Ottawa puts brakes on Victoire's playoff hopes

Ottawa Citizen

17-05-2025

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Montréal Victoire's road to the 2025 Walter Cup came to a screeching halt Friday night as they were eliminated in the semifinals by a speeding Ottawa Charge.
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Montreal, which dominated the PWHL in the regular season, was down 2-1 in the best-of-five series and it was do-or-die for the Victoire at TD Place. Goals from Rebecca Leslie and Emily Clark, as well as a goalkeeping masterclass from rookie Gwyneth Philips, sealed Montreal's defeat as Ottawa took the series 3-1.
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As hopeful as Victoire may have been to start the match, the tables were quickly turned. Only two minutes into the first period, Leslie capitalized on a rebound to put the Charge up 1-0. She and Anna Meixner had picked up the puck from their defensive zone after a sequence that included a collision between Maureen Murphy and Abby Boreen in front of Ottawa's net. That gaffe followed by the goal was a bad omen for the rest of the game.
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Despite obvious determination by Montreal, they were not able to score in the first two periods. The Charge were the more composed of the teams, putting heavy pressure on Marie Philip-Poulin and Laura Stacey, the Victoire's most productive players. The occasional dazzling individual play rarely developed into convincing team combinations.
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The third period somehow began even worse than the first. Montreal couldn't find a release from their defensive zone, and only 31 seconds in, Clark evaded a usually defensively sound Poulin to score a second goal for the home side. Montreal head coach Kori Cheverie challenged the goal for a hand pass, but was unsuccessful. The Victoire found themselves staring down the final frame in a hole twice as deep as when they left the locker room.
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With 11:42 left on the clock, Cayla Barnes and Stacey combined for the Victoire's best chance of the night. Barnes sent a piercing diagonal pass to Stacey, who had been camping out beside the net, but Philips switched quickly to block the alternate captain's point-blank redirection.
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As the minutes of Montreal's season ticked down, a moment of individual brilliance gave the Victoire a glimmer of hope. Jennifer Gardiner cleared the puck into the neutral zone and Murphy was able to track back to pick it up. She deked Ronja Savolainen and put the puck past Philips. With 5:02 to go, it was a lifeline for the Victoire.
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Now within a goal, the Victoire made frantic pushes to score again. Ann-Renée Desbiens left the net with 1:44 to go, but even an extra skater they couldn't tie the game. A discussion among the referees with 6.8 seconds remaining only prolonged a painful end to Montreal's season.
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Missed plays and questionable decisions will torment the Victoire as they reflect on this defeat. Their power play stopped bearing fruit when it mattered most. They didn't screen Philips often or effectively enough and couldn't build momentum from Desbiens' consistent excellence in net. And, perhaps most hauntingly, they chose to face Ottawa, rather than the lower-seeded Minnesota, in the semifinals.