The Montreal Victoire captured their first Walter Cup, bringing the PWHL title to Canada for the first time, defeating the Ottawa Charge in four games. They shut out Ottawa 4-0.
The Montreal Victoire are the 2026 Walter Cup champions.
Montreal entered the 2026 Walter Cup playoffs as the top seed and brought the first PWHL title to Canada defeating the Ottawa Charge in four games. Ann-Renee Desbiens posted the shutout and Abby Roque scored twice to lead the Victoire to a 4-0 win.
Roque scored what would stand as the Walter Cup winning goal 3:49 into the second period off what appeared to be a harmless play. Taking a drop from Marie-Philip Poulin just inside the Ottawa Charge zone, Roque carried the puck toward the right corner and put the puck toward the slot where it redirected off Charge defender Rory Guilday's stick and evaded Gwyneth Philips to make it 1-0.
From there on out the Victoire played smothering hockey to shut down the Charge blocking shots and keeping Ottawa away from danger.
After only allowing five shots in the second period against, Montreal held Ottawa without a shot for a 12 minute stretch spanning to nearly the midway point of the thid period before Ottawa threatened on a power play.
On that power play, with Marie-Philip Poulin in the penalty box, Desbiens stopped a trio of point blank opportunities before Abby Roque took the puck the opposite way driving around Brianne Jenner. She out-waited Gwyneth Philips on the backhand to score her second of the game, and freeing Poulin with the jailbreak marker.
Roque's goal game with 9:58 remaining in the third to give the Victoire a 2-0 lead.
Maggie Flaherty would give Montreal more security later in the third as she sent a fluttering shot high over Gwyneth Philips from the point to make it 3-0.
With under five to go, Lina Ljungblom scored on an incredible individual effort to lift the Victoire to 4-0, which is how it would end.
Montreal finished the regular season with a 16-6-2-6 record and 62 points. They led the PWHL with the fewest goals allowed relinquishing only 41 goals in 30 games during the regular season, with their stingy defense and goaltending continuing into the playoffs.
Ottawa was the fourth place finisher heading into the playoffs before falling for the second straight season in the Walter Cup finals.
Montreal becomes only the second team to win the Walter Cup after the Minnesota Frost won back-to-back Walter Cup titles in 2024 and the 2025.
More to come.