‘Lucky enough, it hits off my face’: Victoire’s Roque reacts to Walter Cup Final overtime winner

They don’t ask how, they ask how many.

The opening game of the 2026 Walter Cup Final between the Montreal Victoire and Ottawa Charge was truly something. It had big goals, great saves, lucky bounces, Laura Stacey leaving the game in loads of pain, and then coming back for overtime… oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that we had overtime.

The Victoire managed to tie the game with just 2.1 seconds to go in regulation, thanks to Nicole Gosling’s first goal of the postseason. Montreal, whose offense had been stymied for most of regulation, came out flying in the early stages of overtime. Just over two minutes into the frame, Victoire defender Maggie Flaherty took a shot that deflected off Laura Stacey and Charge goaltender Gwyneth Philips, popping up into the air and hitting Montreal forward Abby Roque right in the facemask.

Lucky for her, it bounced right into a wide-open net, giving the Victoire a 3-2 victory, and a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series.

After the game, Roque was interviewed by PWHL broadcaster Rob Pizzo, noting how fortunate she was that the puck deflected off her and into the net.

“Honestly, Maggie saw me all the way on the back door,” Roque explained. “Lucky enough, it hits off my face and goes in.”

Pizzo then mentioned how Roque already has a black eye from earlier in the playoffs, noting that she would’ve had another had she not been wearing a facemask.

“I’d take that any day.”

The goal was Roque’s second of the game, making her the first star of the night. The Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. native came into the final having yet to find the back of the net, though she posted three assists in Montreal’s five-game semifinal series against the two-time defending champion Minnesota Frost.

Game 2 in Laval is set for Saturday afternoon, with puck drop scheduled for 2 p.m ET.

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