Ronja Savolainen scored the game-winning goal with 29 seconds remaining in regulation to lift the Ottawa Charge to a 2-1 win over the Boston Fleet in Game 3 of their semifinal series on Friday in the Professional Women’s Hockey League.
The defender put a shot on goal that bounced off the back boards and off Aerin Frankel’s skate to help the Charge take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five semifinal series.
Ottawa can punch its ticket to the Walter Cup final with a win on Sunday at home.
Fanuza Kadirova also scored for the Charge, while Gwyneth Philips stopped 36 shots.
Liz Schepers scored for the Fleet. Frankel made 20 saves.
The Charge were outshot for the third straight game, with Boston finishing with a 37-22 edge.
Ottawa set a new PWHL playoff attendance record with a crowd of 13,112 at the Canadian Tire Centre.
Philips was the difference in the third making three consecutive saves on the Fleet, with the Charge also killing a late penalty before Savolainen scored the winner.
After 40 minutes the teams were tied 1-1.
Boston generated the better of the chances in the second period and capitalized on one.
The Fleet tied the game at 5:11 of the second when Philips gave up a big rebound on a Shay Maloney shot that bounced right out to Schepers who found the right side of the net wide open.
Philips made a huge goal-line save at 13:02 when Ottawa native Jamie Lee Rattray attempted a wraparound on the power play. Boston’s Alina Muller had a great chance from in close with 4.7 seconds remaining but Philips was on top of it.
The Charge held a 1-0 lead after the first period.
Just as the power play expired, Kadirova took a pass from Katerina Mrazova and fired a shot from the top of the slot that just snuck under Frankel’s left pad.