Michela Cava Scores In Double Overtime To Send Ottawa Back To The Walter Cup Finals
The Ottawa Charge return to the Walter Cup Finals for a second consecutive season following a thrilling 4-3 overtime win over the Boston Fleet. While they await their opponent, the Charge can reflect on what went well, as well as where the work still needs to be done.
The Ottawa Charge became the first team to advance to the Walter Cup Finals, as Michela Cava scored her first goal as a member of the Charge in double overtime to give her team the 4-3 win over the Boston Fleet in game four of their semifinal matchup. The win propels Ottawa to its second consecutive Walter Cup Finals, where it awaits the winner of the matchup between Montreal and Minnesota. Just how the Charge were able to defeat the league's second-best team is a baffling quandary to ponder, as they were outplayed and outshot in each of the four games of this semifinal series.
Yet they remain the last ones standing and find themselves with another shot at bringing the Walter Cup north of the border for the first time in league history. The biggest storyline coming out of this semifinal matchup, aside from the win, is the number of shots Ottawa gave up in each game and the subsequent performance of Gwyneth Philips. Over the four games, the Charge were outshot 142-94, including 46-33 in game four, for an average of 35.
5 shots per game. Under normal circumstances, that may very well spell the end of a playoff run, but not for the Charge. Philips has long proven to be a steadying force over her time with the team, and found another gear in this series .
She finished with 135 saves and improved her save percentage to . 951, which is a mere single point below her performance from last year's playoff run, which led to the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP award. There is no doubt that this story, and Ottawa's season, would have had a very different ending if it weren't for the brilliant goaltending performance from Philips.
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