The PWHL delayed a deciding game in Montreal due to illness affecting only the Victoire, and said it is not linked to hantavirus.

A mysterious health concern has led the Professional Women’s Hockey League to postpone the fifth and deciding game of a playoff series between the Minnesota Frost and Montreal Victoire in Laval, Quebec.. As reported by The Associated Press, the illness is limited to Montreal.. Crucially, the PWHL said the illness is not consistent with hantavirus, the rodent-borne disease that has made news in recent days as several Canadian citizens have been linked to a deadly

outbreak aboard an Antarctic cruise ship.. No Canadian cases of hantavirus have been confirmed with regards to that cruise ship.. 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.. Meanwhile, the

Ottawa Charge are returning to the Walter Cup Final for a second straight season.. Michela Cava scored at 1:12 of the second overtime to lead Ottawa to a 4-3 win over the Boston Fleet, winning the best-of-five PWHL semifinal series in four games.. Ottawa lost last year’s final to the Frost.. The Charge will meet the winner of the Montreal Victoire-Frost series.. While the PWHL situation appears unrelated to the hantavirus, the situation remains something

to keep an eye on for sports leagues.. The last remaining passengers of the cruise ship hit by the hantavirus outbreak disembarked Monday and boarded flights to more than 20 countries to enter quarantine.. A French woman was the latest to be confirmed as infected, while an American is suspected of infection after initial testing.. Passengers began flying home aboard military and government planes Sunday after the MV Hondius anchored in the Canary Islands.. Personnel

in full-body protective gear and breathing masks escorted the travelers from ship to shore in Tenerife, an effort that concluded Monday.. ‘If they stayed longer on the ship, the situation could have been difficult,’ said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization.. He said citizens of the countries passengers are returning to should know ‘there is nothing to fear, the risk is low, this is not another COVID.’ Three cruise ship passengers have

died, and six people with confirmed or suspected cases of hantavirus are being quarantined, according to the WHO.. The lab results of the American who tested positive were inconclusive, WHO spokesperson Sarah Tyler said Monday.

PWHL playoff postponement, Minnesota Frost Montreal Victoire, player safety illness, Walter Cup Final, hantavirus outbreak Canada, Ottawa Charge Boston Fleet