Montreal Victoire defeat Ottawa Charge in OT of Walter Cup Finals Game 1: Takeaways
LAVAL, Que. – For several hushed moments in the dying seconds of Game 1 of the PWHL Finals, Montreal Victoire fans watched Laura Stacey on the ice, clutching her knee. Since her first year with the Victoire in 2024, Stacey has emerged as a fan favorite with a relentless engine — and one of the most productive players in the PWHL.
With Ann-Renée Desbiens pulled, and the Victoire pushing to tie the game, Stacey got tangled up with Ottawa’s Gabbie Hughes in the corner and was in visible pain on the ice. Eventually, she was helped off the ice by Montreal captain — and her wife — Marie-Philip Poulin. Fifteen seconds later, Poulin placed a perfect pass to the net front, and rookie defender Nicole Gosling beat Gwyneth Philips to force overtime with just 2.
1 seconds left in regulation. Stacey returned for the extra frame, which prompted chants of “Stacey, Stacey” by the Victoire faithful. Abby Roque, playing in her first postseason in her debut season with the Victoire, scored the game-winner 2:29 into overtime to seal the 3-2 victory.
It was the fifth straight game between Ottawa and Montreal in the playoffs that required overtime dating back to last postseason. Game 2 of the best-of-five series is scheduled for Saturday afternoon (2 p. m.
ET) back at Place Bell. Ottawa’s strong start/missed opportunity in the first The Charge were outshot by double-digits in all four games of their semifinal series against the Boston Fleet. But they came out strong in the first period on Thursday, outshooting the Victoire 10-5 — the first time Ottawa put 10 pucks on net in a single period during this year’s playoffs.