The Montreal Victoire moved within one win of their first-ever Walter Cup championship on Saturday, defeating Ottawa Charge 2–1 in overtime at Place Bell.
The win gives Montreal a 2–0 lead in the best-of-five Walter Cup Finals and puts them one step away from becoming the first Canadian team to capture the title.
The winner came 14:12 into overtime when captain Marie-Philip Poulin found Maggie Flaherty alone in the slot. Flaherty, calling for the puck, hammered a one-timer past Gwyneth Phillips for her second goal of the postseason.
“I just saw kind of a wide-open lane to the slot, and I saw that [Poulin] had full possession of the puck. I made my way down there, and I was really yelling for it […] she made a beautiful pass, and then I was lucky to bury that,” said Flaherty.
For the second game in a row, the Victoire erased a one-goal deficit and prevailed in overtime. Ottawa opened the scoring at 8:38 of the first period when Sarah Wozniewicz jammed a loose puck through traffic in front of Ann-Renée Desbiens. Montreal answered just 32 seconds into the second period as defender Kati Tabin jumped on a loose puck off a faceoff and roofed a backhand past Gwyneth Phillips for her first goal of the playoffs.
Cheverie highlighted Tabin’s aggressive mentality after her early second-period equalizer. “I just love that she had that aggressive play. I think she probably felt like, ‘Hey, I want to make a difference here. I want to have an impact,’ and she saw it and went with it. I thought it was a great decision by her.”
Flaherty smiled when asked about Tabin’s backhand finish. “I have seen it in practice a couple times, but I think that was the best executed one. A lot of whiffs. When it counts, it counts.”
The rest of the game was a tightly contested defensive battle. Laura Stacey generated several dangerous chances, including two breakaways and a shot off the post, but Phillips kept Ottawa in the game with 27 saves. Desbiens was equally sharp, stopping 20 of 21 shots.
There was some controversy surrounding the winning goal, as Ottawa defender Emma Greco appeared to be tripped while moving toward the boards, leaving Flaherty alone. No penalty was called.
“We probably put too many players in toward the puck, but our net-front D is going to be net-front. But if she gets her feet wiped out from behind right before that play, it’s pretty hard to get back to where you need to be,” said Ottawa head coach Carla MacLeod.
The series now shifts to Canadian Tire Centre for Games 3 and 4, beginning Monday night.
“I hope our fans travel to Ottawa too, and they’re just as loud there,” said Cheverie. “We know their crowd will be behind them. I’m looking forward to playing at the Canadian Tire Centre — it’s a great building. We’ve played there a couple of times, and I know their fans will show up for them. We’ll have to bring our best game.”
Game 3 is Monday at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, with puck drop scheduled for 6 p.m. ET. TSN and RDS will broadcast the game in Canada, while it will be available on YouTube and ION Television in the United States.
Full Highlights:
