The Ottawa Charge of the Professional Women’s Hockey League have won their first postseason game in franchise history. On Thursday at Bell Place in Montreal, Quebec, the Charge defeated the Montreal Victoire 3-2 in game one of the Walter Cup semifinals. With the victory, the Charge lead the Victoire one game to none in the best out of five series.
Two Canadians scored for the Charge. They were Canadian Olympic gold medalists Brianne Jenner of Oakville, Ontario and defenseman Ashton Bell of Deloraine, Manitoba. Jenner won the gold medal for Canada at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi and the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. Bell won the gold medal for Canada at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing.
The fact that the Charge defeated the Victoire is noteworthy because Montreal chose Ottawa as their first round opponent. By having the most points in the regular season, Montreal could choose who they would face, and picked the Charge over the Minnesota Frost. The Frost meanwhile are tied in their best out of five first round series with the Toronto Sceptres. The Sceptres won game one of the series on Wednesday by a score of 3-2, and the Frost won game two by a score of 5-3.
