Around the PWHL: The Walter Cup is coming to Manitoba

Welcome to the last edition of the Backcheck! And thank you so much for reading along all season.

As the PWHL begins its expansion to a 12-team league — not without some location controversy — let’s take a moment to appreciate the season that was, with its history-making sellouts, the highs of the largest Takeover Tour to date across six cities in the Great White North and the night at Canada Life Centre fans won’t soon forget.

Speaking of that night, the evening turned out to be a preview of the Walter Cup final matchup.

That’s right, when puck drops tonight in the first all-Canadian Walter Cup final, it is again Ste. Anne’s Jocelyne Larocque clashing with Oakbank’s Kati Tabin.

Last time, Larocque’s Ottawa Charge downed Tabin’s Montreal Victoire 12 seconds into overtime.

This time? Well, let’s talk about it.

Back to the Cup final for Ottawa

It took the Ottawa Charge four games to take down the league-dominating Boston Fleet.

Did Gwyneth Philips stand on her head for the Charge in the best-of-five semifinal series, including a 43-save, double-overtime affair on Sunday?

Yes.

But did the Charge solve the reigning women’s gold medal Olympic champion and Boston’s Green Monster herself, Aerin Frankel?

Also, yes.

And despite posting 94 shots on net to the Fleet’s 142, Ottawa proved teamwork makes the dream work. In the four games, eight different players scored the Charge’s 10 goals, including Larocque — who opened scoring in the series with Ottawa’s lone goal in Game 1.

At no point did it seem like the Charge had no chance against Boston. Three games were one-goal affairs, and Game 3 showed that Ottawa was truly in charge of its own destiny, rattling off a goal per period.

This will be the club’s second straight year in the Walter Cup final and the scrappiness the Charge have shown all season has served them well so far.

Third time’s the charm for Montreal

A lot — and I mean, a lot — of people were wondering why the Montreal Victoire decided to choose the two-time defending Walter Cup champ Minnesota Frost as its semifinal opponent.

Montreal was famously swept by the Boston Fleet in the inaugural Walter Cup semifinals and then dropped three of four semifinal games to the Ottawa Charge last season.

Was it to avoid a repeat of the 2025 playoffs? Perhaps.

But after the Frost took Game 1 in overtime, flashes of déjà vu rattled through the fanbase. What’s more, it took the Victoire three overtimes to take Game 2.

Game 3 sparked hopes of casting out the demons of playoffs past before the club dropped the first elimination game 3-1 on Friday. And then Monday’s game-postponement threw off the vibes further.

The series-winning game on Tuesday felt more like relief than victory for a club that topped the regular-season standings.

But victory it was and now — just to inject some more terrors of déjà vu back into the mix — in order for Montreal to take the Walter Cup, the club must face the team it fell to last season in the semis.

This one goes to the goalies

The final should be another defensive masterclass in the net.

The Victoire’s Ann-Renée Desbiens stopped 142 shots in five playoff games, while Philips kept out 135 shots in four playoff games for the Charge.

Philips has both the higher playoff goals-against average (1.62) and save percentage (.951) over four games played. Desbiens’ numbers are close behind, with a 1.56 goals-against playoff record and .940 save percentage over five games.

What happens when the Brick Wall of Charlevoix goes head-to-head with Gwynsanity? Well, this regular season the Brick Wall had the edge.

In the four games between the clubs, the Victoire took three. The caveat? Montreal has yet to beat the Charge in the post-season — the team the club chose to face in last season’s playoffs.

Walter is coming to Manitoba

Whether the goalies put on a show or the offence fleeces them, one thing is guaranteed — the Walter Cup will be won by a Canadian franchise for the first time.

My pick for the final? Certainly I can’t admit to playing favourites.

But what I do know is Walter is coming to Manitoba, one way or another, either in the hands of Tabin or Larocque.

winnipegfreepress.com/graceannepaizen