Charge eliminate Victoire, advance to first PWHL final
A team that squeaked into the playoffs has strongarmed its way into the championship series.
An exceptional effort from top to bottom helped the Ottawa Charge pick up a 2-1 win over the Montreal Victoire in Game 4 of the PWHL Semifinals, punching their ticket to the PWHL Final for the first time in franchise history.
There was a sense of desperation in the air on Friday night. The Victoire, down 2-1 in the series, was simply trying to keep their season alive, while the Charge wanted to do everything possible to avoid playing a decisive Game 5 in Laval.
In front of another packed house in the nation’s capital, Ottawa native Rebecca Leslie scored her first goal of the playoffs two minutes into the game, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
🚨 Rebecca Leslie (1)
🍎🍏 Anna Meixner pic.twitter.com/PhJ6XtPHQ6
Both teams’ defenses were strong for most of the game, neither side wanting to make a mistake that would lead to a swing in momentum.
Still up one heading into the third period, the Charge had another quick strike to give them some breathing room. A cute play from Gabbie Huges set up Emily Clark, who danced around Marie-Philip Poulin, scoring her first of the postseason to make it 2-0 for the home side.
🚨 Emily Clark (1)
🍎🍏 Unassisted pic.twitter.com/dZaSa0dstP
Similar to what happened in Game 3, the Victoire attempted to ramp up the attack, trying to get back into the game. However, the Charge held the fort, limiting Montreal to just five shots in the final 20 minutes. Despite Maureen Murphy finding the back of the net for the second time in the series, Ottawa survived a couple of close calls to come away with the victory.
Charge goaltender and PWHL Goaltender of the Year finalist Gwyneth Philips posted another standout performance. A couple of nights removed from her first playoff shutout, Philips stopped 19 of the 20 shots she faced, getting a little bit of puck luck in the third period as well.
Ann-Renée Desbiens was credited with 21 saves in Game 4. Once again, she was outdueled by the American rookie. Desbiens gave up eight goals in the series, while Philips allowed six.
It has been a considerable turnaround for the Charge, a team that barely missed the playoffs in the league’s inaugural season. This year, Ottawa was able to get a win on the final day of the regular season. The Victoire then chose to face them in the semifinals, giving an incentive for the Charge to play with a little bit of a chip on their shoulder.
Ottawa set the tone by winning the first game of the series in Laval last week. Though Montreal bounced back with a quadruple overtime win in Game 2, back-to-back exceptional starts from Philips sent the team featuring the likes of Poulin, Desbiens, and Erin Ambrose packing.
It marked the second year in a row that the PWHL regular-season champions were eliminated in the semifinals. Last year, first-place Toronto fell to Minnesota in five games.
The Charge will meet the defending Walter Cup champions, the Minnesota Frost, in the second-ever PWHL Final. Game 1 is set for Tuesday night, May 20, in Ottawa.