The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) has postponed the fifth and deciding game of the playoff series between the Minnesota Frost and Montreal Victoire in Laval, Quebec, due to player safety concerns stemming from an illness affecting the Montreal team.
The league confirms the illness does not match hantavirus symptoms, the rodent-borne disease recently highlighted in a deadly outbreak on an Antarctic cruise ship. No confirmed hantavirus cases have appeared in Canada from that incident.
Postponement Details
The PWHL made the decision after consulting medical personnel, prioritizing the health of players, fans, staff, and everyone involved. An update on the rescheduled date is expected within the next day. The outcome remains uncertain for potential impacts on the PWHL final schedule between Ottawa and May 18 and 20.
Fans arrived at Place Bell to find locked doors and signs announcing the postponement of Game 5.
Series Background
The regular-season champion Victoire and third-seeded Frost have traded victories, splitting home games. Montreal secured a 1-0 win in triple overtime during Game 2, while Minnesota clinched Game 5 necessity with a 3-1 victory on Friday. The teams traveled together to Minnesota for Games 3 and 4 but returned separately on Saturday.
Minnesota, champions of the league’s first two seasons, aims for a three-peat. The series winner advances to the Walter Cup Final against the Ottawa Charge.
Ottawa Charge Advances
The Ottawa Charge returns to the Walter Cup Final for the second consecutive year after defeating the Boston Fleet 4-3 in double overtime. Michela Cava scored the game-winner at 1:12 of the second overtime, securing the best-of-five semifinal in four games. Ottawa fell to Minnesota in last year’s final.
Unrelated Hantavirus Context
The last passengers from the hantavirus-affected cruise ship disembarked Monday in the Canary Islands, boarding flights to over 20 countries for quarantine. Three passengers have died, with six cases confirmed or suspected. A French woman tested positive, and an American shows suspected infection pending conclusive results.
Travelers exited the MV Hondius in full protective gear. World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated, ‘If they stayed longer on the ship, the situation could have been difficult.’ He added that countries receiving returnees face low risk, emphasizing, ‘this is not another COVID.’
