BURSTThe Vancouver Goldeneyes defeated the Montreal Victoire, the number-one team in the PWHL, with a 4-3 win on Tuesday – claiming three points toward the 2026 first-draft pick, known as the gold plan.
The Goldeneyes hosted the Victoire at the Pacific Coliseum in front of 10,946 fans.
Going into the third period, Vancouver was the only team on the scoreboard, leading 2-0.
Less than two minutes into the third, Tereza Vanišová scored for Vancouver, followed by Claire Thompson a few minutes later. Sarah Nurse and Ashton Bell also scored for Vancouver during the first and second periods.
Vancouver goaltender Kristen Campbell saved 25 of 28 shots on net.
Montreal pulled their goalie in the final eight minutes of the game to get an extra attacker on the ice, and it worked. Hayley Scamurra set a PWHL record for scoring the “fastest three goals by a player” in under three minutes. Montreal’s regular goalie, Ann-Renée Desbiens, did not dress for Tuesday’s game. Sandra Abstreiter was in the net and saved 18 of 22 shots on net.
Fans were on their feet in the last minute of play as Montreal tried but failed to get one more goal to tie the game. As the clock counted down to zero, the Coliseum erupted into celebrations.
This was the first time Vancouver had defeated Montreal.
Vancouver head coach Brian Idalski said he was proud of the team after Tuesday’s win.
“The fact that people were showing up and competing and playing hard for each other, that’s a huge plus. I thought our response throughout was pretty darn good. Adversity builds character, so we’ve got plenty of that,” he said.
After being eliminated from the playoffs, the team that accumulates the most points will get the first pick in the 2026 PWHL Entry Draft. Goldeneyes currently have three points, and Seattle has one.
Montreal’s captain, Marie-Philip Poulin, did not play in Tuesday’s game. She has been on the long-term injured reserve list since March 24, due to a knee injury. Vancouver’s Izzy Daniels also did not play after getting a puck to the side of her head during the April 14 game against Seattle.
Both Vancouver and Montreal have one game left of the regular season on Saturday. Montreal travels to Seattle to face off against the Torrent, and Vancouver will play Minnesota at home at 4 p.m.
Tuesday was also South Asian Celebration night at the Pacific Coliseum. Surrey’s own Arshdeep Bains, who plays for the Abbotsford Canucks, did the ceremonial puck drop. Bains grew up with Goldeneyes forward Jenn Gardiner.
The Sunehri Arts Club performed traditional Bhangra and Giddha dances during TV timeouts.
Local Punjabi mural artist Jag Nagra was commissioned by the Goldeneyes to create a custom piece that celebrated South Asian culture and representation in sport. The first 1,000 fans received a poster of the print.
Surrey-based Sher Vancouver and Let Her Talk were also at the game.
Founded in 2008, Sher Vancouver is a registered charity for 2SLGBTQIA+ South Asians and their friends, families and allies in the Vancouver area.
About the Author: Anna Burns
I cover breaking news, health care, court, Vancouver Rise FC, Vancouver Goldeneyes and social issues-related topics for the Surrey Now-Leader. anna.burns@surreynowleader.com Follow Anna on Twitter.