The Montreal Victoire secured their inaugural PWHL title by defeating the Ottawa Charge 4-0 on Wednesday night in Game 4 of the Walter Cup Finals. Abby Roque played a crucial role with two goals, while Ann-Renée Desbiens contributed 23 saves.
Montreal began the best-of-five series victoriously at home with a pair of overtime wins. They encountered a setback on Monday night with a 2-1 loss in Ottawa but rebounded to clinch the series.
Just so much love for this group,
Roque expressed. I mean the things we have battled through these playoffs, it was just out of this world the amount of heart on this team. I love everybody and I couldn’t be prouder.
Maggie Flaherty and Lina Ljungblom also added to the scoreline. The last five finals games had witnessed home victories, maintaining the pattern this year until Montreal’s win against Ottawa.
The previous PWHL seasons saw the Minnesota Frost dominate. They captured the initial two league titles, including toppling Ottawa the previous year in four games. This season, Montreal advanced past Minnesota in the semifinals.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney praised Montreal’s triumph. Congratulations to the Montreal Victoire, the 2026 PWHL Walter Cup champions!
he stated on social media, describing it as a historic and significant season.
As the playoffs concluded, Montreal captain Marie-Philip Poulin received the MVP honor. She shared the postseason lead with eight points, totaling two goals and six assists.
Poulin reflected on the league’s journey post-CWHL closure. After the CWHL closed its doors there were two years where we didn’t know what would happen,
she noted. A group of women came together to put this league together. Three years later, it all comes together to win the Walter Cup. It feels good. it feels really good.
Roque initiated the scoring early in the second period with a clever deflection off Ottawa defender Rory Guilday’s stick. Her short-handed goal in the third period extended Montreal’s advantage as she outmaneuvered goalie Gwyneth Philips.
I feel like I’ve been waiting for this playoffs for a long time,
Roque remarked. I love playoff hockey. I love meaningful hockey when it’s physical and tough.
While Poulin served an interference penalty, Roque delivered her key goal. Montreal successfully defended against penalties in the first two periods, with Ottawa committing no infractions.
Flaherty expanded the lead to 3-0 later in the game, threading a shot from the blue line into the net. Ljungblom capitalized on a turnover to complete the scoring.
For more insights on women’s hockey, visit AP women’s hockey.
Leave a Reply