Montreal Takes Stranglehold On Series Following 2-1 Overtime Victory Over Ottawa

The Ottawa Charge opened the scoring for the second game in a row in the Walter Cup Finals, but found themselves once again on the losing end of the game, as they dropped Game Two 2-1 in overtime to the Montreal Victoire. With the series now shifting to the Canadian Tire Centre, they'll have to go back to the drawing board to find a way to string together three consecutive wins and bring the Walter Cup to Ottawa.

"Obviously, we're disappointed with the result, but the series isn't over," said Brianne Jenner, who finished the game without a shot on goal and went 13-for-28 (46.4%) in the faceoff circle.

Ottawa struggled throughout the game to generate quality scoring chances and was unable to match Montreal's tenacity both with and without the puck. The Charge mustered an average of five shots on goal per period, a theme throughout their playoff run. Ottawa remained committed to its "pass first" mentality, electing to pass after gaining the zone, ultimately forfeiting scoring opportunities. In contrast, while Montreal didn't fare much better in terms of shot volume, its puck possession and ability to hold the zone for longer stretches were the difference in this game.

Heading into Game Two, the Charge needed to find a way to contain Montreal's top line of Abby Roque, Laura Stacey and Marie-Philip Poulin, who combined for three points in Game One, including the game-winner. While Ottawa was able to mitigate the trio's chances, save for Stacey, for much of the game, in a case of "it worked until it didn't," both Poulin and Roque ultimately provided the assists on the game-winning goal.

And speaking of that game-winning goal, scored by defender Maggie Flaherty, it will undoubtedly dominate discussions among Charge fans. It came directly off a missed tripping call on Emma Greco in front of Ottawa's net that resulted in her being out of position and unable to defend against a wide-open Flaherty. Post-game, head coach Carla MacLeod addressed the situation from her perspective.

“We probably put too many players in towards the puck, but our net front D is going to be net front," she said. "But if she gets her feet wiped out from underneath her from behind, it’s hard to get back to where you need to be."

Missed calls and scoring chances must now be left behind at Place Bell in Montreal, as the series shifts to the Canadian Tire Centre for Game Three. And in order to hoist the franchise's first Walter Cup, the Ottawa Charge will look to regain more of that magic that they have displayed throughout this playoff run and put together one final winning streak of the season.