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Ljungblom’s shootout goal helps Victoire beat Torrent 2-1, secure No. 1 seed in Walter Cup playoffs

SEATTLE (AP) — Lina Ljungblom’s shootout goal helped the Montreal Victoire beat the Seattle Torrent 2-1 on Saturday night in the final game of the regular season to secure the No. 1 seed in the Walter Cup playoffs for the second consecutive season.

The Victoire (17-5-2-6) have 62 points, tied with Boston for most in the PWHL, but hold the tiebreaker over the Fleet. Montreal will pick its first-round opponent between third-seeded Minnesota and No. 4 seed Ottawa.

Abby Roque scored with a 5-on-3 advantage at the 7:25 mark in the second period to give Montreal a 1-0 lead.

Ann-Renée Desbiens had 23 saves for the Victoire.

The Torrent (8-1-4-17) — who have 30 points this season, fewest in PWHL — could have secured the No. 1 overall selection in the 2026 PWHL entry draft with a win. Vancouver will have the first pick.

Seattle’s Alex Carpenter scored with 9:49 left in the third period to make it 1-1.

Montreal’s Marie-Philip Poulin and Maureen Murphy returned from injuries that had sidelined the pair since mid-March.

The Torrent set a season high for attendance at 17,151.

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AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey

The arrival of AJ Dybantsa gives Wizards hope

For the first time in almost a half-century, the Washington Wizards could be closer to contending for an NBA title with the arrival of AJ Dybantsa. The team drafted the 6-foot-9 forward with the first pick of the 2026 NBA draft after finishing as one of the worst teams in the league in the past three years. They got the No. 1 overall pick after winning the draft lottery in May for the first time since 2010 -- when they drafted John Wall. The Wizards hope, with the arrival of Dybantsa, that they can start winning games and competing for the playoffs with a chance to win their first championship since 1978. In the past three seasons, they finished with a combined record of 50-196. “We’re definitely getting a difference maker on the basketball court. There’s no doubt about that,” Wizards general manager Will Dawkins said. “What I would want our fans to know night one is that he is a worker. He is a passionate person who loves basketball and will continue to work and get better.”
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