Montréal Victoire One Win Away from the Walter Cup (2026)

The Ottawa Charge traveled to Place Bell on May 16, 2026 to face the Montréal Victoire in Game 2 of 2026 PWHL Walter Cup Finals series. Read about how the Montréal Victoire are one win away from winning the Walter Cup after securing another overtime win in Game 2 of this series! 

Game 2 | Saturday May 16, 2026 | Montréal Victoire 2, Ottawa Charge 1

The Ottawa Charge entered Game 2 with frustration and a hunger for vengeance after experiencing a gut-wrenching Game 1 overtime loss. This added fuel of rage and determination got the Ottawa Charge on the board first with an opening goal scored by #23 Sarah Wozniewicz (1-0). Despite finding success early in the period, the Ottawa Charge struggled to capitalize on the man-advantage as they faced an undefeated Montréal Victoire penalty kill unit. After twenty minutes of regulation, the Montréal Victoire maintained their one-goal deficit going into the second period by maintaining puck possession (11 SOG vs. 5 SOG) and shutting down any additional Ottawa Charge goal-scoring opportunities.

Finding themselves down by one goal, the Montréal Victoire regrouped and tied the game with a thrilling goal scored thirty-two seconds into the second period by #9 Kati Tabin (1-1). When it came to special teams, all power play units struggled on the man-advantage as they faced each others’ undefeated penalty kill units. Although the Ottawa Charge outshot the Montréal Victoire by the end of the second period (6 SOG vs. 4 SOG), the game remained at a tied standstill going into the last period of regulation. 

The third period ended in a 1-1 standstill despite both the Montréal Victoire outshooting the Ottawa Charge (8 SOG vs. 5 SOG) and both teams having an opportunity on the power play. After sixty minutes of regulation, the Montréal Victoire and Ottawa Charge prepared for their second overtime against one another in the 2026 PWHL Walter Cup Finals.

The stakes were high going into overtime as the Ottawa Charge were determined to tie the series (1-1) while the Montréal Victoire were eager to secure back-to-back overtime wins (2-0). Both teams ended up on a relatively even playing field when it came to maintaining puck possession throughout the period with the Montréal Victoire having a slight edge over the Ottawa Charge (6 SOG vs. 5 SOG). In the end, that slight edge helped the Montréal Victoire to secure a 2-0 series lead with a game-winning overtime goal being scored by #91 Maggie Flaherty with five minutes remaining in 1OT. The Montréal Victoire’s win would not have been possible without the extraordinary goaltending of #35 Ann-Renée Desbiens who saved 20 out of 21 shots on goal. This loss for the Ottawa Charge does not take away from the admirable in net performance of #33 Gwyneth Philips who saved 27 out of 29 shots on goal by the end of this game. The hard-fought victory and triumphant back-to-back overtime wins for the Montréal Victoire has officially made them one-win closer to earning The Walter Cup. 

Points Leaders and Goaltending Stats

Montréal Victoire

• Points leaders: #9 Kati Tabin (1G), #13 Alexandra Labelle (1A), #29 Marie-Philip Poulin (1A), and #91 Maggie Flaherty (1G) all ended with 1 point recorded by the end of this game

• Goals leader: #9 Kati Tabin (1G) and #91 Maggie Flaherty (1G) scored the two Montréal Victoire goals of this game

• Assists leaders: #13 Alexandra Labelle (1A) and #29 C. Marie-Philip Poulin (1A) assisted the game-winning overtime goal

• Goaltending: #35 Ann-Renée Desbiens saved 20 out of 21 shots on goal 

Ottawa Charge

• Points leaders: #23 Sarah Wozniewicz (1G) ended this game with one point

• Goals leader:  #23 Sarah Wozniewicz scored the only Ottawa Charge goal of this game

• Assists leaders: N/A

• Goaltending: #33 Gwyneth Philips saved 27 out of 29 shots on goal 

Overall Stats

• The Montréal Victoire outscored the Ottawa Charge (2G vs. 1G)

• The Montréal Victoire outshot the Ottawa Charge (29 SOG vs. 21 SOG)

• Both teams ended with a 0% power play success rate

• Both teams ended with a 100% penalty kill success rate

SUMMARY: The Montréal Victoire’s overall ability to capitalize on their scoring chances and maintain puck possession helped give them an edge to secure another overtime win. 

With another thrilling win recorded, the Montréal Victoire currently have a 2-0 series lead going into Game 3 of this series. The stakes are even higher as the Ottawa Charge are on the brink of falling short of winning the Walter Cup as the Montréal Victoire are one-win away from closing this series. Moving forward, we can expect the Montréal Victoire to continue to utilize their momentum from their previous successes to sweep the Ottawa Charge in three games. We can also expect the Ottawa Charge to fight tooth-and-nail in order to extend their playoff run and give themselves a shot at winning the Walter Cup in Game 5 of this series.

Below are the next scheduled match-up(s) and where to watch them:

Monday, May 18, 2026 (Game 3) 

• The Montréal Victoire will face the Ottawa Charge in Game 3 of this series on Monday, May 18, 2026 at 6:00 PM EDT. This game will take place at the Canadian Tire Centre

  • Watch on ION, TSN, RDS, PWHL YouTube Channel

Wednesday, May 20, 2026 (Game 4) If Necessary

• The Montréal Victoire will face the Ottawa Charge in Game 4 of this series on Wednesday, May 20, 2026 at 7:00 PM EDT. This game will take place at the Canadian Tire Centre

  • Watch on ION, TSN, RDS, PWHL YouTube Channel

Saturday, May 23, 2026 (Game 5) If Necessary

• The Ottawa Charge will face the Montréal Victoire in Game 5 of this series on Saturday May 23, 2026 at 12:30 PM EDT. This game will take place at the Place Bell

  • Watch on ION, TSN, RDS, PWHL YouTube Channel

Stay tuned for the next recap of the 2026 PWHL Walter Cup Playoffs!