Leslie scores late, Charge stay alive with win over Victoire

It was one of Ottawa’s own who stepped up when they needed it most.

Rebecca Leslie scored with 54 second remaining in the third period to give the Ottawa Charge a 2-1 win over the Montreal Victoire in Game 3 of the Walter Cup Final, cutting their series deficit to 2-1 and keeping their season alive.

Charge goaltender Gwyneth Philips made 27 saves to get her fourth win of the playoffs, while Victoire netminder Ann-Renee Desbiens stopped 26 of 28 in a losing effort.

Both Montreal and Ottawa failed to score on three power-play opportunities, respectively, putting each team at 0-for-7 for the series.

The Charge started the game playing like the desperate team that they were, outshooting the Victoire 6-1 in the first 10 minutes. But as Montreal found its legs and started generating chances on the home team, it was Philips who made the play of the period. After Ottawa defender Emma Greco took a tripping penalty, a missed point shot landed on the stick of Darkangelo, who was robbed by Philips with a sprawling save.

Both teams failed to score in the first and second periods, with Ottawa outshooting Montreal 18-15 through two.

Midway through the third period, Montreal’s Hayley Scamurra carried the puck through the zone and left a drop pass for Maureen Murphy, whose shot was wide of the Charge net, but Scamurra banged in the rebound past Philips to give the Victoire a 1-0 lead.

At one point, the Victoire were just 5:30 away from winning their first Walter Cup championship in franchise history. However, Peyton Hemp found a loose puck and buried it past Desbiens to tie the game 1-1, sending a shockwave through the Canadian Tire Centre and the 16,894 fans in attendance.

Fans watching in the rink and at home were anticipating the game going to overtime for the second time in the series, but with less than a minute to go, Ottawa took the lead.

Sarah Wozniewicz shrugged off a hit and beat Desbiens with a backhand, only for it to hit the post and bounce into traffic, where Leslie whacked at it and it found the back of the net, giving the Charge a late lead.

The league would review the sequence for a potential handpass, but they confirmed it was a goal and the Charge would hold on for the 2-1 win, extending the series to Wednesday, where Ottawa will again host the Victoire for Game 4.

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Read Tyler Kuehl’s Game 1 and Game 2 recaps of the Walter Cup Final