Achi news desk-
There’s sure to be excitement in the air when Montreal welcomes Toronto to the Bell Center on Saturday in PWHL action.
The attendance record has been mentioned several times, but the most important thing for Corey Shavry’s team is to beat Toronto and send a message on the eve of the playoffs.
“There were a few games against Toronto this year that we couldn’t win, and we’re all aware of that,” captain Marie-Philippe Poulin said at a news conference held at the Habs’ home on Friday. “I think we need to bring our energy [Thursday’s 4-3 win over Minnesota] On Saturday.
“Yes, I know we are talking about playing in front of more than 21,000 people, but the most important thing for us is to win. We know there are four games left in the season and that the playoffs are coming, but we are taking it one game at a time, the important thing for us will be a good effort for 60 minutes. That’s what’s at stake.
“Shabbat]When we see all this, we will live the moment inside, but when the puck hits the ice, we will stop thinking about it.”
Head coach Shabrey said she hopes her players enjoy the moment, but it’s clear the win over Toronto was more important than anything else surrounding the game.
“It will be great to play in the Bell Center and experience the atmosphere,” she said. “It was great to play in front of all these big crowds this season, and this time, our fans have a chance to show that they are the loudest.
“The game in Toronto makes it a very important duel with a lot at stake. It could be that one team finishes before the other. Our squad is ready. We are happy to be able to rely on a seventh player like the one we will have [on Saturday]. The fact that it’s such an important game makes it so special.”
Poland, Laura Stacey and Anne-Rene Desbiens – who also attended the news briefing along with general manager Danielle Savage – have had some great hockey moments in their careers, whether at the Olympics or at the Women’s World Hockey Championship this past weekend.
However, the team captain does not feel the need to reassure her teammates who are less used to the big stage.
“We have players who come from all walks of life, who have played in Europe, but for games like this [on Saturday], what you have to do is during the warm-up, take the time to look around, take a deep breath, take the time to figure out where we’re going to be,” Pollin said. “I’m not the girl who talks the most, I lead more by my actions. The leaders here, we’re going to tell the players to make the most of it. But in the end, it’s a match like any other match. It’s the same preparation as in Varden, but it will be in the center of the bell.”
Injury, damage
It is impossible not to mention for the umpteenth time the huge aspect of this game, with the record attendance and all the atmosphere that will be in the arena.
The players wanted to emphasize the importance of the league as a whole and not just this one game.
“It’s like all the feelings we’ve had since the beginning of the season, we keep reliving them,” Subago said. “It’s not over. The fans were clamoring for this game at the bell center. We heard them. [Saturday] The mission will be completed.
“It’s hard to put into words the feelings I’m going to experience [on Saturday]”, said Poland. “You dream of times like this. Tomorrow can’t come soon enough. I’ve had a busy career, but to be able to play in such a magical arena is amazing. I played a game here with the Canadiens in 2017, but there was only the bottom section and it wasn’t full. To think it will be full is amazing.”
“To fill the bell center, I think I looked into it afterward,” added goaltender Desbiens, who joked that she still doesn’t know if she’ll get the start against Toronto. “To do it in the first year and see 21,000 tickets still not enough shows the support women’s hockey has. It says a lot about the level of the game.
“It also shows that women’s sports, as we’ve just seen in the World Championships or March Madness, when it’s on TV, when people come to see it, they enjoy watching it.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 19, 2024.
