Time for Ottawa Charge to thank rookie goalie Gywneth Philips for saving its PWHL season
The Ottawa Charge owes Gwyneth Philips.
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Now it's time to deliver.
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The Charge wouldn't have made it to the PWHL playoffs — never mind the Walter Cup finals — without their 24-year-old netminder.
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When star puckstopper Emerance Maschmeyer suffered a long-term injury in early March, Ottawa's season looked to be as cooked as a good Sunday roast.
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Not only did Philips rescue the Charge, but she dragged the team to places only the diehards and those inside the dressing room dreamed it could reach.
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The Charge won four of its last five games to qualify for its first postseason berth in the regular season finale because Philips only gave up six goals while brushing aside 112 of the 118 shots she faced.
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Ottawa upset Montreal in the first round because Philips turned away 129 of 135 shots, including a 53-save performance in the four-overtime Game 2 marathon — the team's only loss, but also a game in which its goalie deserved a better fate.
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Philips stopped 47 of 50 shots as the Charge split the first two games of the final at TD Place, and she was at her acrobatic best in making 45 of 47 shots in Saturday's triple overtime at Xcel Energy Center.
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But her teammates couldn't provide her enough run support, which is why Ottawa now faces elimination in Monday's Game 4 against a team that won the Walter Cup in Toronto last year and no doubt wants to celebrate one in front of its fans.
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Unless the Charge can somehow avoid its first three-game losing streak since the calendars flipped from January to February, the would-be, wonderful story of a backup becoming the playoff MVP will be spoiled.
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The Charge needs to find some offence, and find it quickly.
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Ideally, after its last six wins have been by one goal, Philips will be given a little bit of a cushion to work with on Monday.
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Ottawa has scored as many as three times only once in its seven playoff games, but has proved in the past it can crack through the strong Frost defensive core and the team's usually solid goaltending with an 8-3 victory at TD Place on Feb. 13.
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