Montréal Victoire vs. Ottawa Charge Finals Recap (2026 PWHL Walter Cup Playoffs)

Montréal Victoire vs. Ottawa Charge Summary

The 2026 PWHL Walter Cup Finals featured a series between the Montréal Victoire vs. the Ottawa Charge. When looking at regular season standings, the Montréal Victoire ended in the 1st seed after accumulating 62 PTS and a season record of 16-6-2-6. The Ottawa Charge secured the 4th seed after accumulating 44 PTS and a season record of 9-8-1-12. This thrilling Finals matchup between the first and fourth seed teams left many believing that the Montréal Victoire would effortlessly sweep the Ottawa Charge, however, an Ottawa Charge did not go down without fighting tooth-and-nail. 

The Montréal Victoire kickstarted this series with a 3-2 overtime win secured in Game 1 after a lengthy goaltending duel between Montréal Victoire’s #35 Ann-Renée Desbiens and Ottawa Charge’s #33 Gwyneth Philips (Series: 1-0). After a gut-wrenching loss, the Ottawa Charge fought hard once again and forced the second overtime of this series. Despite a commendable last push, the Ottawa Charge fell short as the Montréal Victoire secured a 2-1 overtime win in Game 2 (Series: 2-0). After suffering back-to-back overtime losses, the Ottawa Charge were fueled with vengeance and entered Game 3 with another level of intensity as their playoff run was on the line. With a huge comeback late in the third period, the Ottawa Charge were able to secure a 2-1 win which extended this series to four games (Series: 2-1 Montréal Victoire). Being one-win away and having a crucial win slip through their fingertips, the Montréal Victoire entered Game 4 determined for redemption and ultimately closed out this series with a jaw-dropping 4-0 shutout. After a long playoff run, the Montréal Victoire triumphantly won the Walter Cup with a 3-1 series win. 

Overall Stats Summary (Finals)

When looking at these team’s regular season stats against one another, the Montréal Victoire outscored (9G vs. 4G) and outshot the Ottawa Charge (114 SOG vs. 109 SOG). In regards to special teams, both the Montréal Victoire had the advantage over the Ottawa Charge as they had a higher power play (21.4% vs. 15.4%) and penalty kill success rate (84.6% vs. 78.6%). 

During the Finals, the Montréal Victoire outscored (10G vs. 5G) and outshot the Ottawa Charge (99 SOG vs. 97 SOG). A difference between the regular season and the finals revolved around the success rate of special teams. In this series, all penalty kill units remained undefeated and maintained a 100% success rate throughout all four games that were played as each other’s power play units struggled to generate any goals on the man-advantage. In the end, this series came down to goaltending whoever could capitalize on their scoring opportunities.

Points Leaders & Goaltending Stats (Finals)

Montréal Victoire

• Points leaders: #11 Abby Roque (4G, 1A) ended this series with 5 points

• Goals leader: #11 Abby Roque ended this series with 4 goals scored

• Assists leaders: #7 Laura Stacey and #29 C. Marie-Philip Poulin ended this series with 3 assists

• Goaltending: #35 Ann-Renée Desbiens ended this series with a record of 3-1-0 and a 0.948 SV% in 4 games played

Ottawa Charge

• Points leaders: #23 Sarah Wozniewicz (1G, 2A) and #37 Rebecca Leslie (3G) ended this series with 3 points 

• Goals leader: #37 Rebecca Leslie ended this series with 3 goals scored

• Assists leaders: #23 Sarah Wozniewicz ended this series with 2 assists

• Goaltending: #33 Gwyneth Philips ended this series with a record of 1-1-2 a 0.899 SV% in 4 games played. 

Achievements during the 2026 Walter Cup Playoffs (Finals)

Listed below are the achievement(s) that were secured during the 2026 Walter Cup Playoffs and the date(s) that they were recorded:

Hat-tricks 

• N/A

Overtime 

• Montréal Victoire Forward, #11 Abby Roque, scored the Game 1 overtime game-winning goal on May 14, 2026

• Montréal Victoire Forward, #91 Maggie Flaherty, scored the Game 2 overtime game-winning goal on May 16, 2026

• Montréal Victoire Goaltender, #35 Ann-Renée Desbiens, secured back-to-back overtime wins in Game 1 (3-2) and Game 2 (2-1) of the finals which occurred on May 14, 2026 and May 16, 2026

Shutout

• Montréal Victoire Goaltender, #35 Ann-Renée Desbiens, secured a 4-0 shutout on May 20, 2026

Looking at the Montréal Victoire’s road to success, it was evident that the team’s momentum and experiences during the regular season helped them to secure their first 2026 PWHL Walter Cup win. The unfortunate losses by the Ottawa Charge does not take away from their admirable regular season efforts and perseverance during the playoffs. Looking ahead, we can expect a highly motivated Ottawa Charge to enter the 2026-27 PWHL regular season with a hunger for vengeance after falling short in back-to-back runs in the PWHL Walter Cup Finals. On the other hand, we can expect a bright future for the Montréal Victoire after they secured their first PWHL Walter Cup victory. 

Stay tuned for the upcoming article which will cover the Montréal Victoire’s journey throughout the 2026 PWHL Walter Cup Playoffs and how they secured the 2026 Walter Cup Champions title!