Her Turn in the Crease: Abstreiter’s Patience May Finally Pay Off in Montréal
After years of waiting in the wings, Sandra Abstreiter is finally poised to play a bigger role in Montréal.
The Montréal Victoire have re-signed German goaltender Sandra Abstreiter to a one-year deal ahead of the 2025–26 season. With Elaine Chuli now in Toronto and Ann-Renée Desbiens expected to take on the starter’s role, Abstreiter is in line to be the trusted backup and could finally see meaningful minutes in the PWHL.
Abstreiter appeared in just three games during the league’s inaugural season, all with Ottawa. In 117 minutes of action, she posted a .913 save percentage and a 3.08 goals-against average, numbers that don’t tell the full story of her potential. Her best performance came on March 5th against Minnesota, where she turned aside 43 of 46 shots in a 4–3 shootout loss.
SANDY WITH A HUGE PERFORMANCE 🤩
— x - Ottawa Charge (@PWHL_Ottawa) March 6, 2024
I mean, are we really surprised? Sandra Abstreiter takes home tonight's @CanadianTire Player of the Game with a whopping 43 saves on 46 shots! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/vOrBXeTlbq
Drafted 68th overall by Ottawa in 2023, Abstreiter spent most of her first season behind the elite talent of Emerance Maschmeyer. A offseason move last year to Montréal brought her closer to the ice, but with Chuli commanding the net as Montréal's backup, her role remained limited.
Her 2024–25 campaign with the Victoire didn’t include PWHL playing action other than backing-up, but her work didn’t go unnoticed. She remained sharp with Germany’s national team, backstopping the country to a 3–0–0 record at Olympic Qualifying with an amazing .967 save percentage and 0.67 goals-against average. She followed that with a stellar performance at the 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship, going 2–3–0 with a .923 save percentage and a 2.22 GAA over five games.
Abstreiter was also named the Top Goaltender at the 2024 World Championship, where she posted a .950 save percentage and 1.19 GAA over 5 games cementing her reputation as a reliable and often underrated netminder on the world stage.
Sandra Abstreiter made 48 of 51 saves for a .941 SV% against one of the best teams in the world.
— 🔆eleni🔆 (@strongforecheck) April 17, 2025
Three is the fewest number of goals allowed by any opponent of the US besides Canada, who allowed two.
Insanely dominant game from @SAbstreiter #TeamCSM @cookstarkhockey https://t.co/6IxOVKPWuQ
Now entering her third PWHL season, Abstreiter is poised to finally get the playing time she’s earned. With Chuli gone, she becomes Montréal’s most experienced option behind Desbiens. While Desbiens will likely take most of the starts, Abstreiter is expected to step in regularly throughout the season and could be called upon in crucial moments if needed.
Whether it’s a spot start on a back-to-back or stabilizing the crease in Desbiens’ absence, Sandra Abstreiter will be ready. After years of waiting for the right opportunity, 2025–26 might just be the season she makes it impossible to overlook her any longer.
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