<p>The Montreal Victoire will have a familiar face back on the blue line coming out of the holiday break.</p>



<p>On Thursday, the team announced it <a href="https://www.thepwhl.com/en/news/2024/december/26/montr-al-victoire-sign-defender-catherine-daoust">has signed defender Catherine Daoust</a> to a standard player agreement (SPA). It comes as the Victoire placed fellow blueliner Amanda Boulier on long-term injured reserve with an upper-body injury.</p>



<p>Daoust was a mainstay on Montreal’s blue line during the inaugural season, appearing in all 24 regular season games and the team’s three semifinal games against Boston. The Quebec native scored a goal and an assist, registering a plus/minus of -2 while averaging close to 15 minutes per game.</p>



<p>The 29-year-old started the 2024-25 campaign on the team’s reserve list, but general manager Danièle Sauvageau knows what Daoust brings to the back end.</p>



<p>“We have the luxury of having an experienced player like Catherine on our reserve team,” Sauvageau said. She knows the league well, having played in all our games last season, and we’re sure she’ll be ready for the challenge ahead of us.”</p><div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="169"></div>



<p>Daoust, who played three years on the PWHPA Dream Gap Tour before coming to the PWHL, will be in the lineup when the Victoire returns to action on Saturday against the Minnesota Frost.</p>



<p>The reason for the opening in the lineup comes from the injury Boulier suffered during Montreal’s 4-3 shootout win over the Toronto Sceptres last Saturday.</p>



<p>Early in the third period, Boulier was hit up high by Sceptres rookie Rylind MacKinnon. Boulier was in clear distress and eventually left the ice. She didn’t return to the game.</p>



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<p>MacKinnon was given a five-minute major and a game misconduct for a check to the head.</p>



<p>Per the league’s LTIR rules, Boulier is ineligible to return to the lineup until Jan. 12, when the Victoire takes on the Frost in Denver. In four appearances this year, the 31-year-old has an assist, that coming in the win over Toronto.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="147"></div>



<p>The Victoire (1-2-0-1) are third in the PWHL, five points behind the first-place Frost.</p>



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