MONTREAL (AP) — Kristin O’Neill scored twice, and Montreal rallied in the final minutes to beat Minnesota 4-3 on Thursday night in the Professional Women’s Hockey League.
Trailing 3-2, Montreal pulled its goalie for an extra attacker with 2:49 left in the game, and the move paid off. Laura Stacey scored past Minnesota goaltender Maddie Rooney and tied the game with 2:23 left.
After Minnesota’s Maggie Flaherty took a minor penalty for holding, O’Neill scored her second of the game with 46 seconds remaining, completing the come-from-behind win.
Both teams returned to action after a nearly month-long break for the world championships. Montreal got significant contributions from Canadians who won gold.
Captain Marie-Philip Poulin and Stacey each had a goal and two assists, and Erin Ambrose had four assists for Montreal (8-3-4-5), which snapped a four-game skid. Elaine Chuli made 25 saves.
Poulin, who helped Canada win gold with two goals in the world championship final, returned to PWHL action after missing three games with an undisclosed injury.
Grace Zumwinkle, Kelly Pannek and Brooke Bryant scored for Minnesota (8-4-3-5), which had its five-game win streak snapped. Sophie Jaques had three assists. Rooney stopped 33 shots.
Montreal moved within one point of Minnesota for second place in the league standings. Both teams have four games remaining.
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AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey
The Associated Press
