May 16, Ottawa, ON – The Ottawa Charge have just defeated the Montreal Victoire 2-1 in game 4 of the PWHL semifinals to advance to the Walter Cup Finals, winning the series 3-1. The Charge will face the Minnesota Frost in the finals.
The game kicked off at 7pm ET, and appeared to be a less high-intensity offensive game, with both teams recording less total shots on goal than they did in the previous game.
Just two minutes into the game, though, Rebecca Leslie of the Charge netted a goal to put her team up 1-0. This was Leslie’s 1st goal of the playoffs, and only her second goal in the combined 31 regular season and playoff games she’s suited up for in the 2024-25 season. For the rest of the period, no goals or penalties were recorded. The Ottawa Charge ended the period with 6 shots on goal, and the Montreal Victoire had just one more at 7.
In the second period, things were a little more chippy. Around the 4 minute mark, Montreal assistant captain Kristin O’Neill was called for a 2-minute tripping minor. 14 minutes in, Ottawa assistant captain Emily Clark was called for the same thing. In the second, no goals were scored, though it was the period where both teams took the most shots: the Charge recording 10 and the Victoire recording 8.
Entering the third, the Victoire must have known that the situation was dire and that they needed an equalizer quick if they wanted a spot in the Walter Cup Finals. Luck would not be on their side, however, as Emily Clark would score just 31 seconds into the period, proving that this game was all Ottawa Charge. After this goal, the Victoire were hit with a delay-of-game penalty to be served by Catherine Dubois.
As the period progressed, offense remained pretty stagnant for both sides. Desperate to claw back into the game, the Victoire actually did score a goal via Maureen Murphy with about 5 minutes left to go in the game, but this goal would prove to be too little, too late. Over the next 5 minutes, the Charge completely shut the Victoire out, securing the victory and their spot in the Walter Cup Finals.
This game marks an unfortunate elimination for the Victoire. Despite having some of the very best PWHL players in forward Marie-Philip Poulin and goalie Ann-Renée Desbiens, the team has fallen just short of the finals for the second year in a row. Poulin was unfortunately only able to score one goal this series, despite being the league’s top regular season goal scorer.
The game was attended by over 8,000 fans at the Ottawa Charge’s legendary venue, TD Place, right here in the heart of Ottawa.
Ottawa Charge Superstar: Gwyneth Philips
What was suspected throughout the regular season has become an absolute matter of fact in the postseason: rookie Ottawa Charge goalie Gwyneth Philips is up there with any other goaltender in the league, and is the type of netminder that can lead your team to the promised land.
Philips was the 3rd star in the first two games of the series, including in an uber-impressive 53-save loss in the 4OT game 2, and she took the honour of 1st star both in game 3 and in tonight’s closeout game. Over the course of the series, Philips has posted a GAA of 1.14 and a save percentage of 0.956, only letting in 6 goals on 135 shots.
As Philips’ season progresses, the Charge seem increasingly justified in making her the first goaltender picked in the 2024 PWHL draft.
Philips will have a monumental task in front of her in the coming weeks, as the Ottawa Charge are to take on the Minnesota Frost in the 2025 Walter Cup Finals.
