On Sunday, March 15, the Montreal Victoire hosted the Boston Fleet for their second matchup of the 2025-26 Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) season. The first time these two teams faced off against each other was for each team’s season opener on Nov. 23. The Fleet shut out the Victoire 2-0 in that game.
In this game, it looked like the Victoire were about to give the Fleet a taste of their own medicine. The Victoire scored twice in the first and once in the second, giving them a three-goal lead over Boston heading into the final 20 minutes. Turns out, the Fleet only needed 15 to tie the game and force overtime. The Fleet scored in the first minute and a half to take a 4-3 win over Montreal.
Fleet with a Crazy Comeback
Ahead of this game, the Fleet and the Victoire were in the top two spots, respectively, on the leaderboard. After 40 minutes, the Victoire had three goals while the Fleet didn’t have a single one yet. In the third, Boston went on to score three times, including their last goal, which was 15 seconds before the final buzzer, to force the game to go into overtime.
Related: 3 Takeaways From the Frost’s 4-3 Win Over the Sirens
In OT, Megan Keller had the puck and passed it to an open Ella Huber. She had enough space to take a shot, and Ann-Renee Desbiens came out of her crease just enough to allow her shot to hit the back of the net. This goal was Huber’s third of the season, and all of them have been game-winning goals. In her first season in the league, she has been making a huge impact on the Fleet.
Fleet Should Have Been Called for Goaltender Interference
Throughout this entire season, the referees have been making some absurd calls, but none were quite like last night. Megan Keller had the puck in front of the net and took a shot. As she did, she lost her balance while Desbiens tried to make the save. Desbiens was sprawled out on the ice, and Keller landed on top of her. While Desbiens was down, Loren Gabel picked up the rebound and took a shot, scoring the first goal of the game for Boston.
Although the officials reviewed it for goaltender interference, they deemed it a good goal because the goaltender never left the crease. However, it’s hard for her to do that when a player lands on top of her. Desbiens was unable to reset and properly defend her net.
The lack of a call worked out in the Fleet’s favor. It was with this goal that the Fleet were on the board, and then with the two goals they scored afterwards, it forced the game to go into overtime for Boston to win it. This was a huge success for the Fleet, but it calls into question whether anyone truly knows what goaltender interference is.
Fleet Continue to Sit at the Top
With the two points they picked up with an overtime win, the Fleet continue to keep their top spot in the standings with 39 points. The Victoire now have 36 points after picking up one in the overtime loss. However, with the Minnesota Frost’s win over the New York Sirens on the same day, the Frost now leapfrog the Victoire to sit in second place.
The race for the playoffs is a tight one, but the Fleet are still clinging to their first overall spot on the leaderboard. With a strong team and goaltending group, the Fleet are in a great position to keep their spot as the rest of the regular season plays out.
Fleet Back in Action on Tuesday
The Fleet will head back home and host the Toronto Sceptres on Tuesday, March 18.
The Fleet and Victoire will face off again on April 11 in Boston.
