GAME 5
GAME 5 | Place Bell | May 12, 2026
THREE DOWN, THREE TO GO
Not gonna lie, the morning leading up to game 5 felt completely unhinged.
A few hours before puck drop on Monday night, the league announced our winner-take-all semi would be postponed.
None of us really knew much at first. Bits and pieces of info had been trickling in all day.
Many text exchanges and phone calls with each other trying to figure out what was going on. Who’s sick? Who’s healthy? Are we playing tonight? If not, when are we playing? Chaos.
Later that evening, we found out we’d been rescheduled for Tuesday at 7 p.m. It was the night before game 5 all over again.
Using the extra time to mentally reset and recalibrate however you could. Chaos and routine coexisting like they’re completely normal together.
In hindsight, it’s easy to say control what you can control, but in that moment, that’s really all we could do. As players, we weren’t making the decisions. We just had to stay ready.
And as if we weren’t already hyper aware of what’s going on in our bodies, a virus runs through the room. Sleep, nutrition, recovery—everything feels that much more important when the stakes are this high.
At the same time, when everything around you starts getting louder, you cling to your routine even harder.
Athletes tend to be creatures of habit. Activation, meals, nap, coffee order, arrival time: you find what works for you and you keep doing it. Same tape job, same beet juice, same stretches, same warm up (sewer included, of course), same handshakes…
The little things outside hockey matter too, like talking with my family, grocery shopping, going for a walk. Anything that makes me feel like myself. During games, you don’t really think about anything else. But outside the rink, life’s still happening.
My dad actually drove five hours for game 5 on Monday only for it to get postponed. Then less than 24 hours later, we eliminated the two-time defending champions.
Over the past few months, we’ve become so hard to play against. We bought into our systems and built four lines that can produce on any given night. More than anything—and I think I’ve said this in every entry—we’re connected. It really is like a family in the room, and that’s become more and more obvious over the course of the season.
In the playoffs, small details are crucial. Getting pucks out, blocking shots, finishing checks, making quick decisions…it all matters more.
And I think Montréal is starting to feel that too.
Our fans know exactly what’s going on. They understand the game and what we’re playing for (and when something should’ve been a penalty—I definitely hear all of you taunting the refs).
One random moment from game day shows that people care about the Victoire: on my way to Place Bell, I got pulled over because of my tinted windows. The cop looked me up, realized where I was headed and handed me a warning instead of a ticket.
That probably says enough about the playoff atmosphere around the city right now.
You could feel the weight of all that after game 5.
We eliminated the back-to-back champions. Of course we celebrated. It was a real sense of relief. The Montréal Victorie advances to the Walter Cup Final for the very first time! But, we know the job is not done.
Heading into the next series, we’re motivated and we know what we’re capable of. Kori said it: this group keeps finding ways to respond no matter what’s thrown at us.
My first year in Boston, I lost in a game 5 final. Coming that close and falling short stays with you for a long time - nobody wants to be on the wrong side of that.
I truly believe this group is ready, and it feels like the city is fully on this run with us too.
Let’s bring Walter HOME!
-22
Match 5 | Place Bell | 12 MAI 2026