P.E.I.'s Abby Hustler helps Minnesota silence Montréal's crowd in PWHL playoff debut

Before stepping onto the ice for her first PWHL playoff game, Abby Hustler admitted she felt “a little bit of nerves.”

Hustler, who’s from St. Louis, P.E.I., and is currently the only Islander in the Professional Women’s Hockey League, was about to face the Montréal Victoire, who finished first in the regular season. Hustler's team, the Minnesota Frost, entered the playoffs as the third seed.

But on Saturday, Hustler and the Frost went into the Victoire's loud home rink in Laval, Que. and came out with a 5-4 win in Game 1 of the Walter Cup semifinals.

“It was very exciting to get that first win and get everything kind of on the board and, you know, make them sweat a little bit,” Hustler told CBC News on Monday.

“That was a really good start for us. But obviously, you know, you don’t win in one game, and that’s why it’s a five‑game series. So we got to keep pushing.”

The 2025-26 PWHL regular season ended in April with the Victoire on top of the standings for the second straight year. The Boston Fleet finished second, Minnesota third and the Ottawa Charge fourth.

As the No. 1 seed, Montréal was allowed to choose its opponent for the first round, and picked Minnesota.

That decision gave the Frost extra motivation, particularly among the team’s veteran players, who felt “a bit offended” given Minnesota’s playoff success in recent years, Hustler said.

“For a team to want that, it’s pretty gutsy.”

Hustler had strong support in the stands for her playoff debut, with several family members making the trip.

“My parents, my sister, aunts and uncles, grandparents.… I had quite a few people in the crowd,” she said. “I tried to look for their Frost purple jerseys, but I think I saw one of them, but that was pretty much it.”

Along