Flaherty plays hero, Victoire take commanding lead against Charge
A little bit of magic once again in Laval.
Though we didn’t see the frantic end to regulation as we did in Game 1, the end to the second game of the 2026 Walter Cup Final was the same – the Montreal Victoire coming away with an overtime win over the Ottawa Charge.
While the Victoire fell behind once again, they were able to level the score once again, with extra time being necessary to determine a winner. While captain Marie-Philip Poulin made a great play to tie the game on Thursday night, she made a great feed to set up the winner on Saturday afternoon. After Abby Roque won a puck battle late in the period, Poulin found a wide-open Maggie Flaherty on the weak side, with Flaherty firing a shot over the glove of Gwyneth Philips, giving Montreal a 2-1 victory.
It was Flaherty’s second goal of the playoffs and second point in the series. Montreal is now just one win away from clinching the franchise’s first championship.
There was a little bit of controversy with the game-winner. The reason Flahery became so wide-open was that Charge defender Emma Greco, who was skating toward the slot in the Ottawa zone, was tripped by Victoire forward Kaitlin Willoughby. Yet, the play went uncalled, and the Victoire are headed across the border with a 2-0 series lead.
After being outplayed for 50 minutes in the first game of the series on Thursday, the Victoire had a much better start to Game 2. However, it didn’t help the regular-season champions get on the board first. A little before the halfway mark of the opening frame, a mad scramble ensued in front of the Victoire. Somehow the puck ended up crossing the goal line, with Ottawa forward Sarah Wozniewicz getting the credit for the icebreaker, her second goal of the playoffs.
The Victoire certainly had the betterment of the chances in the first, outshooting the Charge 11-5. However, it was not until the early moments of the second period that they were able to finally solve Philips.
Just 32 seconds into the middle stanza, a seemingly set face-off play involving captain Marie-Philip Poulin led to Kati Tabin sneaking by the Charge defense, making a great play to beat Philips, her first playoff goal in the PWHL playoffs.
It was the beginning of a very physical frame between the border rivals. Neither team wanted to give an inch, trying to regain the mental edge in the very pivotal contest. 12 total hits were counted in the second, but no goals were scored for the remainder of the period. Ottawa and Montreal failed to find the back of the net in the third as well, sending the game to extra time once again.
It was the sixth consecutive Walter Cup Final contest to go to overtime, and the seventh of the past eight dating back to the 2024 championship series.
Montreal ended up outshooting Ottawa 29-21. Philip certainly gave her team a chance, making a couple of magnificent stops early in overtime. However, her 27-save performance wasn’t enough to even the series. Ann-Renee Desbiens made 20 saves in her sixth career postseason victory.
It certainly was another tough pill to swallow for the Charge, who were one shot away from getting back in the series. However, just like three of the four games against the Minnesota Frost last spring, Ottawa is missing the extra-time magic needed to put it in line for a championship.
The final now heads to the nation’s capital for Game 3. Puck drop at Canadian Tire Centre is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET.