Excitement is building outside Place Bell as fans eagerly await the start of the 2025 PWHL playoffs, with Montreal Victoire set to face the Ottawa Charge in the first game of the series tonight at 7 p.m. in Laval.
Fans arrived early, proudly wearing their team colours and excited for what promises to be an action-packed series.
“It’s very exciting. We’ve been waiting for this for a long time. It’s a long time coming,” said Sandrine Gendron, a Montreal Victoire Fan.
“We will cheer very loudly,” she added.
Having finished first in the league standings, Montreal Victoire had the chance to choose their playoff opponent. After a tiebreaker, Ottawa was selected, setting the stage for a highly competitive matchup.
“If we want to win the championship, we need to play the best,” expressed Gendron.
“It doesn’t matter who we play, they will play hard and will win,” she added.
Gendron didn’t have a precise prediction of tonight’s score but said, “they will play very hard”.
“It’s going to be a close game. Montreal will win by one or two goals,” added Montreal Victoire Fan Jason Maurice.
Maurice’s dedication for the team is evident. He proudly wears a captain Marie-Philip Poulin jacket, and a pair of shoes signed by Captain Clutch herself.
“We have the best player in the world, MPP,” proudly showing off his shoes.
Maurice is a season ticket holder, and follows them on the road, travelling to see them at games including in Boston, Toronto, Ottawa.
“I love it,” he said.
In a recent podcast interview, Danièle Sauvageau, general manager of Montreal Victoire, explained, “Ever since the league implemented this rule in its first year of existence, we’ve considered how we would think about it if we ever had the privilege of finishing first, and we didn’t deviate from our plan. We followed our process, we had internal discussions and we tried to keep emotion out of this decision-making, and it’s going to give us a series close to home.”
The second game of the series is set for Sunday, May 11. Tickets are still available on the official website.
The stage is set for an unforgettable series, and Montreal fans are ready to cheer their team to victory.
