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<\/p>\nLAVAL, Que. \u2014 After 74 minutes spent limiting Montreal\u2019s opportunities, the Ottawa Charge saw the puck end up exactly where they didn\u2019t want it: on Marie-Philip Poulin\u2019s stick in overtime.<\/p>\n
Despite an injury, Poulin, the greatest clutch player in the history of the sport, had already scored two game-winning goals in the 2026 PWHL postseason. So, naturally, when she got the puck deep in the offensive zone, nearly every Ottawa Charge skater converged into the corner, hoping to keep Poulin from netting a third.<\/p>\n
The problem with that plan?<\/p>\n
Maggie Flaherty was left wide open \u2014 and screaming for the puck \u2014 alone in front of Gwyneth Philips. And somehow, through a crowd of five white jerseys, Poulin made a perfect pass to Flaherty, who scored the game winner to give Montreal a 2-0 series lead in the best-of-five Walter Cup Finals.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know how many players get the kind of coverage that she gets,\u201d Montreal coach Kori Cheverie said postgame. \u201cLuckily everybody tried to take Pou, and luckily Maggie screamed for that puck and it was right on her tape.\u201d<\/p>\n
Poulin, of course, refused to take credit for the play. Instead, she called it a \u201cgreat team effort.\u201d She shouted out Ann-Ren\u00e9e Desbien\u2019s \u201camazing\u201d save on Alexa Vasko to send the puck the other way, Kaitlin Willoughby\u2019s \u201cvery smart\u201d rim around the boards, Abby Roque\u2019s pass and Flaherty\u2019s ability to find the open space.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n Coach Kori Cheverie and the Montreal Victoire have gone to overtime in four of their seven postseason games in 2026, winning three. (Minas Panagiotakis \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Montreal defender Kati Tabin, who scored her first goal of the playoffs in the second period, offered her own explanation.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s got eyes on the back of her head,\u201d Tabin said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll around her head,\u201d Flaherty added.<\/p>\n
Poulin\u2019s assessment of the team effort might be true, but you also can\u2019t deny the way she\u2019s been able to step up in the biggest moments time and time again. Those around Poulin \u2014 such as Cheverie, who has been an assistant coach for Team Canada since 2020-21 \u2014 aren\u2019t even surprised anymore.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt just happens so regularly that you (almost) expect it of her,\u201d Cheverie said. \u201cWe don\u2019t put that pressure on her, either. We just know that she\u2019s going to play her game, she\u2019s going to make everybody else better, and she\u2019s going to be able to execute on plays like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Poulin now has a league-leading 7 points in seven playoff games, all scored while clearly not 100 percent.<\/p>\n
The fact Ottawa defender Emma Greco was tripped up on the play \u2014 with no whistle \u2014 certainly did not help Ottawa\u2019s D-zone coverage. Even Charge coach Carla MacLeod, ever the optimist, expressed frustration with the non-call.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously we probably put too many players in towards the puck,\u201d she said. \u201cOur net-front D has got to be net front, but if she gets her feet wiped out from her from behind right before that play, it\u2019s pretty hard to get back to where you need to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
The result was Flaherty wide open for her second goal of the postseason. And now, the Victoire are just one win away from hoisting their first Walter Cup. With their season on the brink, the Charge will host Game 3 on Monday night (6 p.m. ET) at the Canadian Tire Centre.<\/p>\n
Ottawa strikes first (again)<\/p>\n
Heading into the Finals, the Ottawa Charge knew beating Desbiens would be a challenge. She set league records for wins (19), save percentage (.955) and goals-against average (1.11) this season, and in the final four games of the semifinals against Minnesota allowed four goals on 122 shots (a .967 save percentage).<\/p>\n
But the Charge also found a winning recipe against U.S. Olympic gold medallist Aerin Frankel in the semifinals, beating her nine times on just 93 shots. That .903 save percentage is far worse than Frankel\u2019s previous career low, a .921 save percentage in the 2024-25 season.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe recipe doesn\u2019t change,\u201d Ottawa captain Brianne Jenner said. \u201cIt\u2019s (about) how hard are you going to work to get in front of her, to get on those loose pucks around the net just to make her life as difficult as possible, because we know she\u2019s a great player.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a first period with more dump-ins and play along the walls than zone time for either team, Ottawa created the exact kind of chaos it needed to best Desbiens.<\/p>\n
Rookie forward Peyton Hemp won a puck battle below the goal line and sent the puck into the slot for Gabbie Hughes, whose shot snuck by Desbiens and hit the crossbar. As Desbiens turned to find the loose puck, Poulin and Flaherty jumped into the blue paint as Ottawa forwards crashed the net.<\/p>\n
Eventually, rookie Sarah Wozniewicz took a final whack at the puck to beat Desbiens (and Poulin, who was standing in the crease).<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to be a pretty goal (against Desbiens),\u201d Wozniewicz said on the broadcast at the end of the period. \u201cWe gotta go to the net and get the rebounds and I think that\u2019s how we\u2019ll score.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wozniewicz, Ottawa\u2019s third-round draft pick, was among the highest-scoring rookies in the PWHL this season with seven goals and 13 points while playing mostly on the Charge\u2019s top line with Jenner and Rebecca Leslie. Wozniewicz joined the Charge after four years at the University of Wisconsin, where she established herself as one of the best checking forwards in college hockey.<\/p>\n
Her game has translated well to the PWHL \u2014 and in the playoffs, as Wozniewicz is now riding a three-game point streak dating to Ottawa\u2019s semifinals clincher against Boston.<\/p>\n
\u201c(Sarah) has had an amazing rookie season,\u201d Jenner said Saturday. \u201cShe\u2019s been so great for us, playing so many minutes. She\u2019s got an awesome shot, obviously super fast. She\u2019s been great for this whole stretch.\u201d<\/p>\n
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