Marie-Philip Poulin has hat trick in Victoire's 4-1 win over Charge

LAVAL, Quebec (AP) — Marie-Philip Poulin had a hat trick and the Montreal Victoire beat the Ottawa Charge 4-1 on Wednesday night to take the Professional Women’s Hockey League lead.

Poulin has a league-high eight goals. Jennifer Gardiner also scored and assisted on two of Poulin’s goals. Montreal (7-2-1-2) moved past Minnesota for the PWHL lead, with Ann-Renée Desbiens making 31 saves for her league-leading seventh victory.

Former Montreal winger Tereza Vanisova scored for Ottawa (5-0-2-7). It has lost five of six.

Victoire: Kept rolling without. The Victoire returned to play after a 10-day break to win their third game in a row with Laura Stacey sidelined by a lower-body injury.

Charge: The Charge only took a 1-0 advantage in the first period despite dominating the shots 15-6 as Desbiens kept the Victoire in the game.

Shortly after Ottawa’s Emily Clark missed on a breakaway with the Charge up 1-0, Poulin tied it with a one-timer 2:09 into the second period.

Ottawa is at Toronto on Saturday. Montreal hosts Toronto on Thursday night.

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

Ottawa Charge's Emily Clark (26) moves in on Montreal Victoire goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens during second period PWHL hockey action in Laval, Que., Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)

Montreal Victoire goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens stops Ottawa Charge's Brianne Jenner during first period PWHL hockey action in Laval, Que., Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)

Montreal Victoire's Marie-Philip Poulin (29) celebrates her third goal with teammate Abigail Boreen (24) during third period PWHL hockey action against the Ottawa Charge in Laval, Que., Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)

Ottawa Charge's Anna Meixner (94) slips as she challenges Montreal Victoire's Anna Wilgren (5) for the puck during second period PWHL hockey action in Laval, Que., Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)

Montreal Victoire's Marie-Philip Poulin (29) scores her third goal on an empty net against the Ottawa Charge during third period PWHL hockey action in Laval, Que., Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)

Ottawa Charge's Victoria Bach (12) is stopped by Montreal Victoire goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens during third period PWHL hockey action in Laval, Que., Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)

Montreal Victoire's Marie-Philip Poulin (29) reacts after scoring against Ottawa Charge goaltender Gwyneth Philips during second period PWHL hockey action in Laval, Que., Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)

Montreal Victoire's Marie-Philip Poulin (29) celebrates her third goal with teammates during third period PWHL hockey action against the Ottawa Charge in Laval, Que., Wednesday, January 29, 2025. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A gas cylinder explosion early Sunday after a wedding reception at a home in Pakistan’s capital killed at least eight people, including the bride and groom, police and officials said.

The blast occurred as guests who had gathered to celebrate the couple were sleeping at the house, causing part of the house to collapse, according to the Islamabad police. Seven people were injured.

In a statement, police said the explosion occurred in a residential area in the heart of the city. A government administrator, Sahibzada Yousaf, said authorities were alerted about the blast early Sunday and officers are still investigating. He said some nearby homes were also damaged.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief over the loss of lives and offered condolences to the victims’ families, according to a statement from his office. He directed health authorities to ensure the injured receive the best possible treatment and ordered a full investigation.

Many Pakistani households rely on liquefied petroleum gas cylinders because of low natural gas pressure, and such cylinders have been linked to deadly accidents caused by gas leaks. Police said investigations were ongoing.

Government officials survey the damage of a home caused by a gas cylinder explosion hours after a wedding reception, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ehsan Shahzad)