The fifth and deciding game of the PWHL’s semifinal playoff series between Minnesota and Montreal scheduled for Monday night has been postponed.
The league announced Game 5 between the Frost and Victoire would not take place in Laval, Quebec, as planned because of player safety concerns related to an illness.
Two people with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press the illness is limited to Montreal. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the PWHL is not revealing that information.
The PWHL said medical assessment has determined that the symptoms are not consistent with hantavirus.
The rodent-borne disease has drawn attention in recent days after several Canadians were identified as contacts linked to a deadly outbreak aboard an Antarctic cruise ship, though no Canadian cases have been confirmed.
It was not immediately clear when the game will now take place, though the league expects to provide an update within the next day.
“The decision was made following consultation with medical personnel and in accordance with the league’s commitment to the health and wellbeing of players, fans, staff and all those involved in the competition,” the PWHL said.
The winner will face the Ottawa Charge in the Walter Cup Final after they defeated the Boston Fleet in the other first-round matchup. Minnesota won the title in each of the league’s first two years of existence and is going for a three-peat.
The regular-season champion Victoire and third-seeded Frost have alternated wins, splitting each of their two games at home, including Montreal's 1-0 triple-overtime win in Game 2. The Frost forced Game 5 with a 3-1 win at Minnesota on Friday night.
The teams flew together by charter to Minnesota for Games 3 and 4, but traveled back to Montreal separately on Saturday.
The PWHL said earlier in the day that Games 3 and 4 of the best-of-five final at Ottawa were set for May 18 and May 20. It was also not clear if those dates would be affected by the postponement.
AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey
Minnesota Frost forward Élizabeth Giguère (18) reaches for the puck as Montreal Victoire goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens (35) and Victoire defenseman Maggie Flaherty (91) defend during the third period of game 3 of a PWHL hockey semifinals game, Thursday, May 7, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Montral Victoire forward Maureen Murphy (21) scores a goal against Minnesota Frost goaltender Maddie Rooney (35) in the third period of a Game 4 in a PWHL hockey playoff series game, Friday, May 8, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (Aaron Lavinsky/Minnesota Star Tribune via AP)
Minnesota Frost forward Abby Hustler (74) attacks the goal of Montreal Victoire goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens (35) in the second period of a Game 4 in a PWHL hockey playoff series game, Friday, May 8, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (Aaron Lavinsky/Minnesota Star Tribune via AP)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader John Thune is defending a Republican proposal to give the Secret Service up to $1 billion for security upgrades to Donald Trump's White House ballroom project, saying the total is "what it costs to protect the President of the United States in a very dangerous time and a dangerous world.”
Thune and Senate Republicans returning to Washington on Monday were facing questions about the plan, which GOP senators added to a spending bill after a man was charged with trying to assassinate Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner last month. Trump has said that his proposed new ballroom would cost around $400 million and be paid for with private money, but the White House had not previously proposed a number for security costs.
“Keeping the leader of the free world safe is an expensive proposition,” Thune said. ”The Secret Service has a job to defend and protect the president, and we need to make sure they have the tools to do it.”
Democrats say they will try and defeat the plan, which Republicans added to a spending bill that would restore funding for immigration enforcement agencies that the Democrats have blocked since February.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer noted that Trump said a few months ago not one penny of taxpayer money would be used for the ballroom.
“Well, give me a break. He’s put a billion dollars in the budget for it. This staggering waste of taxpayer dollars has nothing, nothing to do with security and everything to do with Trump’s ego,” Schumer said.
Republicans are using a partisan budget maneuver to push the spending legislation through Congress without any Democratic votes. But Schumer said Democrats will fight it in other ways, including by pushing the Senate parliamentarian to strike the ballroom security money from the budget bill and by offering amendments that force Republicans to vote on it.
It’s unclear if the security money will even have enough backing among Republicans to advance. While most GOP lawmakers have remained quiet on the proposal as they spent their recess out of Washington, some have publicly questioned whether they would support it.
“I’m going to look at it very carefully and make sure those things are in the national interest,” said Rep. Rob Wittman, a Virginia Republican who was in the Capitol last week to briefly gavel in a pro forma session of the House.
“I want to know the exact nature of the expenditures that would go there for security. So I think it’s a little premature to look at that and say, you know, yes or no to it," Wittman said.
Rep. Mike Haridopolos, R-Fla., also said he wanted to hear more details. He asked colleagues to recognize the “volatile times” and the need to ensure the president, members of Congress and guests can gather in a safe location.
"If Republican and Democratic members can take a step back and say this is a real security issue, then maybe it will get done. But if Democrats dig in, it’ll be really challenging to pass that, as you can only imagine,” Haridopolos said.
The House has not released its bill yet, but the Senate is expected to start voting on its version of the legislation next week.
The Senate bill would designate the money for the U.S. Secret Service, including for “security adjustments and upgrades” related to the ballroom project. Trump and other Republicans have been pushing the project since Cole Tomas Allen was charged with storming the April 25 media dinner at the Washington Hilton with guns and knives.
The legislation says the money would support enhancements to the ballroom project, “including above-ground and below-ground security features,” but specifies it may not be used for non-security elements.
Republican senators were scheduled to get a briefing on the money at a party lunch on Tuesday. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., was also expected to attend.
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle praised Republicans last week for including the money for the “long overdue” project, saying it would “provide the United States Secret Service with the resources they need to fully and completely harden the White House complex, in addition to the many other critical missions for the USSS.”
The White House has said in court documents that the East Wing project would be “heavily fortified,” including bomb shelters, military installations and a medical facility underneath the ballroom. Trump has said it should include bulletproof glass and be able to repel drone attacks.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has sued to block construction of the project, but a federal appeals court said last month that it can continue in the meantime.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., speaks on fair elections and the Supreme Court's ruling to strike down a majority Black congressional district in Louisiana, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Construction on the new White House ballroom is seen from the Washington Monument, Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Construction on the new White House ballroom is seen from the Washington Monument, Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
