Walter Cup Playoffs: There Will be a New Champ in the PWHL!
Updated May 12 at 9:30 a.m. EDT
By Scott Lowe - MYHockeyRankings.com
There will come a time when the Professional Women’s Hockey League simply won’t be able to continue raising the bar. It doesn’t seem like that’s happening anytime soon, however.
As the PWHL continues shattering attendance records and providing a level of play and excitement that keeps fans flocking to arenas and tuning in to watch en masse from remote locations, it only seems logical to assume that eventually the league will reach a ceiling and start to level off. In fact, it would have seemed safe to assume that might happen as the PWHL’s third regular season, one during which more than 1 million fans streamed through turnstiles for the first time, entered the home stretch a few weeks ago
Not a chance.
The PWHL Walter Cup Playoffs got underway Thursday, April 30, on the heels of a thrilling down-to-the-wire regular-season stretch run that saw both first place and the league’s final playoff spot clinched on the season’s final day. The intrigue and anticipation surrounding the postseason only ramped up after the Montreal Victoire clinched the top seed with a 2-1 shootout win at Seattle April 25 and decided to choose the third-place Minnesota Frost, winners of the Walter Cup the last two years, as their first-round opponent.
One of the PWHL’s unique rules allows the team that finishes first in the regular season to choose its opening-round playoff opponent. The top four teams in the eight-team league qualify for postseason, so the team that finishes first can choose either the third or fourth seed as its opponent in the best-of-five Walter Cup Semifinals.
Montreal, which earned at least one point in a league-record 16 consecutive games prior to a 4-3 loss at Vancouver April 21, shocked many fans by choosing the two-time defending champs from Minnesota as its opening-round foe. Upon closer examination, however, the Victoire decided to avoid the league’s other red-hot team in Ottawa, which enters the playoffs on a four-game winning streak that propelled the Charge into the postseason, and the goalie who eliminated them a year ago.
Goalie Gwyneth Philips and the Charge knocked out the top-seeded Victoire a year ago in the semifinals. She compiled a .955 save percentage in four games vs. Montreal and went on to earn PWHL Playoff MVP honors even though her team fell to the Frost in the Walter Cup Finals. Philips was stellar in leading the Charge into the playoffs this year, stopping 130 of the 132 shots she faced during the season-ending winning streak.
Apparently the Victoire saw enough of the Philips show last year and didn’t want to live through that experience again, choosing instead to take on the potent offense of a Minnesota team seeking a third straight championship. The Frost enter the postseason having lost their final four regular-season games to finish third, 12 points behind Montreal and Boston in the final league standings.
Montreal and Boston finished with 62 points apiece, with the Victoire earning the top seed thanks to their recording more wins than the Fleet. Minnesota was next with 50 points, followed by Ottawa with 44.
The Victoire entered the postseason withouth ever having won a PWHL postseason series.
The puck dropped on the Walter Cup Semifinals Thursday, April 30, at 7 p.m. EDT as the Fleet hosted the Charge, who beat them in three of four meetings this season, in Lowell, Mass., at the Tsongas Center. Boston’s only victory against Ottawa was a 3-2 shootout victory April 17. Montreal and Minnesota got their series underway May 2 when the Frost travel to Place Bell for a 2 p.m. EDT faceoff.
The Victoire won all four of their matchups against Minnesota, including a pair of shutouts in their most recent meetings. Montreal outscored the Frost, 7-0, in those contests and 12-3 for the season. While Minnesota had the league’s highest-scoring offense, netting 91 goals in the 30 games, only 13 of those tallies came against Montreal and Boston, the league’s top two teams.
And the Victoire have record-setting goalie Ann-Renee Desbiens in their corner. Desbiens posted the top single-season goals-against average (1.11) and save percentage (.955) in the PWHL’s short history while appearing in 25 of Montreal’s 30 contests. Montreal’s staff trusts Desbiens enough to take their chances against a high-scoring team full of seasoned veterans with a pair of goalies who have won championships instead of a surging club with a hot goalie who eliminated them a year ago.
Minnesota’s dynamic netminding duo of Maddie Rooney (2.04 GAA, .921 save percentage) and Nicole Hensley (2.69, .908) have mostly shared goaltending duties during the Frost’s two championship campaigns, but statistically Montreal appears to have the edge defensively and in goal. The Frost’s deep group of skilled forwards, which includes five highly skilled and productive players, figures to be a test for any opponent, however.
Kelly Pannek led the PWHL in scoring this year with 16 goals, 17 assists and 33 points. She, former Playoff MVP Taylor Heise (13-17-30) and Britta Curl-Salemme (11-18-29) finished 1-2-3 in the league scoring race, while Grace Zumwinlke (13-10-23) and Kendall Coyne Schofield (12-11-23) ranked among the top 10.
Coyne Schofield put up those numbers despite missing most of March after suffering an injury during the Olympics. Those five accounted for 71 percent of the Frost’s offense and scored more goals than three other PWHL teams.
Much like Coyne Schofield, Victoire superstar Marie-Philip Poulin missed most of the season’s stretch run because of a lower-body injury, but she returned for the season’s final game and recorded an assist to help her team earn the top seed. Poulin still managed to produce nearly a point per game, finishing with 9-9-18 in 19 contests. Forward Maureen Murphy (7 points in 21 games) also returned for the season finale after being out for more than a month.
With Captain Clutch and Murphy back in the fold, Desbiens in goal and a defense that permitted a league-low 41 goals, the Victorie concluded after what Head Coach Kori Cheverie described as “an internal process” that Minnesota was their best matchup.
“We’re looking forward to the opportunity,” Cheverie told reporters when Montreal announced its choice.
Most pundits would agree that choosing to play a team that limped into the postseason instead of one that needed to win its final four contests to survive is sound reasoning. Of course, the Victoire also were aware that Boston and Ottawa played four one-goal games this season, with the Charge winning three of those contests. And Montreal’s last setback with Desbiens in goal came on March 21 against, you guessed it, Ottawa, 2-1. The Victoire reeled off seven straight wins after that loss.
It’s still risky to choose a team with championship pedigree that had a playoff spot locked up for quite some time and likely was on cruise control as the season concluded. Minnesota also lost its final five games of the season before winning its first Walter Cup in 2024.
"The experience absolutely helps," Coyne Schofield told CBC’s Karissa Donkin. "It's a best-of-five series … So, it is unique, but I think we have a handful of players in the room who have won. And if they haven't won in the PWHL, they've won before coming to the PWHL … It's no secret that Ann-Renee is an incredible goaltender. It's going to be getting pucks to the net, getting inside the dots, taking her eyes away and capitalizing on second and third chances that are at the net front."
Montreal’s decision leaves second-place Boston with the unenviable task of taking on a battle-tested Ottawa team that essentially played playoff hockey during the season’s final two weeks. The good news for the Fleet is that their goalie would have turned in a record-breaking season of her own if not for Desbiens’s remarkable year. Aerin Frankel’s 1.17 GAA and .953 save percentage were just a tick below the Montreal netminder’s sparkling numbers.
Frankel’s performance was buoyed by a strong defensive corps that includes Team USA hero Megan Keller and rookie American teammate Hayley Winn. In addition to their defensive prowess, Keller led all PWHL defenders in scoring with 22 points while Winn was third in scoring among defenders and second among all rookies with 19 points.
Even though the Fleet dropped three of their four meetings against the Charge, all four games required overtime or a shootout, and in a testament to their superb season and consistency, Boston became the first team to clinch a playoff berth on March 29. Team USA’s two goalies should take center stage opposing each other in what should be a closely contested series.
"[They're] two of the best goalies in the world, in my opinion," Keller told Donkin. "Not just saying that. We don't bring home an Olympic gold medal without both of them."
Even though the series figures to be a defensive battle, the matchup is not devoid of offensive stars. Ottawa’s Brianne Jenner finished fourth in league scoring with 26 points, followed closely by Boston’s Jessie Eldridge with 23. Rebecca Leslie also contributed 23 points in a breakout season for the Charge.
Eldrige was a late-season acquisition by the Fleet, recording 10 points in 11 contests after her arrival while playing alongside Swiss superstar Alina Mueler. Muller Minnesota’s tandem of Pannek and Heise tied for the PWHL lead with 17 assists.
While Boston scored 74 goals in 30-regular season contests and Ottawa potted 71, the stingy Fleet allowed their opponents to score just 45 times. Ottawa’s 73 goals allowed left them with a minus-2 scoring differential for the year.
PWHL Walter Cup Semifinals Schedule
Best of five; All times Eastern
Thursday, April 30
Game 1: Boston 2, Ottawa 1 (Tsongas Center) at 7:00 p.m.
Boston scored twice late in the second period after Jocelyne Larocque had staked Ottawa to a first-period lead, and Aerin Frankel stoped 17 of the 18 shots she faced to outduel Team USA teammate Gwyneth Philips (26 saves) in goal. Alina Muller and Jamie Lee Rattray scored 1:31 apart in the final three minutes of the middle frame. Muller assisted on Rattray's goal, and Jessie Eldrige earned helpers on both tallies.
THREE STARS
- Alina Muller (BOS) 1G, 1A
- Jessie Eldridge (BOS) 0G, 2A
- Jocelyne Larocque (OTT) 1G
Saturday, May 2
Game 1: Minnesota 5, Montreal 4 - OT (Place Bell) at 2:00 p.m.
The hosts and top seeds rallied twice, first from a two-goal defict in the second period and then to tie the game with 15:14 left in regulation, but Jincy Roese sent the fans home disappointed with her game-winninng goal for the Frost 4:30 into overtime. Laura Stacey scored twice for Montreal in a two-minute span of the third period to tie the game at 3 and then again at 4 after Sidney Morin scored in between those tallies to give Minnesota the lead again. There were no more goals after that flurry until Roese scored in overtime. Stacey's two third-period markers gave her a playoff hat trick. Abby Roque and Marie-Philip Poulin each dished out a pair of assists for the Victoire, and Shiann Darkangelo scored the other Montreal goal. Katy Knoll, Kendall Coyne Schofield and Grace Zumwinkle scored the other Minnesota goals, with Kiara Hymlarova, Taylor Heise and Kelly Pannek each contributing a pair of assists. Zumwinkle also dished out a helper to finish with 2 points.
THREE STARS
- Marie-Philip Poulin (MTL) GWG
- Ann-Renée Desbiens (MTL) 38/38 SV
- Maddie Rooney (MIN) 51/52 SV
Game 2: Ottawa 3, Boston 1 (Tsongas Center) at 7:00 p.m.
Ottawa scored once in each period and turned a 2-0 lead into a 3-1 victory to even the series at 2. Ronja Savolainen, Fanuza Kadirova and Gabbie Hughes scored for the Charge, with Hughes sealing the win by scoring into an empy net with 1:30 left in the game. Gwyneth Philips made 30 saves to earn the win in goal as Boston outshot Ottawa, 31-20. Jocelyne Larocque dished out a pair of assists for Ottawa, while Megan Keller scored the lone Fleet goal.
THREE STARS
1. Fanuza Kadirova (OTT) GWG
2. Megan Keller (BOS) 1G
3. Ronja Savolainen (OTT) 1G
Tuesday, May 5
Game 2: Montréal 1, Minnesota 0 3OT (Place Bell) at 7:00 p.m.
They played almost six periods but scored only one goal. And as unpredictable as the game script was, the ending couldn't have been more predicable. Captain Clutch Marie-Philip Poulin did it again, burying a one-timer off the rush 4:02 into the third overtime to lif the Victoire to victory and tie the series at a game apiece. Her goal also made a winner out of goalie Ann-Renee Desbiens, who stopped 28 shots to earn the shutout. At the other end, Maddie Rooney made 26 saves in a heartbreaking loss. Abby Roque and Laura Stacey assisted on the game-winning goal.
THREE STARS
1. Ann-Renée Desbiens (MTL) 27/28 SV
2. Hayley Scamurra (MTL) 1G, 1A
3. Sidney Morin (MIN) 1G
Thursday, May 7, 2026
Game 3: Montreal 2, Minnesota 1 (Grand Casino Arena) at 7:00 p.m.
Maggie Flaherty and Hayley Scamurra scored in a span of 24 seconds of the second period as the Victoire took a 2-1 series lead. Scamurra assisted on Flaherty's goal at 4:36 before potting one of her own at the 5:00 mark. Ann-Renee Desbiens stopped 27 shots to earn the win in goal; Sidney Morin was the only player to beat Desbiens, scoring 3:22 into the game to give Minnesota an early lead.
THREE STARS
- Ann-Renee Desbiens (MTL) 27 saves
- Hayley Scamurra (MTL) 1G, 1A
- Sidney Morin (MIN) 1G
Friday, May 8, 2026
Game 4: Minnesota 3, Montreal 1 (Grand Casino Arena) at 7:00 p.m.
Montreal broke a scoreless tie 1:13 in to the third period when Maureen Murphy scored, but the defending champs responded in a big way with three goals in the final 11:55 to even the series and set up a deciding Game 5 back in Montreal. Sidney Morin scored the first two of those goals, with Kelly Pannek adding the insurance marker. Pannek also contributed an assist, while Maddie Rooney also dished out a helper and stopped 29 shots to earn the win in goal.
THREE STARS
- Sidney Morin (MIN) 2G, 0A
- Maddie Rooney (MIN) 29 saves
- Maureen Murphy (MTL) 1G
Game 3: Ottawa 2, Boston 1 (Canadian Tire Centre) at 7:00 p.m.
Rona Savolainen scored her second goal of the playffs with 29 seconds left in the third period to lift the Charge to victory and give them a 2-1 series lead. Fanuza Kadirova opened the scoring for Ottawa at 13:33 of the first period, and Liz Schepers tied the game for the Fleet at 5:11 of the middle frame. Savolainen also assisted on Kadirova's marker, while Kadirova returned the favor on the game-winning goal. Gwyneth Philips made 36 saves to earn the win and first-star honors in goal.
THREE STARS
1. Gwyneth Philips (OTT) 36/37 SV
2. Ronja Savolainen (OTT) 1G, 1A
3. Liz Schepers (BOS) 1G
Sunday, May 10, 2026
Game 4: Ottawa 4, Boston 3 - 2OT (Canadian Tire Centre) at 3:00 p.m.
Michela Cava sniped one past lunging goaltender Aerin Frankel 1:12 into the second overtime period to propel the third seeds past second-seeded Boston and into the Walter Cup Finals. Ottawa led, 2-0, early in the scond period thanks to goals from Sara Wozniewicz and Rebecca Leslie, but Boston scored three times in a span of 1:33 to take the lead in the middle frame. Shay Malone, Megan Keller and Sophie Shirley tallied for the Fleet, but Brooke Hobson evened the score heading into the third period with 7:48 left. The two teams played a scorless final 20 minutes, setting up Cava's heroics. Gwyneth Philips, the main reason that Montreal chose to avoid Ottawa in the opening round, made 43 saves to record the win and somehow was not one of the game's three stars. Cava, with a goal and an assist, was the No. 1 star, while Ottawa's Fanuza Kadirova (2 assists) was the second star and Boston's Haley Winn (2 assists) earned third-star honors.
THREE STARS
1. Michela Cava (OTT) 1G, 1A
2. Fanuza Kadirova (OTT) 2A
3. Haley Winn (BOS) 2A
Ottawa wins the series, 2-1, and advances to the Walter Cup Finals
Tuesday, May 12, 2026
Game 5: Montreal 2, Minnesota 1 (Place Bell) at 7:00 p.m.
Marie-Philip Poulin doesn't mess around with opening goals or game-tying goals or any of that silly stuff. She only scores the big ones. Captain Clutch did it again in Game 5 vs. the two-time defending champs, scoring 3:06 into the third period to give Montreal the lead, a goal that would hold up and send the Victoire to the Walter Cup Finals thanks to the stellar play of goalie Ann-Renee Desbiens. Desbiens only finished with 25 saves, but many of them were spectacular, and her play gave the team and its captain a chance to send Minnesota home early for the first time in league history. Poulin did pick up an assist on a first-period goal by Catherine Dubois, but Samantha Cogan tied the game with her marker in the middle frame. Erin Ambrose and Nicole Gosling assisted on the series-winning goal. It was Poulin's second goal of the series, and both markers were game-winners.
Three Stars
1.Marie-Philip Poulin (MTL) GWG; 1G, 1A
2. Ann-Renee Desbiens (MTL) 25 saves
3. Catherine Dubois (MTL) 1G
Walter Cup Finals
The PWHL Walter Cup Finals begin Thursday, May 14, at 7 p.m., with the Montréal Victoire hosting the Ottawa Charge. Game 2 of the best-of-five finals is set for Saturday, May 16 at 2 p.m., also at Place Bell. The Charge will host Game 3 of the series Monday, May 18 at 6 p.m., followed by Game 4, if necessary, Wednesday, May 20 at 7 p.m., both at Canadian Tire Centre. Game 5 of the series, if necessary, will be hosted by Montréal at a date and time still to be determined.
Walter Cup Finals Schedule
Best of five; All times Eastern
Thursday, May 14
Game 1: Ottawa at Montreal (Place Bell) at 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 16
Game 2: Ottawa at Montreal (Place Bell) at 2:00 p.m.
Monday, May 18
Game 3: Montreal at Ottawa (Canadian Tire Centre) at 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday, May 20
Game 4: Montreal at Ottawa (Canadian Tire Centre) at 7:00 p.m.*
To Be Determined
Game 5: Ottawa at Montreal (Place Bell)*
* if necessary
How to Watch the Walter Cup Finals
Walter Cup Finals viewing options will be posted here soon.
PWHL games always can be viewed via the the PWHL website and the league’s YouTube Channel.
