Gwyneth Philips discusses winning playoff MVP following Ottawa's game four loss Gwyneth Philips achieved a rare feat, earning the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP Award despite the Ottawa Charge falling to the Minnesota Frost. It's a rarity for a player on the losing side of a professional championship to earn playoff MVP honours. In more than 50 years of the NHL handing out the Conn Smythe Award, a player from the losing team has won the award only six times. Philips however, was deserving of the honour posting a 1.23 GAA and .952 save percentage. She also earned the only shutout in the postseason, and never lost a game in regulation. She made 36 saves in the game four 2-1 loss to Minnesota [https://thehockeynews.com/womens/pwhl/minnesota-frost-repeat-as-walter-cup-champions-beating-ottawa-in-four-games]. It was a performance even her opponents could recognize, and that earned her a rousing cheer from the Minnesota Frost fans. "She was unreal, in three out of the four games, if she doesn't play the way she played, then I don't think we go to overtime in any of them to be honest with you," said Minnesota head coach Ken Klee of Philips' performance. "We out chanced them two to one, we put everything on her that we could. When you're out chancing a team, I'm going to guess three out of the four games two to one, you're going to win a lot of those games, not in overtime. She was phenomenal, kudos to her." At the other end of the ice, Maddie Rooney was also spectacular taking over from Nicole Hensley in round one. She posted sparkling numbers of her own, but recognized Philips' achievement. "She played great, I thought it was a great choice," said Rooney. "She definitely gave her team the best chance to win, really, honestly amazed with her game. I thought she proved herself a lot in this series because we hadn't seen her a lot over the course of the season, but happy for her. Great performance throughout the series." PHILIPS WANTED THE WIN While Philips accepted the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP trophy, it was not the trophy she wanted. Philips had her sights set on the Walter Cup, but inevitably, the Ottawa Charge came up short. Philips said in time, she's sure the achievement of earning playoff MVP will sink in, but for now, she's focused on her team and the loss. "Right now the individual award is superseded by the team loss," Philips said postgame. "I think we were so close, and we really wanted that, but my accomplishments are attributed to the players in front of me," she continued. "Maybe tomorrow it will be nicer, but really wanted that win." Minnesota's Taylor Heise won the 2024 Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP for the Frost last season.
