A mysterious health concern has led the Professional Women’s Hockey League to postpone the fifth and deciding game of a playoff series between the Minnesota Frost and Montreal Victoire in Laval, Quebec.
As reported by The Associated Press, the illness is limited to Montreal.
Crucially, the PWHL said the illness is not consistent with hantavirus, the rodent-borne disease that has made news in recent days as several Canadian citizens have been linked to a deadly outbreak aboard an Antarctic cruise ship. No Canadian cases of hantavirus have been confirmed with regards to that cruise ship.
It was not immediately clear when the game will now take place, though the league expects to provide an update within the next day.
‘The decision was made following consultation with medical personnel and in accordance with the league´s commitment to the health and wellbeing of players, fans, staff and all those involved in the competition,’ the PWHL said.
The winner will face the Ottawa Charge in the Walter Cup Final after they defeated the Boston Fleet in the other first-round matchup. Minnesota won the title in each of the league´s first two years of existence and is going for a three-peat.
Victoire fans walk past the locked doors of Place Bell after Monday’s game was postponed
A person tries to open a locked door of Place Bell after Game 5 was postponed in Quebec
A sign posted on the locked doors of Place Bell advises fans that Game 5 of PWHL playoff hockey between Montreal Victoire and Minnesota Frost has been postponed
The regular-season champion Victoire and third-seeded Frost have alternated wins, splitting each of their two games at home, including Montreal’s 1-0 triple-overtime win in Game 2. The Frost forced Game 5 with a 3-1 win at Minnesota on Friday night.
The teams flew together by charter to Minnesota for Games 3 and 4, but traveled back to Montreal separately on Saturday.
The PWHL said earlier in the day that Games 3 and 4 of the best-of-five final at Ottawa were set for May 18 and May 20. It was also not clear if those dates would be affected by the postponement.
The last remaining passengers of the cruise ship hit by the hantavirus outbreak disembarked Monday and boarded flights to more than 20 countries to enter quarantine. A French woman was the latest to be confirmed as infected, while an American is suspected of infection after initial testing.
Passengers began flying home aboard military and government planes Sunday after the MV Hondius anchored in the Canary Islands. Personnel in full-body protective gear and breathing masks escorted the travelers from ship to shore in Tenerife, an effort that concluded Monday.
‘If they stayed longer on the ship, the situation could have been difficult,’ said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization. He said citizens of the countries passengers are returning to should know ‘there is nothing to fear, the risk is low, this is not another COVID.’
Minnesota Frost forward Abby Hustler (74) attacks the Montreal Victoire goal in Game 4
The Ottawa Charge (in red) are returning to the Walter Cup Final for a second straight season
Three cruise ship passengers have died, and six people with confirmed or suspected cases of hantavirus are being quarantined, according to the WHO. The lab results of the American who tested positive were inconclusive, WHO spokesperson Sarah Tyler said Monday.
Meanwhile, the Ottawa Charge are returning to the Walter Cup Final for a second straight season.
Michela Cava scored at 1:12 of the second overtime to lead Ottawa to a 4-3 win over the Boston Fleet, winning the best-of-five PWHL semifinal series in four games.
Ottawa lost last year’s final to the Frost.
The Charge will meet the winner of the Montreal Victoire-Frost series.
