Montreal scores twice in final minutes and rallies to beat Minnesota 4-3 in PWHL

MONTREAL (AP) — Kristin O’Neill scored twice, and Montreal rallied in the final minutes to beat Minnesota 4-3 on Thursday night in the Professional Women’s Hockey League.

Trailing 3-2, Montreal pulled its goalie for an extra attacker with 2:49 left in the game, and the move paid off. Laura Stacey scored past Minnesota goaltender Maddie Rooney and tied the game with 2:23 left.

After Minnesota’s Maggie Flaherty took a minor penalty for holding, O’Neill scored her second of the game with 46 seconds remaining, completing the come-from-behind win.

Both teams returned to action after a nearly month-long break for the world championships. Montreal got significant contributions from Canadians who won gold.

Captain Marie-Philip Poulin and Stacey each had a goal and two assists, and Erin Ambrose had four assists for Montreal (8-3-4-5), which snapped a four-game skid. Elaine Chuli made 25 saves.

Poulin, who helped Canada win gold with two goals in the world championship final, returned to PWHL action after missing three games with an undisclosed injury.

Grace Zumwinkle, Kelly Pannek and Brooke Bryant scored for Minnesota (8-4-3-5), which had its five-game win streak snapped. Sophie Jaques had three assists. Rooney stopped 33 shots.

Montreal moved within one point of Minnesota for second place in the league standings. Both teams have four games remaining.

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

Minnesota's Sofie Jacques, left, and Montreal's Sarah Bujold vie for the puck during the second period of a PWHL hockey game Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Montreal. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

Minnesota's Brooke Bryant (17) scores on Montreal goaltender Elaine Chuli (20) during the second period of a PWHL hockey game Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Montreal. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

Montreal's Mikyla Grant-Mentis, left, collides with Minnesota's Kelly Pannek (12) during the first period of a PWHL hockey game Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Montreal. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

Montreal's Laura Stacey (7) celebrates her tying goal against Minnesota with Maureen Murphy (15) during the third period of a PWHL hockey game Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Montreal. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

Montreal goaltender Elaine Chuli (20) makes a save against Minnesota's Sofie Jaques (5) as Montreal's Marie-Philip Poulin defends during the third period of a PWHL hockey game Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Montreal. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

Montreal's Kristin O'Neill (43) celebrates her goal against Minnesota during the third period of a PWHL hockey game Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Montreal. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech Republic’s central bank on Thursday cut its key interest rate for the fourth straight time as inflation dropped and the economy showed signs of recovery.

The cut by a half-percentage point brought the interest rate down to 5.25%. The move was expected by analysts.

The bank started to trim borrowing costs by a quarter-point on Dec. 21, which marked the first cut since June 22, 2022. It continued with a cut by a half-percentage point on Feb. 8 and went on by another half-percentage cut on March 20.

Inflation declined to 10.7% in 2023 from 15.1% in 2022, according to the Czech Statistics Office, and dropped to 2.0% year-on-year in February, which equals the bank’s target, and remained unchanged at the same level in March.

The Czech economy was up by 0.4% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2024, and increased by 0.5% compared with the last three months of the previous year, the preliminary figures released by Statistics Office indicated on Tuesday.

That came after the Czech economy contracted by 0.2% in the last three months of 2023 compared with a year earlier.

The Czech bank’s decision comes as central banks around the world, including the U.S. Federal Reserve, are trying to judge whether toxic inflation has been tamed to the point that they can start cutting rates.

The European Central Bank left its key rate benchmarks unchanged at a record high of 4% in April, but signaled it could cut interest rates at its next meeting in June.

But the U.S. Federal Reserve emphasized earlier this week that inflation has remained stubbornly high in recent months and said it doesn’t plan to cut interest rates until it has “greater confidence” that price increases are slowing sustainably to its 2% target.

FILE - A woman walks outside the Czech central bank in Prague, Czech Republic, on Nov. 2, 2023. On Thursday May 2, 2024, the Czech Republic's central bank cut its key interest rate for the fourth straight time amid falling inflation and signs of the economy's recovery. The cut by a half-percentage point brought the interest rate down to 5.25%. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek, File)

FILE - People stand outside the Czech central bank in Prague, Czech Republic, on Nov. 2, 2023. On Thursday May 2, 2024, the Czech Republic's central bank cut its key interest rate for the fourth straight time amid falling inflation and signs of the economy's recovery. The cut by a half-percentage point brought the interest rate down to 5.25%. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek, File)