It really seemed like the team was done a few weeks ago but a near perfect end to the season sees them with a chance for a trophy.
Schedule:
Montréal (2) vs Boston (3)
Thursday May 9
Game 1: Boston at Montréal (Place Bell) at 7:00 p.m. ET
Saturday May 11
Game 2: Boston at Montréal (Place Bell) at 7:00 p.m. ET
Tuesday May 14
Game 3: Montréal at Boston (Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell) at 7:00 p.m. ET
Thursday May 16*
Game 4: Montréal at Boston (Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell) at 7:00 p.m. ET
Sunday May 19*
Game 5: Boston at Montréal (Place Bell) at 7:00 p.m. ET
*If necessary
Unfortunately as the road team in the series the home games are not ideally scheduled. Once again Boston will have weeknight games in Lowell.
Season Look Back:
Game 1: 13January Boston 3 @ Montreal 2 (OT)
Game 2: 04February Boston 1 v Montreal 2 (OT)
Game 3: 02March Boston 1 @ Montreal 2
Game 4: 04May Boston 4 v Montreal 3
Boston will look to get the series off to a hot start in Montreal where they earned 2 of an available 6 points. Boston reversed that total at home where they took the four. The season series was a pair of OT results and then a pair of close regulation decisions. Neither team was able to show true separation which is a good sign for a entertaining series for neutral fans.
Opponents to Watch:
Marie-Phillip Poulin, Erin Ambrose, Ann-Renée Desbiens:
We all know these players, but all three of them could single handedly take this series for Montreal.
Poulin is the boogie man of every team she plays against. She has made American fans cry on numerous occasions, and don’t get her Beanpot rivals started, for everything that wasn’t the Beanpot itself.
Ambrose is the league leader in defensive points and is tied for second on Montreal overall. She is a tough defender that has great ice awareness.
Desbiens is a brick wall in net that has backstopped some very good teams to some very impressive results. She is infinitely capable of getting into a groove that could stymie a Boston team that has had some very cold snaps on offense.
Outlook:
Like we saw in the regular season series, head-to-head, these teams are dead even. Montreal has been the much more consistent team but Boston has found a whole new gear since returning from Worlds. Montreal earned their home ice which should give them an edge in the quest for the first ever Walter Cup, named for the owner of the league (and the Dodgers). There doesn’t seem to be a scenario I see where either team sweeps, so we should see, at the least both games at Tsongas, question is will we go a full five.