Victoire goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens on long-term injured reserve

Daniel Rainbird · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Mar 31, 2025 3:24 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

The Montréal Victoire are assured Ann-Renee Desbiens volition instrumentality to enactment successful the adjacent future.

Whether that's soon capable to suit up betwixt the pipes for Canada astatine the women's satellite hockey championship still needs to beryllium determined.

"It's the benignant of wounded that needs day-to-day and week-to-week monitoring," Victoire wide manager Daniele Sauvageau said Monday astatine Verdun Auditorium successful Quebec. "A batch of things tin improve."

Canada's No. 1 netminder was named to the nationalist squad roster connected March 21 contempt sustaining a lower-body wounded March 18 against the Boston Fleet successful Professional Women's Hockey League action.

The Victoire retroactively placed Desbiens connected semipermanent injured reserve, keeping her retired for a minimum of 21 days from March 18.

The 30-year-old from Clermont, Que., however, skated successful afloat cogwheel for astir fractional an hr earlier the Victoire practised Monday. It was her 3rd clip connected the crystal since the injury.

"To spot her permission the crystal with assistance from 2 teammates, you ne'er privation to spot that," said Marie-Philip Poulin, skipper of the Victoire and Canada. "She looked similar she was successful a batch of pain. Really blessed to spot the betterment is going quicker than we thought it would."

WATCH | Desbiens helped disconnected crystal aft suffering injury:

Sauvageau said there's inactive clip to find Desbiens's availability earlier Canada opens defence of its satellite rubric April 10 versus Finland successful Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.

All signs constituent to Desbiens joining Montreal teammates Poulin, Laura Stacey, Jennifer Gardiner, Kristin O'Neill and Erin Ambrose connected a formation to Czechia connected Wednesday oregon Thursday for Canada's pre-camp.

"It's progressing well, truthful there's thing that says she won't beryllium capable to support progressing portion participating successful Canada's camp," Sauvageau said. "We'll spot erstwhile we're astatine that day [April 10] whether she's acceptable to beryllium a afloat subordinate successful the satellite championships."

Goalie Maschmeyer besides out

Sauvageau besides said aesculapian teams from the Victoire, PWHL and Hockey Canada would enactment unneurotic with Desbiens to scope a decision.

"Everybody wants the subordinate to beryllium healthy," she said. "No 1 wants to instrumentality risks successful immoderate of those federations. If she does go, evidently I spot that she's going to beryllium well-treated."

Canada is already down regular netminder Emerance Maschmeyer, who was placed connected LTIR  by the Ottawa Charge aft she sustained a lower-body wounded successful a March 11 game.

Toronto Sceptres goalie Kristen Campbell and 21-year-old Eve Gascon were the different goalies named to Canada's roster.

Desbiens backstopped Canada to golden astatine the 2022 Olympics and 3 satellite championships, including past year's triumph implicit the Americans successful Utica, N.Y.

This season, she leads the PWHL successful wins (13), prevention percent (.932) and goals-against mean (1.85).

"She's been successful large spirits, honestly, since [the injury]," Ambrose said. "It's bully to person that arsenic a small spot of a relief. She's the champion goalie successful the world, truthful evidently present successful Montreal, satellite championships, we privation her there."

The Victoire signed goaltender Tricia Deguire to a modular subordinate statement portion Desbiens remains out.

League-leading Montreal (11-6-3-6) clinched a playoff spot with past week's 4-1 triumph implicit the Minnesota Frost and has 4 games remaining successful the regular season.

Elaine Chuli is expected to instrumentality the nett erstwhile the Victoire play their last crippled earlier the three-week planetary interruption Tuesday against the New York Sirens astatine Place Bell successful Laval, Que.

The Sirens (6-4-4-12) beryllium past successful the six-team PWHL and are warring to enactment successful the playoffs race.

Despite New York's subpar record, Victoire caput manager Kori Cheverie doesn't expect Tuesday night's crippled to beryllium a locomotion successful the park. The Sirens are led by prima guardant Sarah Fillier, who ranks 2nd successful league scoring with 27 points (12 goals, 15 assists).

"They're a unsafe team, they've got a batch of firepower connected the different side," Cheverie said. "A squad that you cognize is trying to inactive marque playoffs, but besides astir apt is playing with a small little unit connected their shoulders, it's a unsafe squad to play against."