3 Takeaways From Victoire’s 3-2 OT Win Over Charge in Game 1 of Walter Cup Finals

On Thursday, May 14, the Montreal Victoire hosted the Ottawa Charge for Game 1 of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) Walter Cup Finals. The Victoire and the Charge are the last two standing, and this series will determine who is the champion of the third season. 

The first period saw a penalty for Victoire, but Montreal’s special teams remained strong, keeping the score 0-0 after 20 minutes. The second period saw a power-play chance for both teams, but the Charge scored first late in the period at even strength. Montreal tied the game in the middle of the third frame, but the Charge scored again to take the lead. The Victoire pulled Ann-Renee Desbiens from the net, and with two seconds remaining, they scored with the extra attacker to tie the game and force it to go into overtime. 

Overtime didn’t last long, as the Victoire scored just two and a half minutes in to take Game 1 with a 3-2 victory. 

Gosling Brought the Game to OT

This game was down to the wire for the Victoire. They were down a goal, and seconds were dwindling on the clock. They pulled the goaltender to get the extra attacker. Seconds were dwindling, and the Victoire were making a push towards the net. Marie-Philip Poulin sent the puck to the front of the net. It was a mad scramble in front as Maureen Murphy got her stick on the puck and took a chance, but it was Nicole Gosling who recovered the puck and sent it past Gwyneth Philips to tie the game with two seconds remaining. 

This goal marked Gosling’s first of the playoffs. The young rookie has been stellar so far, already earning two assists in the first playoff series against the Minnesota Frost. She is a consistent playmaker, which was evident in the final moments of this game. 

Roque Called Game 

The Victoire have a history of long-winded overtime games in the Walter Cup Playoffs. This wasn’t the case in Game 1 of the Finals. Just two and a half minutes into overtime, Maggie Flaherty had the puck by the blue line. She took a shot, which bounced off Laura Stacey’s stick. The puck bounced off Abby Roque’s face mask and into the net to take Game 1. 

Roque also scored her first goal of the playoffs in this game, during the third period. This goal tied the game until the Charge scored their second goal of the game. Roque was traded to Montreal from New York in exchange for Kristin O’Neill and the 28th overall pick in the 2025 PWHL Entry Draft. Since she played for New York her first two seasons, Roque didn’t have any playoff experience. With her two goals in this game, she now has five points in the 2026 Playoffs. She has been a great addition to Montreal this season and continues to demonstrate excellent hockey IQ each game. 

Injuries Didn’t Keep Stacey Down 

Immediately before all the excitement of Gosling’s goal, Laura Stacey appeared to be severely injured. She was pushed into the boards by Gabbie Hughes, and her leg bent at a weird angle. Stacey was clearly in distress as she was on the ice, and a trainer came out to assist her. She eventually got up and needed help off the ice, with Poulin coming to her aid. 

After this intense-looking injury, it appeared as though Stacey would be out for the rest of the game, as the Victoire were getting ready for overtime. However, she was back on the ice to kick off the extra time and even got the primary assist to set up Roque’s goal. Stacey spent a total of 21:54 on the ice, the second-highest recorded ice time, just after Gosling. 

Stacey’s injury appeared to be severe, so much so that she needed assistance off the ice. She wasn’t letting her leg stop her, though, and got back out there to finish the game with her team. It’s the Walter Cup Finals, of course, no one wants to miss out on playing to try and help their team win the Cup. At the same point, Stacey shouldn’t be playing through an injury because of this. Hopefully, she will seek medical attention to determine whether she should continue playing the rest of the series; the last thing anyone needs is for her to make an injury worse. 

Game 2 to Be Played on Saturday 

The two teams will have a quick turnaround, as the Victoire will host the Charge on Saturday, May 16, at 2 PM ET for Game 2 of the Walter Cup Finals.