OTTAWA – Kori Cheverie saw Monday night coming.
“I know that the third (win) is going to be the hardest,” the Montreal Victoire coach said after her team took a commanding 2-0 lead in the Walter Cup Finals. “That’s what we’re focused on right now. The girls are allowed to be happy until the puck drop of the Habs tonight and then we move on.”
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The Walter Cup trophy was in the house for Game 3 of the best-of-five series and nearly six minutes away from being hauled out for Montreal, which held a late 1-0 lead.
But with their backs against the wall, the Ottawa Charge staged a dramatic comeback, scoring twice in the final 5:30 of regulation to keep their season alive with a 2-1 win.
“Our group throughout the whole season has just been so resilient,” said Ottawa’s own Rebecca Leslie, who scored the late game-winner. “It’s easy to get down in those moments, but for us, we have nothing to lose.”
Much of Game 3 was dead-locked 0-0 as star goalies Ann-Renée Desbiens and Gwyneth Philips turned over 40 shots aside. Montreal forward Hayley Scamurra finally broke through 7:32 into the third period with what looked like the championship-winner.
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Seven minutes later, though, Ottawa rookie forward Peyton Hemp tied the game with her first goal of the playoffs. Leslie scored the game-winner with just 54 seconds remaining in regulation — her league-leading fourth of the playoffs. It was the first game of the PWHL’s championship series that did not require overtime since the league’s inaugural season.
“We just don’t stop, we never have, we never will, it’s not who we are,” said Ottawa coach Carla MacLeod. “I’m really thrilled for the group that we were able to find a way in this one.”
Ottawa now trails the series 2-1. Game 4 will return to Canadian Tire Centre on Wednesday night (7 p.m. ET).
Scamurra breaks the tie
Just moments after Ottawa killed off a third Montreal power play, Scamurra carried the puck up the middle of the ice in transition, dished to Maureen Murphy and drove to the net, where Murphy’s shot bounced right off the end boards and onto Scamurra’s stick.
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Scamurra jumped on the puck before Philips could finish her slide through the crease and banged home the opening goal.
“By the time I reacted, (the puck) was already there,” Scamurra said of the play. “And I was able to just put it in the net.”
Scamurra was among the key offseason additions by Montreal general manager Danièle Sauvageau after the team was decimated — like the other five original PWHL franchises — by the expansion draft. Known as a reliable defensive forward, Scamurra added depth and versatility to the Victoire forward group, even making the switch from wing to center for the first time in her pro career.
She’s also produced in some of the biggest moments of the season, while setting new career highs in goals (8) and points (16). With captain Marie-Philip Poulin out of the lineup down the stretch, Scamurra stepped up with five goals in 10 games, including the fastest hat trick scored in league history. In the semifinals against Minnesota, Scamurra scored the game-winner in a critical comeback Game 3 victory to give Montreal a 2-1 series lead.
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“She’s scored big goals for us, she puts points up, but besides that, she has composure with the puck. She breaks out of our zone. She works hard away from the puck, which allows her to have the puck more,” said Cheverie. “She’s been a really great hero for us all year.”
The hometown hero
It’s fitting that Leslie, Ottawa’s only hometown player, was Monday night’s hero.
The 30-year-old is having a breakout season in the PWHL, with 18 goals now across the regular season and playoffs, more than any player in the league.
“Her impact in the game has been felt from game one through obviously tonight,” said MacLeod.
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Leslie spent her first two seasons in the PWHL as a useful depth player, scoring three goals in 51 games between Toronto and Ottawa. She had a strong offseason — dialing in her shot and skating — and quickly earned a top-line role with the Charge. But much of her improvement has come thanks to increased confidence.
“We get a front-row seat as coaches to watch these athletes grow and mature and find their confidence,” said MacLeod. “Often in our industry, their confidence just has to catch up to the talent level. And when that comes to be, that’s when you start to see moments like we’re seeing from (Leslie) this season.”
Leslie’s game-winner was reviewed due to a Central Situation Room review for a potential hand pass by captain Brianne Jenner, but was deemed inconclusive. A crowd of 16,894 — a PWHL playoff record — was deafening when the official announced the goal on the ice stood, giving Leslie her fifth game-winner of the season. And perhaps her biggest on home ice to date.
“I’m honestly at a loss for words,” Leslie said after the game. “It’s such an honor to play for my hometown, to see a record-breaking crowd. Growing up in Ottawa, I’ve always known that it’s a hockey community, but to see the crowd come out, every game, whether it’s at TD Place or CTC, it’s so special.”
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The special teams battle
Neither Ottawa nor Montreal have managed to score on the power play in the finals, and each had multiple chances to do so on Monday.
Poulin had multiple looks in her sweet spot in the low slot during Montreal’s two first-period power-play opportunities, but couldn’t beat Philips. In the second period, Ottawa had nearly a full minute on a five-on-three, when Laura Stacey tripped Emily Clark at the bottom of the circle with Maureen Murphy already in the box for delay of game.
Montreal’s penalty killers did well to immediately clear the puck to eat away some precious time. Ottawa eventually challenged Desbiens, but the Victoire managed to kill both penalties off.
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By the end of the night, there were six penalties called — three against each team — and zero goals scored with any type of advantage.
“I just think we have a lot of relentless players on our penalty kill,” said Scamurra. “We play really well together and move well together in terms of our pressure. We have a lot of incredible players on the team, a lot of people who block shots and get pucks deep when they need to and all those things that make a PK successful.”
Montreal’s power play was key against Minnesota in the semifinals, scoring three times at big moments. But the Victoire are now up against the top penalty kill of the postseason; the Charge have allowed just one goal against on 23 times short-handed.
Ottawa’s power play is being run by assistant coach Haley Irwin, the former Team Canada defender, and has done “an incredible job,” said MacLeod.
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“The players understand, they believe in what we’re trying to do. There’s clarity in what we’re trying to do. We got Gwyn in net there, that always serves us well,” she said. “You don’t rest on your laurels and special teams in playoff hockey. Both coaching staffs are gonna tweak things and look at things…But certainly our penalty kill has come up big here in the postseason.”
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Montreal Victoire, Ottawa Charge, NHL, Women’s Hockey
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