The Montreal Victoire are heading to their first Walter Cup final after a thrilling 2-1 victory over the two-time defending champion Minnesota Frost on Tuesday night at Place Bell. In a decisive Game 5 of their Professional Women’s Hockey League semifinal, the Victoire showed resilience and skill to punch their ticket to the championship round.

The star of the show was none other than Marie-Philip Poulin, who delivered the game-winning goal at 3:06 of the third period on the power play. It was Poulin’s second winning goal of this tightly contested series, further cementing her reputation as one of the most clutch players in the game. The win sets up a best-of-five final against the Ottawa Charge, ensuring that the league will crown its first Canadian champion—a historic moment for women’s hockey north of the border.

For the Frost, this loss marked a rare stumble. They had been a perfect 6-0 in elimination games prior to this, having played in every deciding fifth game in league history. But on this night, the Victoire had other plans.

The winning play was a thing of beauty. Erin Ambrose sent a crisp cross-ice pass to Poulin, who beat goaltender Maddie Rooney on a sharp angle near the goal line. The goal sent the home crowd into a frenzy and gave Montreal the lead they would not relinquish.

Minnesota pushed hard after falling behind, creating several chances in the Montreal end, but Ann-Renee Desbiens stood tall in the Victoire net. Desbiens made 25 saves on the night, including eight in the third period alone, to preserve the win. On the other end, Rooney kept her team in the game with 15 saves of her own, including some big stops to keep the score at 2-1.

Samantha Cogan scored the lone goal for the Frost, tipping an Abby Hustler pass in the slot midway through the second period to tie the game at 1-1. But Montreal had opened the scoring earlier, with Catherine Dubois finding the back of the net at 12:18 of the first period. Dubois, who was moved to the top line for this game, saw her shot deflect off Elizabeth Giguere’s stick and trickle past Rooney. It was Dubois’ first goal of the playoffs, and it came after Minnesota had jumped out to a 9-2 shot advantage early in the period.

Desbiens also had a memorable moment in the first period, making a spectacular save on a deflected shot from Kendall Coyne Schofield. The puck trickled through Desbiens, but she quickly spun around and used her stick to stop it just before it crossed the line, then grabbed it to end the threat.

With the win, Montreal now turns its attention to the final against Ottawa, a best-of-five series that promises to be a battle of Canadian pride. For the Victoire, it’s a chance to make history—and for fans of the women’s game, it’s a moment to savor.