottawa’s Emily Clark, Brianne Jenner and Emerance Maschmeyer on Team Kloss.
