Montreal in first after win at Minny

Chuli's 45 stops help visitors hand hosts first regulation loss

Laura Stacey scored in the first period, Tereza Vanišova added the go-ahead goal in the third and Montreal beat Minnesota 2-1 on Wednesday night to move into first place in the Professional Women's Hockey League.

Montreal (4-1-1-1) moved past Minnesota in the league standings, after avenging a 3-0 defeat in St. Paul on Jan. 6. Minnesota (4-11-0) lost in regulation for the first time this season.

Montreal opened the scoring less than five minutes into the first period as Stacey scored on a deflected shot for her third goal of the season.

Michela Cava tied it at the 11:51 mark of the second period by knocking home a rebound for her first PWHL goal.

Montreal went ahead with 6:06 left in the third on a rebound shot by Vanišova, who had just been in the box for a tripping call. It was her first goal of the season, to go with five assists.

Montreal goalkeeper Elaine Chuli made 45 saves for her second win this season. Nicole Hensley made 24 saves for Minnesota.

“A lot of their shots came from the outside,” head coach Kori Cheverie said. “I'm not worried at all by the number of shots. Ultimately, defence is as important as offence.

“It's difficult to get three points in this league. I am very happy with the group's response after the 4-3 shootout loss against Toronto. I'm happy with the way we muzzled them.”

It was the second meeting of the season between the teams. Last time, Grace Zumwinkle scored the first hat trick in the PWHL as Minnesota blanked Montreal in front of a record crowd of 13,316 at Xcel Energy Center.