Chance to clinch a PWHL playoff spot eludes Ottawa Charge in shutout loss to Minnesota Frost
The Ottawa Charge had a chance to clinch its first ever playoff spot Wednesday night at TD Place but instead will now have to do things the hard way.
In the last game of the season.
In Toronto, where Ottawa's playoff hopes crashed and burned in the regular-season finale last season.
Potentially, mere hours before the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs could potentially play a Game 7 a few minutes down the road in their Stanley Cup playoff showdown.
In front of 5,494 fans, the Charge had a three-game winning streak halted in a 3-0 loss to the Minnesota Frost. With the regulation time win, the Frost (9-5-4-11) has 41 points, one behind the Charge (12-1-4-12) in the race for the last playoff spot.
The Charge plays its final game Saturday against the Scepters at noon, while Minnesota concludes its regular-season schedule that same afternoon with a 1 p.m. start in Boston.
A win by Ottawa, whether in regulation time or OT, would lock up a post-season berth for the Charge, which owns the first tiebreaker (regulation wins) against the Frost.
Ottawa has won two of five games against Toronto this season while the Frost is 4-1 against Boston.
While Nicole Hensley posted the shutout for Minnesota on Wednesday, Gwyneth Philips was sharp in the Charge goal while stopping the first 23 shots she faced. The Charge outshot the Frost 9-7 in a scoreless first period before Minnesota took over with the better chances in the second while outshooting the homeside 17-9.
Kendall Coyne Schofield finally broke the ice at the 18:43 mark with a shot from the high slot past two Ottawa defenders and between Philips' pads.
It was Schofield's 11th goal of the season and 17th of her career, but only her second against Ottawa.
Lee Stecklein padded the visitors' lead at 5:38 with a wrist shot from the point that beat Philips high on the glove side.
The Charge pulled Philips in favour of an extra attacker with two minutes to go, and Stecklein sealed the win with an empty netter 34 seconds from the buzzer.
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