Pulse of the PWHL: Ottawa & Minnesota to Face Off for Walter Cup
Updated May 17 at 12:20 p.m. EDT
For the second straight year, the chase for Professional Women’s Hockey league playoff berths went right to the wire. And once again, the drama provided by the final week of the regular season was spectacular.
In the end, the second edition of the Walter Cup Playoffs has featured the league’s four best teams, according to the standings at least, competing in best-of-five semifinal series that began Wednesday night at 7 p.m. EDT.
By rule, the regular-season champion Montreal Victoire were permitted to choose their opening-round opponent Sunday, and their choice was the third-place Ottawa Charge, setting up the league’s first all-Canadian postseason matchup. The other best-of-five semifinal featured the second-place Toronto Sceptres taking on the fourth-place and defending-champion Minnesota Frost.
As it turned out the Victoire probably could have chosen better as they fell to the Charge, three games to one. Meanwhile, the defending champs from Minnesota advanced to the Walter Cup Finals for the second straight year by knockin off Toronto, 3-1.
The Toronto-Minnesota showdown was a rematch of one of last year’s semifinals, a thrilling five-game series that turned when high-scoring Sceptres forward Natalie Spooner, who led the league with 27 points in 24 games, suffered a season-ending knee injury.
Minnesota had fought its way into the postseason as the fourth seed and dropped the first two contests of the series before Spooner went down. The soon-to-be-named Frost went on to win the next three games against the regular-season champs to advance to the Walter Cup Finals. They would become the first team to capture the Walter Cup with a 3-0 road win against Boston in Game 5 of the Finals.
The Final Countdown
While last year’s final week of PWHL play certainly produced plenty of drama, this year’s second regular season literally came down to the last day of the season with the final two playoff berths still up for grabs.
Ottawa’s Katerina Markova scored 2:52 into overtime as the Charge earned a 2-1 victory on the road against Toronto to secure third place for her team. It was just the second-ever OT victory for Ottawa, and its first on the road.
Meanwhile, at the Tsongas Center outside of Boston, the defending champions from Minnesota stormed past the host Fleet, scoring three first-period goals and rolling to an 8-1 playoff-clinching win.
Britta Curl-Salemme and Sophie Jacques each contributed two of the eight Frost goals, while Grace Zumwinkle and Liz Schepers dished out three and two assists, respectively. Minnesota’s eight goals tied the league record for tallies in a game and produced the largest margin of victory in league history. It marked the fifth time in the 2024-25 campaign that a team had scored six or more goals, with the Frost putting off the feet twice.
And the Survey Says
A final look at the 2024-25 PWHL regular-season standings:
- Montreal Victoire - 12W 7OTW 3OTL 53 PTS
- Toronto Sceptres - 12W 3OTW 6OTL 48 PTS
- Ottawa Charge - 12W, 2OTW 4OTL 44 PTS
- Minnesota Frost - 10W 5OTW 4OTL 44 PTS
- Boston Fleet - 9W 6OTW 5OTL 10L 44 PTS
- New York Sirens - 8W 4OTW 5OTL 13L 37 PTS
Review/Preview
Taking a look back at the how the teams playing in the semifinals fared against each other during the regular season, Montreal posted a 3-1-0-2 record against Ottawa, while Minnesota was 2-2-1-1 against Toronto. Here is the semifinal schedule:
PWHL Semifinals Schedule
Montreal Victoire (#1) vs. Ottawa Charge (#3) - Ottawa advances, 3-1
Thursday, May 8, 2025
Game 1: Ottawa 3, Montreal 2 (Place Bell)
Shiann Darkangelo scored 9;17 into the third period to put Ottawa in front, 3-2, and netminder Gwyneth Philips made the lead stand up, finishing with 31 saves as Ottawa won the first game of the series. Ashton Bell and Brianne Jenner also scored for the Charge, while Maureen Murphy and Marie-Philip Poulin tallied for Montreal. Poulin's power-play marker at 7:12 of the second period tied the game at 2, but Emily Clark set up Darkangelo's game-winning marker almost midway through the final frame.
Three Stars: 1. Jenner 2. Murphy 3. Philips
Sunday, May 11, 2025
Ottawa 2, Montreal 3 (4OT - Place Bell)
In the longest game of the PWHL's two-year existence, Catherine Dubois scored at 15;33 of the fourth overtime as the hosts evened the semifinal series at one game apiece. Ann-Renee Desbiens made 63 saves to give her team a chance to win, while her counterpart Gwyneth Philips stopped 53 shots. The goalies were two of the game's three stars. Kristin O'Neill and Laura Stacey scored in the first half of the game as the Victoire took a 2-0 lead only to see Brianne Jenner force extra time with a goal in the final minute. Aneta Tejralova scored about four minutes before Jenner to cut the argin to 2-1.
Three Stars: 1. Desbiens 2. Dubois 3. Philips
Tuesday, May 13, 2025
Ottawa 1, Montreal 0 (TD Place)
Gwyneth Philips stopped all 26 shots she faced to record a shutuout, and Mannon McMahon potted the game's only goal as the Charge took control of the series. McMahon scored at 8:42 of the third period, with Gabbie Hughes and Ronja Savolainen picking up the assists, and Philips stood tall the rest of the game to hold of the Victoire. Ann-Renee Desbiens stopped 24 shots in a losing effort to earn third-star honors behind Philips and McMahon.
Three Stars: 1. Philips 2. McMahon 3. Desbiens
Friday, May 16, 2025
Game 4: Ottawa 2, Montreal 1 (TD Place)
Gwyneth Philips stopped 19 of the 20 shots she faced and kept Montreal at bay after Maureen Murphy pulled the Victoire within a goal with 5:02 remaining to lead Ottawa to its first Walter Cup Finals berth. Rebecca Leslie scored in the first period, and Emily Clark provided what turned out to be the game-winning goald 31 seconds into the final frame. Gabbie Hughes and Anna Meixner provided the helpers on the Charge goals.
Three Stars: 1. Philips 2. Ashton bell 3. Leslie
Toronto Sceptres (#2) vs. Minnesota Frost (#4) - Minnesota advances, 3-1
Wednesday, May 7, 2025
Game 1: Toronto 3, Minnesota 2 (Coca-Cola Coliseum)
The Sceptres took the first step toward what they hope will be redemption against the defending champs who knocked them out a year ago. Blayre Turnbull got Toronto on the board in the first period, and Julia Gosling tallied twice in less than a two-minute span of the middle frame as the Sceptres took a 3-0 lead and held on for the one-goal win. Britta Curl-Salemme tallied before the end of the second period, and Katy Knoll brought the Frost to within one with 2:33 remaining in the third. But the Toronto defense and netminder Kristen Campbell stood firm to secure the Game 1 win. Campbell finished with with 24 saves, while Nicole Hensley stopped 34 shots for the Frost.
Three Stars: 1. Gosling 2. Turnbull 3. Knoll
Friday, May 9, 2025
Game 2: Minnesota 5, Toronto 3 (Coca-Cola Coliseum)
Lee Stecklein scored twice, while Michela Cava tallied once, in a span of 8:19 in the second period after Hayley Scamurra had opened the scoring for Tronoto 7:11 into the first peiod as the Frost appeared to take control of the game. But Savannah Harman and Allie Munroe connected 27 seconds apart late in the middle frame to deadlock the contest at 3 entering the final period. The Frost regained the momentum in the final 20 minutes, however, as Sophie Jaques and Mellissa Channell-Watkins scored to help Minnesota even the series. Stecklein also recroded an assist, with Taylor Heise and Kelly Pannek each dishing out a pair of helpers and winning goalie Maddie Rooney stopping 27 shots.
Three Stars: 1. Stecklein 2. Jaques 3. Emma Maltais
Sunday, May 11, 2025
Minnesota 7, Toronto 5 (Xcel Energy Center)
Fans at this back-and-forth game felt like they had just watched a five-set tennis match when it was finally all over. The Frost scored three times in the opening 7:48, and after Daryl Watts and Maggie Connors brought Toronto back within a goal, Brooke McQuigge and Sophie Jaques extended the margin to three with a pair of second-period tallies. But Kali Flanagan and Anna Kjellbin responded to cut the margin to 5-4 with 14:13 remaining. Then it was Michla Cava's turn to serve, and she buried a pair of goals in a span of 2:01 of the third period to provide the insurance. Blayre Turnbull made it 7-5 with 12:04 left, but winning goalie Maddie Rooney (18 saves) shut the door the rest of the way. Cava and McQuigge each scored twice for the winners, with Taylor Heise contributing three assists. Flanagan, Watts and Turnbull each had a goal and an assist for the Sceptres.
Three Stars: 1. Cava 2. McQuigge 3. Heise
Wednesday, May 14, 2025
Minnesota 4, Toronto 3 (OT - Xcel Energy Center)
The Frost earned a return trip to the Walter Cup Finals, winning three straight games after falling on the road in the series opener. PWHL first-ever No. 1 draft pick Taylor Heise was the hero in this one, scoring 16 minutes into overtime as Minnesota rallied from 2-1 and 3-2 deficits. Captain Kendall Coyne Schofield forced the extra period with a goal at 8:33 of the third period after the Frost had trailed 2-0 10:33 into the middle frame. Julia Gosling and Hannah Miller staked the Sceptres to a 2-0 lead, but Coyne Schofield and Kelly Pannek evened the score heading into the final 20 minutes. Emma Maltais pulled Toronto back in front less than a minute into the final stanza, setting up Coyne Schofield's and Heise's heroics. Nicole Hensley made 26 saves to record the win in goal.
Three Stars: 1. Heise 2. Coyne Schofield 3. Fast
PWHL WALTER CUP FINALS SCHEDULE
Ottawa Charge (3) vs. Minnesota Frost (4)
Tuesday, May 20
Game 1: Minnesota at Ottawa (TD Place) at 7 p.m. ET
Thursday, May 22
Game 2: Minnesota at Ottawa (TD Place) at 7 p.m. ET
Saturday, May 24
Game 3: Ottawa at Minnesota (Xcel Energy Center) at 5 p.m. ET
Monday, May 26
Game 4: Ottawa at Minnesota (Xcel Energy Center) at 5 p.m. ET*
Wednesday, May 28
Game 5: Minnesota at Ottawa (TD Place) at 7 p.m. ET*
*If necessary
Leaderboards Don’t Lie
It stands to reason that many of the PWHL’s regular-season statistical leaders participated in this year’s semifinals.
Toronto’s Daryl Watts ranked second in points with 27, two behind New York’s Sarah Fillier and Boston captain Hilary Knight, while Montreal’s Marie-Philip Poulin and Minnesota’s Kendall Coyne Schofield were next in line with 26 and 24 points, respectively.
Poulin led all players in goals with 19, four more than Knight, while Ottawa’s Tereza Vanisova also potted 15. Watts ranked fifth in goals with 12.
Toronto forward Renata Fast tied Fillier for the league lead in assists with 16. They were followed by Sophie Jaques of Minnesota and Watts, each of whom handed out 15 helpers.
Montreal goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens led the league in wins with 15, save percentage (.932) and goals-against average (1.86) to capture the unofficial goaltending triple crown. Toronto’s Kristen Campbell was fourth in wins with nine and goals-against average (2.25). Ottawa’s Gwyneth Phillips ranked fifth in victories with eight, fourth in save percentage (.919) and third in GAA (2.11). Ottawa’s Emerance Maschmeyer was fifth in save percentage (.913), while Minnesota’s Maddie Rooney ranked second in GAA at 2.07.
How to Watch the PWHL Playoffs
In Canada, coverage of the PWHL Semifinals was shared by TSN/RDS and Prime Video. Montreal vs. Ottawa ran on TSN and RDS, while the Toronto-Minnesota series was available on Prime Video.
TSN and RDS will provide exclusive Canadian coverage of the PWHL Finals.
United States viewers are able to watch the games via the teams’ local and regional broadcast partners (check your service proivder's listings) and on the PWHL YouTube channel.
Women’s Hockey Goes West
As if the excitement of the PWHL’s push for the playoffs wasn’t enough, the league recently announced that it will expand west for the 2025-26 season by adding franchises in Vancouver and Seattle. With the addition of the leaague's seventh and eighth teams, the PWHL’s regular season also will increase to 30 games.
Vancouver was presented as the league’s seventh franchise April 23. The Pacific Coliseum will serve as the team’s home venue, and the players will be dressed in Pacific Blue- and cream-colored uniforms. More than 19,000 fans were on hand when the PWHL came to Rogers Arena Jan. 8 for one of its Takeover Tour games.
“This is a significant milestone for the PWHL and for the growth of women’s hockey,” Jayna Hefford, PWHL Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations, said in in making the announcement. “Expansion creates new opportunities for more elite athletes to continue their professional careers at the highest level. It’s fitting that this next chapter features Vancouver—a city with a rich history in women’s hockey.
Seattle was added as a PWHL host city a week later on April 30. The team’s colors will be emerald green and blue, and Climate Pledge Arena will serve as the home arena. A crowd of 12,608 turned out at that venue to view a PWHL Takeover Tour game Jan. 5.
“There is so much passion from women’s and girls’ hockey organizations in Seattle, and our players thrived on that energy during their Takeover Tour visit,” Hefford said. “Women’s teams from Seattle and Vancouver played against each other as early as 1921 and, given the proximity of our two newest cities – Vancouver is barely 140 miles away – I cannot wait for the first game in what I’m sure will be one of our fiercest rivalries.
