Ottawa Prepared For Walter Cup Finals Despite Uncertainty Around Just Who Their Opponent Will Be

Following a double overtime victory over the Boston Fleet on Mother's Day, the Ottawa Charge now await the outcome of tonight's postponed game between the Montreal Victoire and Minnesota Frost to determine who they will face in their second consecutive Walter Cup Finals. Both opponents are familiar playoff foes for the Charge. Last season, it was those very Victoire who selected them as their semifinal opponent, only to be defeated in four hard-fought games. And it was Minnesota who came out victorious in four games in an equally hard-fought Finals.

Despite those past experiences, wins and losses, this year's team is approaching the Finals with a clean slate.

"To be honest, there hasn't been much talk about last season," said Emily Clark. "Everyone comes with their own experiences to this room, but it's a new group. The players who were here last year have learned from it, but this is a new team on a new path."

Goaltender Gwyneth Philips, who helped lead the team to their first Finals appearance last season, may not be rooting for one matchup over the other, but sees both as interesting matchups.

"I don't really think that any of us care who we face," she said. "We're up for either team, and it'll be a fun series regardless. We match up well against Montreal, and I think it would be cool for the Canadians, but it could be cool to have a US-Canada Final, too."

And while Ottawa is approaching their second consecutive trip to the Walter Cup Finals with that clean slate, acknowledging that this is a new team and the past is the past, the group remains undeterred about the uncertainty around their Finals opponent.

"At the end of the day, there are so many variables that you just can't control," said head coach Carla MacLeod. "For us, we knew where we were at, we knew we're going to the Walter Cup Finals, so you just let the variables come at you. It's not a big deal on our side of it. Nothing's changed, and we're in a really nice spot."

A big reason the Charge are in the position they are is a direct result of the MVP-calibre performance they're receiving from goaltender Gwyneth Philips. Through the semifinal round, Philips finished with a .951 save percentage, which was one percentage point off her Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP performance from one year ago.

"She's been such a stud for us," Clark said. "She's the heartbeat, the backbone, and anytime you get to play in front of her, she gives you so much confidence. Her play speaks for itself."

As Ottawa now shifts its focus to the results of the other semifinal matchup, the group is well aware of what has helped it achieve this goal and how it wants to approach the Finals.

"I think if you ask anyone here in this group, we have a lot of fun," said Alexa Vasko. "So I think keeping that looseness, that lightness, I think that's honestly one of the things that contributed to us going so far. We do a good job of balancing that fun but also that seriousness and competitiveness."

The Ottawa Charge may not have been the betting favourite to have taken down the second-place Boston Fleet in their semifinal matchup, but to them, that's perfectly fine. As they prepare for redemption in the Walter Cup Finals, they believe in one another, and that belief has helped them defy any and all expectations.