Susanna Tapani scored the series clinching overtime winner for PWHL Boston who swept Montreal to earn a spot in the PWHL's Walter Cup finals.
Susanna Tapani scored the series clinching overtime winner for PWHL Boston who swept Montreal to earn a spot in the PWHL's Walter Cup finals.
LOWELL, MA — Three games, three overtimes, one result.
After three thrilling wins, PWHL Boston is headed to the inaugural Finals for a chance at the Walter Cup.
Boston and Montreal played roughly 12 periods of hockey between two overtime appearances and a triple-overtime marathon in Game 2.
On Tuesday, it didn’t look like Game 3 at the Tsongas Center would call for extra time. But sudden-death hockey was necessary after Sophie Shirley and Amanda Pelkey formulated a two-goal salvo in the third period to knot the game at two.
And for the second time in this series, Susanna Tapani was the hero, as Boston skated past Montreal in a 3-0 clean sweep in a 3-2 victory.
Out of the 12 periods both squads competed in over the three-game stretch, Montreal head coach Kori Cheverie thought highly of her team’s effort.
“I would say we probably outplayed them for ten (periods),” she said.
But for Boston head coach Courtney Kessel and her surging squad, they’ve earned themselves a trip to the big dance.
“I mean, good for her,” Kessel said in response to Cheverie’s comment. “Here we are, we’re heading onto the championship. I think that’s all that matters.”
It was all Montreal at the drop of the puck in Lowell, peppering Aerin Frankel with 18 first-period shots while opening the scoring on a Marie-Philip Poulin one-timer from Mikyla Grant-Mentis below the goal line.
That momentum continued into the middle frame, resulting in another tally to double the Montreal lead. Maureen Murphy tipped a shot from Poulin from the point, doubling the Boston lead and making a statement on the brink of elimination.
But that’s when Boston turned on the jets, scoring two goals in the final frame that was ignited by Shirley's hard drive to the cage. She beat her defender, cutting to the crease before lifting a shot over Ann-Renée Desbiens to give Boston some life.
After a big swing in momentum for the hosts, it looked like it all came to a halt when Alina Müller committed a two-minute boarding penalty at 15:38. However, Pelkey used it as an opportunity to catch the Montreal defense off guard, slipping behind the last line of defense to score a breakaway goal and tie the game. Jailbreak.
“I changed for someone, and I noticed their two D didn’t really notice that I was out in the neutral zone,” Pelkey said. “Hannah (Brandt), being the player that she is, is always going to find the players that are open.
“In any sport when you deal with adversity, you’re in a business where you have to find a way to win. I think we came together at the right time when it mattered most when our backs were against the wall.”
And just like that, overtime was required for the third straight game. But unlike the last game, Boston didn’t waste any time celebrating. Tapani drove hard to the net on a two-on-one, tapping in a rebound from Müller to send the 2,781 on hand at the Tsongas into hysterics.
“The rebound came right to my stick, and I just tried to put it in as fast as I could,” said Tapani.
Boston awaits the winner of the Toronto/Minnesota series for their Finals opponent.