Philips stands tall as Charge even series with Fleet
In a crucial game, one of the smallest players on the ice proved to be an enormous obstacle on Saturday night.
In Game 2 of the Walter Cup Semifinals between the Ottawa Charge and Boston Fleet, Charge goaltender Gwyneth Philips came up big early and often, helping her team secure a 3-1 win and even the best-of-five series.
The start of the game was very similar to Game 1 on Thursday. The Fleet controlled the play and didn’t give the Charge much room with the puck. That meant Philips had to be up to the task from the get-go. The former Northeastern goaltender was peppered with 14 shots on goal in the first period, but managed to turn them all away. While the team in front of her found their footing, building up a multi-goal lead, Philips continued to make critical saves, not only preventing the Fleet from tying the game but also keeping some of their offensive stars at bay.
Just like the opening game of the series, it was the visitors who scored first once again, this time at even strength. A little past the halfway mark of the opening frame, Ronja Savolainen put a wrister toward goal that somehow soared past Aerin Frankel to give Ottawa the early edge.
It was Savolainen’s first goal of her PWHL postseason career.
Unlike in Game 1, the Charge beat Frankel twice. Less than two minutes into the second period, Katerina Mrazova appeared to have tipped in a Fanuza Kadirova shot, but the goal was awarded to Kadirova. Regardless, Ottawa built up a 2-0 lead not even halfway through the game.
The score remained that way until the dying seconds of the period, as a desperate Fleet team finally got one by Philips, as captain Megan Keller scored her first PWHL postseason marker, cutting the deficit in half, heading into the break.
The third period was tight. The Charge did whatever they could to lock things down defensively, but even then, the Fleet broke through. However, Ottawa simply bent, but didn’t break this time, thanks to its 5-foot-7 masked hero. Philips came up clutch in the final stanza, including a huge breakaway save on Jessie Eldridge.
That ended up being as close as Boston would get to tying the game. Even with an extra attacker, the home side failed to level the score, as Gabbie Hughes iced the game with an empty-netter, the first playoff goal of her career.
The win was important for the Charge not only to avoid facing elimination when heading back across the border, but also to show they can get through Boston’s rugged defense. Ottawa only had the one tally on a major power play in Game 1, and it ended up costing them. Building a two-goal lead against a team that hardly gives up any goals, especially at home, gave them the confidence that they could generate enough offense to beat the Fleet. Now, there’s a path for the reigning runners-up to close out the series on home ice.
The Fleet ended up outshooting the Charge 31-21, with Philips making 30 stops in her fifth playoff win. Once again, Frankel wasn’t tasked with too many dangerous scoring chances, but still came up with 20 saves in the losing effort.
Both teams failed to score on the power play on Saturday. Ottawa went 0-for-3, while Boston was 0-for-2 with the player advantage.
With the series tied 1-1, both teams are looking to move within a victory of the Walter Cup Final. Game 3 is set to take place at Canadian Tire Centre next Friday, with puck drop scheduled for a little after 7 p.m. ET.
Check out the PWHL playoff hub here
Read Hunter Crowther’s recap of Game 1 between the Montreal Victoire and Minnesota Frost