Game 5 between the Montreal Victoire and the Minnesota Frost was postponed on Monday about two hours before puck drop at Laval’s Place Bell, and the Professional Women’s Hockey League moved the semifinal to 7 p.m. Tuesday.

The league said the delay was tied to player safety concerns related to illness. A medical assessment found the symptoms were not consistent with hantavirus, though the league did not say what illness was involved. All tickets for Monday’s game will be honored for the rescheduled matchup.

The teams were tied 2-2 in the best-of-five series, with the winner set to advance to the Walter Cup final against the Ottawa Charge. Ottawa had already booked its place on Sunday, beating the Boston Fleet in double overtime to win its own series and leave Montreal and Minnesota as the last semifinal still to be decided.

The postponement cut short what had become one of the league’s most tightly played series. Minnesota opened with a 5-4 overtime win in Game 1 last weekend, then Montreal answered when captain Marie-Philip Poulin broke a scoreless draw in the third overtime period of Game 2. Montreal took Game 3 in Minnesota by a 2-1 score on Thursday night, and Minnesota forced a fifth game the following night with a 3-1 victory in Game 4.

What had been set up as a winner-take-all night in front of the home crowd instead turned into an unexpected delay that arrived late in the afternoon. A fan named Yessica Ghysens said the news landed hard after the anticipation of seeing the series decided in Laval. Another fan, Seppe Dejonckheere, took a more resigned view, saying it happens and there is not much anyone can do about it.

For the arena workers who had already spent the day getting ready, the cancellation came even later. Jeff said he and his colleagues were just finishing setup at 3:30 p.m. when one of them walked in and said the game was cancelled, adding that the explanation they heard was that it was due to a virus. Matt said the announcement seemed unreal at first and that he had never seen anything like it.

The immediate concern was the health of the players, but the larger effect was on a series that had already delivered overtime drama, a third-overtime game and a quick turnaround between matches. Tuesday night now becomes the decisive test, with the final still within reach for both clubs and no room left for another mistake.