Montreal Strikes First To Take Early Series Lead Over Ottawa In Walter Cup Finals

The PWHL's first all-Canadian Walter Cup Finals between the Ottawa Charge and Montreal Victoire was a matchup many expected to be close, so to see Game One head to overtime was a surprise to very few. Ann-Renée Desbiens was strong as usual in goal and helped to fend off a strong Ottawa forecheck. Rebecca Leslie continued her strong playoffs as she provided all the offence for the Charge, and Nicole Gosling scored in the dying seconds of the third to tie the game. But when the dust settled, it was Montreal who took the opener, as Abby Roque scored in overtime for her second goal of the game.

"There are little things that we can adjust to be better, but we are happy with our game," said Jocelyne Larocque. "You must have a short memory. I'm just as confident as I was before Game One that we can win the Walter Cup."

From Ottawa's perspective, there was actually a lot to like about how they played, as the team appeared to have found the gear that helped drive so much success to close out the regular season. They finished regulation with the edge in shots on goal for the first time in these playoffs, played an aggressive forecheck, especially as the game wore on, and had another perfect penalty kill game.

The issue was, unsurprisingly, that the Charge couldn't contain Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey, who finished with a combined three points in the game. Shutting down the duo during last year's semifinals was a major reason the Charge were able to take that matchup, and they will need to channel that effort to do the same in this series if a Walter Cup is in their future.

And if one so chooses to nitpick just a little further, it would be to say that Ottawa struggled to close out a period. Beyond the obvious being Nicole Gosling's game-tying goal with 2.1 seconds left in the game, Brianne Jenner also had an open net opportunity earlier in that same sequence that she was unable to capitalize on. Michela Cava had a breakaway opportunity, and so did Jenner. The end of periods often looked scrambled, as if the group was holding on to the steering wheel, hoping for the best possible outcome rather than continuing to do what had made them so effective throughout the game.

"Welcome to the PWHL and welcome to the Walter Cup Final," said head coach Carla MacLeod. "That's the reality. It's hard fought. This is just what we've signed up for. There's nowhere else on the planet we want to be, and the fact that we're here, we've got some business to take care of, and we're excited about that."

Again, despite the outcome, Ottawa has a lot to build on. Beyond Leslie's two goals in the game, the play of Fanuza Kadirova continues to stand out. Her chemistry with Kateřina Mrázová and Michela Cava is undeniable. They may technically be the team's third line on paper, but they've been anything but throughout this playoff run. Kadirova spent much of the game tenaciously attacking the puck, shift after shift, and leveraged Mrázová's hockey IQ to create scoring chances.

Heading into Game Two, the game plan is simple on paper yet difficult to execute in reality: contain Montreal's top talent just long enough to hold onto the lead. Combine that with the foundation built in Game One, and it could provide the ingredients for a winning recipe.

At the end of the night, credit where credit is due: the Montreal Victoire showed up well prepared for their first Finals appearance and never backed down, even after falling behind on two occasions. But if you're the Ottawa Charge, that Game One performance offered many pieces that could be used to build upon for success as this series unfolds. A Game One defeat isn't unfamiliar territory for this group, as Ottawa went down 1-0 to the Boston Fleet to open their series. And if the semifinals taught everyone anything, it's that the outcomes in these playoffs are as predictable as putting on a blindfold and throwing a dart at a dartboard.