Lina Ljungblom scores twice as the Victoire down the Sirens 6-2

LAVAL, Quebec (AP) — Lina Ljungblom scored twice as the Montreal Victoire defeated the New York Sirens 6-2 on Saturday for its sixth straight win.

The six goals were a season high for Montreal, with four coming in the first period before a sellout crowd of 10,172 at Place Bell.

Abby Boreen, Mariah Keopple, Mikyla Grant-Mentis and captain Marie-Philip Poulin, with her league-leading 11th of the season, also scored for Montreal.

Ann-Renée Desbiens made 28 saves to earn her league-leading ninth win of the season.

Ella Shelton and Jessie Eldridge scored second-period goals for New York, which lost its fourth straight game. Sarah Fillier, selected with the first overall pick by New York in last June’s PWHL draft, assisted on both goals to move atop league scoring with 17 points in 16 games.

Sirens starting goalie Corinne Schroeder was pulled after giving up four goals on just seven shots in the first. Kayle Osborne came into the game to start the second and made 14 saves.

Sirens: Fillier continued to rack up points against Montreal. The 24-year-old has six points (two goals, four assists) in just three games against the Victoire this season.

Victoire: Montreal won its second consecutive game against New York. The win also allowed Montreal to avenge its 4-1 home defeat to New York on Dec. 4, the Victoire’s lone regulation loss thus far this season.

After opening the scoring for Montreal earlier in the first, Ljungblom tipped a point shot from Amanda Boulier past Schroeder’s glove hand with just over a minute remaining in the period to give the Victoire a 4-0 lead.

The Victoire’s four-goal first set a PWHL record for the most tallies scored by a single team in the opening period.

Victoire host the Minnesota Frost on Tuesday. Sirens host the Boston Fleet on Monday.

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

Montreal Victoire's Kristin O'Neill (43) defends against New York Sirens Micah Zandee-Hart (28) during the second period of a PWHL hockey game in Laval, Quebec, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (Peter McCabe/The Canadian Press via AP)

Montreal Victoire Mariah Keopple (2) scores on New York Sirens' Corinne Schroeder (30) during the first period of a PWHL hockey game in Laval, Quebec, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (Peter McCabe/The Canadian Press via AP)

Montreal Victoire's Jennifer Gardiner (12) celebrates scoring agians thte New York Sirens during the first period of a PWHL hockey game in Laval, Quebec, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (Peter McCabe/The Canadian Press via AP)

New York Sirens' Jessie Eldridge (9) scores on Montreal Victoire's Ann-Renee Desbiens (35) during the second period of a PWHL hockey game in Laval, Quebec, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (Peter McCabe/The Canadian Press via AP)

Montreal Victoire's Claire Dalton (42) and Lina Ljungblom (25) put pressure on New York Sirens goalie Kayle Osborne (82) during the second period of a PWHL hockey game in Laval, Quebec, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (Peter McCabe/The Canadian Press via AP)

The referee tries to keep Montreal Victoire's Jennifer Gardiner (12) and New York Sirens' Emmy Fecteau (29) apart during the second period of a PWHL hockey game in Laval, Quebec, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (Peter McCabe/The Canadian Press via AP)

Montreal Victoire's Mikyla Grant-Mentis (18) battles with New York Sirens' Ella Shelton (17) during the second period of a PWHL hockey game in Laval, Quebec, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (Peter McCabe/The Canadian Press via AP)

New York Sirens' Gabby Rosenthal (15) and Montreal Victoire's Marie-Philip Poulin (29) crash to the ice after colliding during the first period of a PWHL hockey game in Laval, Quebec, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (Peter McCabe/The Canadian Press via AP)

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Richard “Dick” Codey, a former acting governor of New Jersey and the longest serving legislator in the state's history, died Sunday. He was 79.

Codey’s wife, Mary Jo Codey, confirmed her husband’s death to The Associated Press.

“Gov. Richard J. Codey passed away peacefully this morning at home, surrounded by family, after a brief illness,” Codey's family wrote in a Facebook post on Codey's official page.

"Our family has lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather -- and New Jersey lost a remarkable public servant who touched the lives of all who knew him," the family said.

Known for his feisty, regular-guy persona, Codey was a staunch advocate of mental health awareness and care issues. The Democrat also championed legislation to ban smoking from indoor areas and sought more money for stem cell research.

Codey, the son of a northern New Jersey funeral home owner, entered the state Assembly in 1974 and served there until he was elected to the state Senate in 1982. He served as Senate president from 2002 to 2010.

Codey first served as acting governor for a brief time in 2002, after Christine Todd Whitman’s resignation to join President George W. Bush’s administration. He held the post again for 14 months after Gov. Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004.

At that time, New Jersey law mandated that the Senate president assume the governor’s role if a vacancy occurred, and that person would serve until the next election.

Codey routinely drew strong praise from residents in polls, and he gave serious consideration to seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2005. But he ultimately chose not to run when party leaders opted to back wealthy Wall Street executive Jon Corzine, who went on to win the office.

Codey would again become acting governor after Corzine was incapacitated in April 2007 due to serious injuries he suffered in a car accident. He held the post for nearly a month before Corzine resumed his duties.

After leaving the governor’s office, Codey returned to the Senate and also published a memoir that detailed his decades of public service, along with stories about his personal and family life.

“He lived his life with humility, compassion and a deep sense of responsibility to others,” his family wrote. “He made friends as easily with Presidents as he did with strangers in all-night diners.”

Codey and his wife often spoke candidly about her past struggles with postpartum depression, and that led to controversy in early 2005, when a talk radio host jokingly criticized Mary Jo and her mental health on the air.

Codey, who was at the radio station for something else, confronted the host and said he told him that he wished he could “take him outside.” But the host claimed Codey actually threatened to “take him out,” which Codey denied.

His wife told The Associated Press that Codey was willing to support her speaking out about postpartum depression, even if it cost him elected office.

“He was a really, really good guy,” Mary Jo Codey said. “He said, ‘If you want to do it, I don’t care if I get elected again.’”

Jack Brook contributed reporting from New Orleans.

FILE - New Jersey State Sen. and former Democratic Gov. Richard Codey is seen before New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)