LAVAL, Que. — Defender Maggie Flaherty scored in overtime to lift the Victoire to a 2-1 win over Ottawa, and now Montreal is a win away from becoming the first-ever Canadian team to win the Walter Cup.
The game-winner came 13:12 into overtime, and captain Marie-Philip Poulin assisted on the game-ending goal.
Montreal took a 2-0 lead in this best-of-five PWHL championship series on Saturday afternoon at Place Bell in the first-ever all Canadian final in league history with their second straight overtime win, just two days after the Victoire tied things up with 2.1 seconds to go in Game 1 before winning in extra time.
It was the Charge who struck first again in Game 2, nearly half-way through the first period. Ottawa has scored first in every playoff game they’ve appeared in this season, on six straight occasions.
Gabbie Hughes had just recorded the opening shot for the Charge, and then with a messy skirmish in front of the net that saw Poulin also playing goalie — No. 29 was standing right on the goal-line — Sarah Wozniewicz somehow got the puck through the crowd and into the back of the net to make it 1-0, Ottawa.
Early in the second, right after Laura Stacey and Emily Clark got penalties for going after one another after the whistle — it was an aggressive game, with big hits thrown and absorbed by both teams — Kati Tabin tied things up for Montreal. The defender jumped on a loose puck right off the faceoff, then roofed it blocker-side on her backhand before launching herself into the glass while the crowd roared.
It was Tabin’s first goal of the playoffs, and soon after Stacey nearly made it 2-1 Victoire, jumping on a turnover for her second breakaway of the game, but she rang her wrist shot off the post.
The series now flips to Ottawa for Game 3 and 4, starting Monday night at the Canadian Tire Centre.