Victoire defeat Charge to win first Walter Cup
For the first time, the Walter Cup has been hoisted north of the border.
With a 4-0 win over the Ottawa Charge in Game 4 of the Walter Cup Final, the Montreal Victoire were crowned PWHL champions for the first time in franchise history.
They become the first Canadian team in league history to take home the trophy, as the Minnesota Frost, the team the Victoire defeated in this year’s semifinals, won the first two Walter Cups.
The hero of the game was Abby Roque, the player that general manager Danièle Sauvageau went out and traded for at last year’s draft in order to bolster the roster. The Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. native scored the first goal of the game early in the second, getting a lucky bounce to beat Charge goaltender Gwyneth Philips.
In the third period, the Charge had a chance to tie the game with a power play after Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin went off for goaltender interference. However, it was Roque who made the play of the game, working around Brooke Hobson before undressing Philips for her second of the game.
For Roque, it was her third and fourth goals of the posteason, all of which came in the final. She finished with two game-winning goals, as she also knocked home the overtime winner in Game 1 last Thursday. She finished tied with Ottawa forward Rebecca Leslie and Minnesota Frost defender Sidney Morin for the most goals this postseason. Not too shabby for a player who was playing in the PWHL playoffs for the first time.
For the Charge, it’s another disappointing end to an incredible ride. For the second straight year, they snuck into the postseason. However, they once again fell in the final in four games. Despite being arguably the most resilient team in the PWHL, the clock struck midnight on the team from the nation’s capital.
Similar to the first three games of the series, the majority of the contest was tight checking. Thanks to the Victoire’s stout defense, Ottawa was held to just 10 shots on goal through 40 minutes. It was clear that neither team wanted to make mistakes in such an important game, as Montreal itself only had 12 shots on goal through the first two periods. However, Roque’s first goal took the air out of the Canadian Tire Centre, and the Charge struggled to gain any form of momentum as the third period carried on.
The Victoire sealed the victory with Maggie Flaherty’s third of the playoffs, and second of the series, as well as Lina Ljungblom’s first Walter Cup Playoff goal.
Poulin was named the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP. Along with an assist on Roque’s first goal of the night, Captain Clutch finished with two goals and six assists for eight points, tied for the most points in the postseason with Roque.
Ann-Renee Desbiens stopped all 23 shots she faced in Game 4, marking her second shutout of the postseason. Along with a 6-2 record, the veteran netminder made 234 saves in these playoffs, allowing just five goals in the four games against Ottawa. Philips made just 12 saves in the loss for Ottawa.
Wednesday night’s final also marked the first time since Game 5 of the 2024 final that a game in the championship series wasn’t decided by one goal. That was when Minnesota defeated Boston 3-0 to claim the inaugural title.