3 Takeaways From Torrent’s 2-1 Shootout Loss to Victoire – The Hockey Writers – Seattle Torrent

On Saturday, April 25, the Seattle Torrent hosted the Montreal Victoire for the two teams’ final game of the 2025-26 Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) season. Heading into this game, the Victoire had a 2-1 lead in the season series. 

The first period saw three power-play opportunities, two for the Victoire and one for the Torrent, but no change in score. The Torrent kicked off the second period on another power-play chance, but again, there was no change in score on the extra-player advantage. Montreal struck first with a 5-on-3 chance. 

The third period saw more power plays, one for Montreal and two for Seattle. On their final chance of the game, the Torrent scored their first goal to tie the game and force it to go into overtime. The Victoire commanded the five minutes of 3-on-3, taking six shots compared to Seattle’s two. This game went to a shootout, and the Victoire took the win after six rounds with a 2-1 victory. Montreal also won the season series.

Carpenter Scored the Game-Tying Goal 

Heading into the third period, the Torrent were down by one. Halfway into the final frame, Dara Grieg on the Victoire took a seat for tripping. Alex Carpenter gained control of the puck from behind the net and passed it to Cayla Barnes at the blue line. She passed it across ice to Theresa Schafzahl at the faceoff circle. She took a shot, but Ann-Renee Desbiens made the initial save. Carpenter was still up near the net, and she collected the rebound. She elevated the puck into the net to tie the game. 

This goal marked Carpenter’s 12th of the season and brings her points total to 20 for the season. She has now tied her points total from last season, recorded with the New York Sirens. Her career-high still sits at 23 from the 2024 season with New York. With her goal in this game, she now has the most points for Seattle this season. 

There is no denying that Carpenter had a strong season in her first one with Seattle. She will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, but it seems likely Carpenter will re-sign with the team. She thrived here and has the chance to have an even greater performance in season two with the Torrent. 

Schroeder Had a Strong Performance

There is no denying that Corinne Schroeder did her best to keep the Torrent in the game. She made 36 of 37 saves and earned a save percentage (SV%) of .973. This was her best SV% for the entire season. In the end, it was Abby Roque and Lina Ljungblom in the shootout that got the best of her. She still stopped four of the six shots in the shootout, though. 

Just like Carpenter, Schroeder came over to Seattle from the Sirens in the expansion draft. She earned a record of 5-8-1-3 this season and rotated playing with rookie goaltender Hannah Murphy. Schroeder’s average SV% for the season was .915, the lowest in her three seasons in the PWHL. She shouldn’t be discouraged, though, as she still did her best in a tough season. 

Torrent’s Season Didn’t End How They Wanted

The first season for the Torrent is now in the books. They came in last place in the league with only 31 points. The team had some growing pains, as this was a whole new team. They had to learn how they mesh with one another and also had plenty of travel issues. 

With their loss in this game, the Torrent also handed the Vancouver Goldeneyes the first overall pick in the 2026 Draft, since Vancouver beat the Minnesota Frost in their game. While this is a tough blow to Seattle, they still earn the second overall pick. With a strong draft class, they will still select a great player. 

This team did their best, but in the end, they fell short. The league is expected to announce expansion news in the coming days. This means several players on the Torrent will have to go to one of the new teams that will enter the league. This group will not stay together, but they should still be proud of their historic first season. 

PWHL Season Isn’t Over Yet

Although the Torrent aren’t in the playoffs, there are still four teams competing for the Walter Cup this season. The first game of the PWHL Playoffs will be played on Thursday, April 30, in Boston. The Fleet don’t know who their opponent is, as the first-place team gets to select their opponent. Since the Victoire beat the Torrent in this game, they earned that first-place spot and have 24 hours to choose between the Frost and the Ottawa Charge as their opponent.