'They think they have it': PWHL Montreal looks to halt Boston's celebrations

Kori Cheverie heard the jubilation coming from the visitors' locker room loud and clear Saturday night.

The PWHL Montreal head coach is eager for her team to prove it was premature.

Boston put Montreal on the ropes with a triple-overtime road victory to take a 2-0 series lead in their best-of-five semifinal, and celebrated loud enough for their opponents to catch the whole thing.

"They think they have it," Cheverie said Monday at the Verdun Auditorium. "Certainly after their celebration the other night, they think they have it."

After losing twice at home to open the playoffs, Montreal looks to shift the momentum in Game 3 on Tuesday at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, Mass.

"Good for them because we wish we had been in that situation, for sure," Cheverie added about Boston's celebration. "If that's us in Game 3, I don't think that we're going to be celebrating."

WATCH | Boston defeats Montreal in 3OT thriller:

Montreal may have its back against the wall, but the series has been far from lopsided. Montreal dropped both games 2-1 in overtime, dominating the shots 54 to 26 in Game 1 and edging Boston 57 to 52 in Game 2.

Cheverie doesn't think they need a drastic change to their approach in Game 3 — team analytics show Montreal should've won both games so far.

"Everyone could probably agree that we could be up 2-0 in this series," Cheverie said. "We've played nine-ish periods, and I would say that we dominated seven of them.

"We have a really great opportunity to take the momentum back."

The message in Montreal's locker room, the players say, is to put the first two games behind them and focus on "winning one game three times."

Trailing 2-0, they believe the pressure falls on Boston with the commanding lead.

One thing