MONTREAL — In a story of resilience and determination, the Montreal Victoire overcame a 24-hour game postponement due to team illness to punch their ticket to the PWHL's Walter Cup Finals with a thrilling 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Frost on Tuesday night.

The deciding Game 5 of the semifinal series started with Minnesota on the front foot, as they had throughout the series. The Frost pinned Montreal in their own zone for most of the opening 10 minutes, with the Victoire failing to register a shot on goal until the eight-minute mark. But goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens stood tall, making a spectacular goal-line save to keep the game scoreless despite a 9-1 shot disadvantage midway through the first period.

That early heroics proved crucial. At 12:18 of the first period, Catherine Dubois fired a shot over the outstretched stick of Minnesota goaltender Maddie Rooney to give Montreal a 1-0 lead. The goal came after head coach Korie Cheverie made a bold lineup change, moving Dubois—a versatile depth forward—to the top line alongside superstar Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey. The move paid immediate dividends when Poulin won a clean offensive-zone faceoff, snapping the puck back to an awaiting Dubois for the finish.

Minnesota answered midway through the second period when forward Sam Cogan tied the game 1-1, setting up a winner-takes-all third period. That's when the game's biggest star took over. Marie-Philip Poulin, no stranger to clutch moments, scored the game-winner to capture Montreal's first-ever playoff series victory. Desbiens finished with 25 saves on 26 shots in what was arguably her best performance of the postseason.

The Victoire now advance to face the Ottawa Charge in a best-of-five series for the Walter Cup championship. For Minnesota, the loss marks an early end to their quest for a third consecutive league championship—their first defeat when facing elimination in franchise history.