PWHL sets schedule for 2026 Walter Cup Final
The stage is set.
On Tuesday night, the PWHL released the schedule for the first four games of the 2026 Walter Cup Final, pitting the Montreal Victoire against the rival Ottawa Charge.
The series begins on Thursday, May 14, at Place Bell in Laval, with Game 2 taking place on Saturday afternoon. The final shifts to the Canadian Tire Centre in suburban Ottawa next Monday, May 18, with a potential Game 4 being scheduled for the following Wednesday. Date and time of a possible fifth game have yet to be determined.
This is the first time we’ll have an all-Canadian matchup in the final, marking the first time that the Walter Cup will be hoisted north of the border.
The Victoire are in the final for the first time in its history. Despite consistently being one of the top teams in the league during the regular season, Montreal has struggled to translate that to postseason success, having been swept by the Boston Fleet in the 2024 semifinals before being stunned by the Charge in four games in the opening round last spring. Yet, the Victoire managed to finally put it together this year. After finishing atop the PWHL standings, Montreal chose to play the two-time defending champion, Minnesota Frost. It certainly was an exhilarating series, with captain Marie-Philip Poulin coming up clutch, twice, scoring a pair of game-winning goals, including the do-or-die Game 5, to help her team finally get over the hump.
Even though they seemingly came into the 2025-26 season as greater underdogs than the year before, when they first made it to the Walter Cup Final, the Charge have overcome the odds to play for a championship. They once again snuck into the playoffs on the final day of the season, and went up against one of the best defenses in the league in the Boston Fleet. Even going up against the best goaltender in the world, Aerin Frankel, Ottawa bounced back from losing Game 1, reeling off three wins in a row, including a double-overtime thriller in Game 4, to advance to the final.
Below is the full schedule
(1) Montreal Victoire vs. (4) Ottawa Charge
| Date | Game | Time |
| Thursday, May 14 | 1. Charge at Victoire | 7 p.m. ET |
| Saturday, May 16 | 2. Charge at Victoire | 2 p.m. ET |
| Monday, May 18 | 3. Victoire at Charge | 6 p.m. ET |
| Wednesday, May 20 | 4. Victoire at Charge* | 7 p.m. ET |
| TBD | 5. Charge at Victoire* | TBD |
*if necessary