After splitting the opening games in Montreal, including a heartbreaking 3–2 quadruple overtime loss, the Ottawa Charge returned home to make franchise history. In front of an electric crowd of 7,282 at TD Place, they earned a hard fought 1–0 win in their first-ever home playoff game, backed by a 26-save shutout from goaltender Gwyneth Philips.
Fans lined “Electric Avenue” ahead of puck drop, getting the chance to see the players as they entered the rink. Local celebrities, including Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, artist Jamie Fine, the Capital City Condors, and members of the Ottawa Senators, such as goaltender Linus Ullmark, along with members of Ottawa Rapid FC, were all in attendance to cheer on the hometown team.
Despite finishing the regular season with a .487 home record (5-1-2-5), while Montreal led the league in road wins, Ottawa wasted no time making it clear they were ready to bounce back from their Game 2 loss and take control of the series. At the centre of it all was Philips, who looked composed right from puck drop, tracked pucks through traffic, smothered rebounds, and turned away every quality look Montreal could generate in the offensive zone.
“I’m getting more comfortable and gaining confidence because I can feel that my teammates are feeling a little bit more confident with me,” said Philips. “That’s been my key to success. Personally, it's just knowing how much I trust my teammates and how much they give it back to me.” With the win, Philips became the first rookie goalie in PWHL history to post a playoff shutout, and the fifth goalie to do so in PWHL history.
The Charge were solid in their own end, collapsing down low in front of Philips to limit secondary scoring opportunities. At the same time, they were able to transition the puck quickly, creating chances the other way. These were areas of focus throughout the season, and they've come together at just the right time.
The game remained scoreless into the third, with the next goal feeling like it would be the game-winner. Scrums broke out frequently, and tempers flared several times, including a scary moment which saw Laura Stacey take a run at Ashton Bell in the corner, resulting in a minor penalty on Stacey. Just minutes earlier, Ottawa broke through the scoreless tie. Manon McMahon scored her first career playoff goal, and the first-ever PWHL playoff goal at TD Place, at 8:42 of the third period. That stood as the lone goal in another tight game in this exciting series.
“Stepping onto that ice today, the crowd was going from the second that the national anthem played,” said McMahon. “How can you not be energized by that? We needed that tonight, so it’s huge and we know we’ll have that next game too. We're really thankful that we're at home now.”
The win gives Ottawa a 2–1 lead in the best-of-five series and sets the stage for a potential series-clinching Game 4 on Friday night and a chance to punch their ticket to the Walter Cup Final in front of their home crowd.