Head-To-Head: Boston And Ottawa Could Go The Distance, And Then Some

The Ottawa Charge and Boston Fleet met four times this season. Three of those games ended in a shootout, and the fourth required overtime. While the Ottawa Charge came out on top with three of those wins, there could not be a better matched pair heading into playoffs, which is why it would not be surprising to see these teams go the distance, with their share of extra time sprinkled in.

Perhaps there was no greater factor in the tight scoring games between Boston and Ottawa this season than former Northeastern tandem, and current Team USA partners Aerin Frankel of Boston, and Gwyneth Philips of Ottawa going head to head.

Frankel set a new single season PWHL record for shutouts this season, while Philips put Ottawa on her shoulders and carried them down the stretch. Philips came up short of a Walter Cup title last season, but played so well en route to the finals, that she was named playoff MVP, a rare feat for a losing player.

Two of the best in the world are about to go head-to-head in net. Expect stellar netminding at both ends of the ice.

Both sides have Olympian, both sides have Walter Cup champions in their rooms. Boston however, is bringing some big game experience, and big game success to the Walter Cup playoffs this season. Captain Megan Keller scored the golden goal for USA over Canada at the 2026 Olympics. Her defensive partner Haley Winn, and netminder Aerin Frankel were there for USA as well. And then there is Alina Muller who scored the overtime winner for Switzerland to claim bronze at the Olympics. 

Ottawa has Olympic gold medalists in Philips and Rory Guilday, and both teams have been to the Walter Cup and lost. The experience is there.

Veterans like Brianne Jenner and Jocelyne Larocque know what it takes to win for Ottawa, as do players like Susanna Tapani, Keller, Jamie Lee Rattray in Boston. 

Both teams bring a plethora of experience, which is why nothing less than a tight checking, back and forth series, where big moment players step forward, is expected.

Coaching will be a factor in more ways than one. For Ottawa, head coach Carla MacLeod will return to the bench after missing the last five games of the season to focus on her cancer treatment. In her place, assistant Haley Irwin stepped up and stepped in to help guide the Charge to the playoffs. In some ways, it gives them another layer to their bench with the added experience Irwin gained. Even more importantly however, the mere presence of MacLeod is motivation for Ottawa.

In Boston, Kris Sparre will almost certainly win the PWHL's Coach of the Year award. He took a Boston club expected to finish last, who had lost captain and league leading scorer Hilary Knight, and first round pick and Olympic All-Star Hannah Bilka in expansion. 

Boston however, has played tight and fast this season, bringing a new look, new structure, and a new level of success. If Boston has one downfall in their attack, it's a tendency to play too much dump and chase. Luckily for the Fleet, Ottawa's blueline is not fleet of foot, so it could work out. 

Watching how both teams adjust to the other, the in game lineup shifts and structural adjustments, the bench bosses are going to be equally important in this series where the margin for error is thin.

Haley Winn and Megan Keller were first and second in the league when it comes to time on ice. The defensive duo were spectacular, not only shutting down top lines all season, but also jumpstarting and joining Boston's attack.

They'll need to tame Ottawa's dynamic duo, captain Brianne Jenner and hometown hero Rebecca Leslie. No duo in the PWHL connected on more goals than Jenner and Lesie who each finished in the top ten in league scoring.

Ottawa and Boston's opening round Walter Cup playoff series has all the anticipation of a lengthy and tight series between the teams.