OTTAWA, ON (May 16, 2025) – The Ottawa Charge clinched their spot in the PWHL Finals with a 2-1 win against the Montréal Victoire on Friday night in front of a roaring crowd of 8,011 at TD Place, winning the best-of-five semifinal series 3-1. Ottawa native Rebecca Leslie put the Charge on the board early, burying a rebound off a two-on-one shot from Anna Meixner just two minutes into the game. The score remained 1-0 through the end of the second period, before Emily Clark doubled Ottawa’s lead just 31 seconds into the third period. Now needing at least two goals to keep their season alive, the Victoire continued to apply pressure in the third period, and Maureen Murphy eventually found the back of the net with five minutes left in the game to cut Montréal’s deficit in half. While the Victoire pushed to tie the game with a sixth attacker on the ice, Ottawa netminder Gwyneth Philips stood tall, finishing the game with 19 saves to backstop Ottawa to their first-ever PWHL Finals berth. Montréal goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens stopped 21 of 23 shots in her seventh career playoff start.
The Charge will face off against the Minnesota Frost in the PWHL Finals, presented by Scotiabank, as the Frost look to defend their Walter Cup title. Game 1 will take place on Tuesday at TD Place.
