OTTAWA (Interstat) — Sandra Abstreiter made 39 saves and Kaitlin Willoughby scored twice as the Montreal Victoire beat the Ottawa Charge 3-0 on April 3 at Canadian Tire Centre in Professional Women’s Hockey League play. Montreal improved to 18-7, while Ottawa fell to 13-12. The Victoire never trailed and handed the Charge their second straight loss. Montreal extended its winning streak to four games and finished a strong road effort with a shutout. Montreal controlled the third period after building its lead and kept Ottawa off the scoreboard over the final 20 minutes.

Abstreiter was the top star, stopping all 39 shots she faced. Willoughby finished with two goals and four shots on goal. Abby Roque added a goal and one shot to go with one hit. Alexandra Labelle recorded three shots. Catherine Dubois had one assist, three shots and one hit. Laura Stacey contributed one assist and three shots. Nicole Gosling had one assist and one shot. Lina Ljungblom put three shots on net, and Kati Tabin had two shots and one hit. For Ottawa, Gabbie Hughes had two shots. Montreal’s goals came from Willoughby twice and Roque once, while Abstreiter also picked up an assist on the opening goal. Abstreiter’s 39 saves were the most important factor in the shutout.

Montreal broke through in the second period after a scoreless first. Willoughby opened the scoring at 6:21 of the second, with assists from Dubois and Abstreiter. The goal came shortly after Montreal’s Maggie Flaherty was called for interference at 3:39. Montreal struck again at 9:13 of the second when Roque scored, with Stacey and Gosling assisting. Ottawa’s Michela Cava was whistled for delay of game at 8:01 of the period. Montreal carried a 2-0 lead into the third.

The first period featured plenty of special teams play but no goals. Flaherty was called for hooking at 6:25. Natálie Mlýnková received a holding penalty at 15:09 and a roughing penalty at 17:28, while Ottawa’s Ronja Savolainen also received a roughing penalty at 17:28. Skylar Irving of Montreal was called for hooking at 19:23, and Ottawa’s Rory Guilday was called for diving and embellishment on the same sequence. Ottawa could not convert on its power-play opportunities, and Abstreiter remained steady through the opening frame.

In the third, Ottawa pressed for a breakthrough but could not solve Abstreiter. Fanuza Kadirova was called for illegal body checking at 8:23, and Kathryn Reilly was sent off for tripping at 13:51. Willoughby sealed the result with an unassisted goal at 19:17, giving her a two-goal game and Montreal a three-goal cushion. The Charge could not produce a goal. Montreal’s penalty kill and Abstreiter’s goaltending preserved the clean sheet. The Victoire finished with a composed road performance against a divisional opponent. Ottawa’s best chances came in the second and third periods, but Abstreiter turned them aside.

Montreal entered the game having won three straight, including a 3-0 victory over Vancouver and a 3-1 win over New York. Ottawa had won two of its previous three entering the game, though it fell to Toronto in its most recent outing. The Charge had beaten Montreal 2-1 in overtime in their most recent meeting before this one, and Montreal’s win avenged that loss and extended its lead in the season series. Montreal improved its position in the Professional Women’s Hockey League standings with the regulation win. Ottawa remained in the hunt but missed a chance to gain ground at home. Montreal’s balanced attack and Abstreiter’s 39 saves made the difference. Montreal has won eight of its last 10 games.

Interstat’s ELO system had projected Montreal with a 57.1 percent probability to win. Montreal next hosts Seattle, while Ottawa next hosts Seattle.