Ottawa Strikes First: The Charge Takes Game 1 in Montreal

Montreal Victoire comes up short in a 3-2 loss to open the PWHL semi-finals

Year two of Montreal's playoff journey began with a bold strategic move: after finishing first in the regular-season standings, they chose to face the Ottawa Charge, a team riding serious momentum. Ottawa had beaten Montreal in their last two meetings, but key factors likely influenced the Victoire’s decision: travel ease, Ottawa’s lack of playoff experience, and the absence of star goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer due to injury.

Puck Drop: A Physical Start

Right from the opening faceoff, the game was intense. The physical play was front and center, and the officiating quickly raised questions. Nonetheless, the roaring Montreal crowd was not enough to stop Ottawa's captain Brianne Jenner (C), who scored an early power play goal, the first playoff goal in franchise history for the Charge. Montreal responded quickly with a power play goal of their own from Maureen Murphy, who led the team in points during last year’s playoffs. It was reassuring to see her make an early impact.

Montreal came out strong in the first period, something they often struggled with during the regular season. This game was clearly going to be a battle, but one they looked ready for.

Second Period: Tensions Building 

The second period turned chaotic with action around both nets. Cross-checking in front created tension and confusion. A messy sequence in front of Montreal’s goal left Desbiens out of position, and Ottawa’s Ashton Bell took advantage, making it 2 to 1. Once again, "Captain Clutch", Marie Philip Poulin answered, scoring a beautiful goal set up by Erin Ambrose during a power play.

As the period went on, the game grew more intense. The referees made several questionable calls, and the physicality escalated. Montreal pressed hard on the forecheck and delivered clean hits, but inconsistency in the officiating was a growing concern. Desbiens stood her ground, showing fire and personality, even engaging with opposing players, a reminder of her very competitive edge.

Third Period: Missed Chances and a Breakout Performance

Montreal entered the third period with momentum and chances to take the lead. But a costly turnover allowed Shiann Darkangelo to give Ottawa a 3 to 2 lead with ten minutes remaining. Montreal led in shots but struggled to finish. Ottawa, on the other hand, came out red-hot.

A major storyline was rookie goaltender Gwyneth Phillips. With Maschmeyer sidelined, Phillips stepped up and delivered a standout performance, stealing multiple scoring chances and keeping Ottawa ahead.

In the final minutes, Montreal seemed to lose a bit of energy and just couldn't find the equalizer.

Final Thoughts

This is not a game Montreal wanted to lose, especially not at home. Ottawa is riding high after their dramatic playoff push, and they played with intensity and confidence. While Ottawa was not necessarily the better team, they capitalized on their moments.

Head Coach Kori Cheverie remained positive, stating: “I liked what we generated. I liked the shot quantity. I liked the quality of chances we got as well. We would have liked to see some more execution offensively. We would have liked to put some of those away on five on five. I liked our power play tonight, they obviously helped us. We took too many penalties, undisciplined penalties, that's for sure.”

Laura Stacey summed it up emotionally: "It's tough, hockey is tough. I had to take a deep breath before coming in here because it hurts, losing hurts, especially in the playoffs". Stacey registered six shots on goal but finished the game at -1 in plus-minus.

Last year, Montreal was swept by Boston in three painful overtime losses. With this result, they are now zero for four in playoff games. When asked about lingering doubts, Cheverie was firm in saying that it is a new team, and if they keep thinking about the past, they are not going to move forward.

What’s Next

In my opinion, Montreal still has everything to play for. Ottawa is dangerous, but Montreal has the depth and experience to respond. As Stacey said, “It wasn't our best game and we were right there. That game was just as much ours as it was theirs. We outshot them, we had a lot of great opportunities. We were right there. I think there is some positive to take in the sense of -okay, it wasn't our best, and we were still right there. So, if we can put that game together for a whole 60 minutes, it'll look scary I think.” 

To even the series on Sunday, Montreal will need to improve its 5-on-5 production, sharpen offensive execution, and stay out of the penalty box.

Where To Watch
Catch Game 2 this Sunday, May 11, on TSN, RDS, or stream it live on the PWHL website.