Montreal selected Minnesota as its first-round PWHL playoff opponent after clinching the top seed, setting up a Saturday opener at home.
The Montreal Victoire used the PWHL’s top-seed selection power to choose the Minnesota Frost as their first-round playoff opponent, setting up a Saturday opener against the league’s back-to-back Walter Cup champions.
The decision came after Montreal secured first place in the standings with a 2-1 shootout win over the Seattle Torrent on Saturday. Head coach Kori Cheverie described the chance to choose an opponent as an “honour” and a “privilege,” but offered only limited detail about the team’s internal evaluation.
“As a collective here in Montreal, we decided to continue with our internal process of where we were at and different things that we looked at,” Cheverie said. “We landed on Minnesota and we’re looking forward to that opportunity.”
Montreal had reason to feel comfortable with the matchup on paper: the Victoire won all four games against Minnesota during the regular season. The margin, however, was not as decisive as the sweep suggests. Two of those victories came in overtime, and Cheverie cautioned against reading the choice as a simple preference for an easier opponent.
“Every game against Minnesota is a close one,” she said. “They’re fierce competition.”
The selection also shaped the other semifinal. By taking Minnesota, Montreal left the second-place Boston Fleet to face the Ottawa Charge, a team Boston struggled with during the season. Ottawa and Montreal were the only teams Boston did not beat in regulation.
There is recent history behind the format, too. Montreal had the same selection power last year and picked Ottawa, only for the Charge to win that series 3-1. Minnesota has also been in this spot before: in the PWHL’s first season, being selected as a first-round opponent became motivation during a run to the Walter Cup.
This time, Frost head coach Ken Klee played down the significance of Montreal’s choice.
“We knew we were going to be going on the road,” Klee said. “They’re a great challenge and we’re just excited to get going.”
Game 1 between Montreal and Minnesota is scheduled for Saturday at 2 p.m. ET in Montreal, with Game 2 set for Tuesday, May 5 at 7 p.m. Boston hosts Ottawa in the other semifinal beginning Thursday at 7 p.m., followed by Game 2 on Saturday at 7 p.m.
As the four playoff teams begin their Walter Cup push, the rest of the league is already facing a less settled offseason, with expansion questions, free agency and draft order still shaping what comes next.
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